Poles Increasingly Ask AI for Shopping Advice, But Still Don't Fully Trust It

Artificial intelligence has moved up in Poles' shopping basket from a curiosity to a genuine source of recommendations. A new survey by ARC Rynek i Opinia (ARC Market and Opinion) finds that 26 percent of consumers now cite AI tools as a source of shopping knowledge, almost as many as social media and influencers combined.

What the survey found

The ARC Rynek i Opinia survey looked at the sources Poles turn to for information before making a purchase. Search engines remain the leader at 67 percent, and 64 percent of respondents cite other customers' reviews. Recommendations from family and friends were named by 43 percent, social media by 28 percent, and AI-generated summaries in search results by 26 percent. The gap between social media and AI is now small enough that the survey's authors describe the two channels as genuine competitors.

The key figure, however, concerns actual use of AI tools while shopping: 37 percent of consumers say they use them, roughly half again as many as a year earlier. Among the youngest group, aged 18-35, the share reaches 64 percent, though only 10 percent of them turn to AI regularly rather than occasionally.

Why AI is outpacing influencers

The survey's authors link the growing trust in AI to a string of scandals around influencer marketing. Poland's Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) recently fined six online creators for failing to label sponsored content, with penalties ranging from 4,000 to 50,000 zlotys. Consumers increasingly see AI-generated recommendations as less biased than paid creators' endorsements, though the survey did not test whether that perception is justified.

When it comes to shopping information, AI tools are increasingly competing with social media and influencers - Przemysław Łojek, project manager, ARC Rynek i Opinia

Experimentation, not a habit

Despite the rising numbers, experts are tempering the enthusiasm. Robert Biegaj of Shopfully Poland notes that a high share of young users does not yet mean mass, deliberate adoption of AI at every stage of the shopping journey.

More than 65 percent of young Poles saying they use AI in purchase decisions is a very clear signal that it has stopped being a niche solution for technology enthusiasts - Robert Biegaj, Shopfully Poland

Biegaj adds that this does not yet amount to full mass adoption in the sense of regular, deliberate use of AI at every stage of the purchase process. That same conclusion is borne out by the gap between the 64 percent share of young users and the mere 10 percent who turn to AI regularly.

Poland compared with Europe

On the corporate side, the picture is more subdued. Although Polish e-commerce is among the fastest-growing in Europe, AI adoption on the seller side still lags the EU average. Dominik Laskowski, president and co-founder of autoMEE, estimates that among companies with 10 or more employees, only a few percent use AI tools, while the EU average is already in double digits.

Poland is still trailing behind the rest of Europe in making use of AI's potential - Dominik Laskowski, president and co-founder, autoMEE

At the same time, companies that have implemented AI in customer service and recommendations are more likely to see revenue growth than a decline. According to the cited data, 70 percent of e-commerce companies that introduced AI recorded a rise in sales, which helps explain the growing interest in the topic despite the low baseline level of adoption.

What it means for the market

For online retailers, the survey's findings mean that visibility in AI-generated summaries in search results is becoming a real channel for reaching customers, alongside SEO and social media advertising. The growing number of consumers asking chatbots for product recommendations raises the question of whether and how brands are visible in the answers generated by language models, not just in classic search results.

The survey's authors caution that the durability of the trend will depend not only on the pace of adoption among consumers but also on AI tool providers' ability to maintain the quality and transparency of recommendations. Rising operating costs for providers could force changes to business models in the coming months, along with sharper differentiation between the quality of paid and free services.