SAP study finds AI agents shape Gen Z buying decisions

SAP Engagement Cloud has published research showing that 21% of consumers use AI agents to support purchasing decisions. The figure rises to 43% among Gen Z.

The findings suggest a shift in how consumers discover and assess products, with 74% saying AI helps them make faster, more informed choices. Among marketers, 80% said AI will be essential for acquiring and retaining customers in 2026 and beyond.

The research was based on a survey of 3,000 US consumers and 1,500 US senior decision-makers. It suggests companies are under pressure to adapt marketing, sales and service operations as customers increasingly turn to AI tools at the point of purchase.

Consumer shift

For retailers and consumer brands, the change is likely to be most visible during busy trading periods and major public events, when decisions are made quickly and demand can shift fast. These moments now test whether businesses can respond to customer intent as it emerges, rather than relying on pre-planned campaigns alone.

The challenge extends beyond marketing teams. Inventory, fulfilment and customer service must also be aligned if businesses want to respond effectively when interest spikes around seasonal shopping, promotions or cultural events.

"Agentic AI is turning engagement into a real-time, enterprise-wide capability, but for many brands this remains difficult in practice," said Sara Richter, Chief Marketing Officer at SAP Engagement Cloud.

"Data is often spread across disconnected systems, teams operate in silos, and inconsistent data quality limits the ability to act in the moment. Most organizations want to deliver joined-up engagement, but few have the operational foundation to do so at scale. Those with more unified core systems are in a much stronger position," Richter said.

Operational pressure

High-intensity trading periods expose weaknesses in how companies connect customer information with business operations. If marketing activity drives demand that stock systems, logistics teams or service operations cannot match, brands risk losing sales and frustrating customers.

SAP launched SAP Engagement Cloud earlier this year as part of its wider customer engagement strategy. The product is designed to connect customer, commerce and operational data so businesses can coordinate actions as demand unfolds.

SAP also linked that approach to its broader push around what it calls the Autonomous Enterprise, in which AI systems move from identifying insights to taking action across business workflows. In practice, that means using AI, with staff oversight, to react more quickly to changing customer behaviour.

Early adopters

Some brands are already applying AI to customer data analysis. Gibson, the US guitar maker, is using AI to bring together customer information and identify patterns that support more targeted engagement.

"One of the biggest opportunities for us is making better use of the data we already have," said Jonathan Martz, Senior CRM Manager at Gibson.

"AI helps us identify patterns in real time, so we can move beyond broad campaigns," Martz said.

The findings add to growing evidence that AI is influencing not just internal business processes, but consumer-facing decisions. As shoppers increasingly use AI tools to compare products and narrow choices, brands may need to think less about one-way advertising and more about whether their products, pricing and service information can be surfaced and acted on in the moment.

For younger consumers in particular, the data suggests AI-assisted shopping is moving into the mainstream. With nearly half of Gen Z respondents saying they already use AI agents in purchase decisions, the trend may reshape how companies compete for attention during the busiest periods of the retail calendar.

"Major sports events and peak trading periods are not just marketing opportunities; they are operational stress tests," Richter said.

"The brands that succeed will be those that can act on data instantly to deliver experiences customers value," Richter said.