The news: The growth of AI-powered shopping experiences is helping retail media click growth accelerate in high-consideration categories like business and consumer electronics, according to our industry KPI data provided by Skai.

• Retail media ad clicks grew 64.3% YoY in the business and industrial category in Q2 2026, while computers and consumer electronics increased 20.3% YoY.
• Clicks for family and community retail products were particularly strong, growing 150% YoY.
• Health (28.9%), home and garden (27.3%), and beauty and personal care (27.2%) also posted strong growth.

Nearly two-thirds (62%) of AI users globally now use AI-powered tools for shopping, per a 2025 Bazaarvoice survey. Meanwhile, 17% of shoppers—and 1 in 5 Gen Z consumers—have already purchased a product because it was recommended by an AI assistant or chatbot, per Salsify.

The trend: AI-assisted shopping pushes from major platforms are attracting users.

• Amazon recently reported that more than 250 million customers have used its AI shopping assistant, and users are 60% more likely to make a purchase.
• The company also reported that usage of its next-generation AI shopping assistant grew 149% YoY, while interactions increased 210%—underscoring how AI tools are gaining traction and influencing purchase behavior.
• Google debuted expanded AI-powered Shopping, Search, and Performance Max capabilities at Google Marketing Live 2026, designed to improve product discovery and help advertisers reach high-intent consumers using AI.

Why it matters: Consumers are increasingly using AI as part of the shopping journey, especially in retail categories where they are more likely to spend time researching before purchasing.

AI’s growing role in shopping will help high-consideration categories most. Consumers typically spend more time comparing features, specifications, prices, and reviews before making these purchases, making AI-powered tools especially useful.

Strong click growth across business, electronics, and health suggests that advances in AI search, recommendations, and shopping assistants are helping retailers guide product research while connecting advertisers with more high-intent shoppers.

Implications for marketers: As retailers increasingly embed AI into search, discovery, and advertising experiences, marketers could continue to see stronger engagement in research-intensive categories where personalized recommendations and relevant product discovery have a greater impact on click performance. That makes AI-powered retail media increasingly valuable not just for driving discovery, but for influencing consumers at the moments when purchase decisions are taking shape.

Go deeper: Want more retail media ad click growth benchmarking data? PRO+ subscribers have access to Industry KPIs, our collection of more than 400 benchmarks in marketing and retail and ecommerce across a range of industries and countries. Click here for more information.