Product discovery still mostly happens on marketplaces, with 37 percent of consumers starting their shopping journey there. Compared to last year, this is a decrease of 10 percent. Social platforms and AI assistants have increased their share in the last 12 months.
These data come from ChannelEngine’s newest Marketplace Shopping Behavior Report 2026. This yearly report from the marketplace integrator examines how consumers use online marketplaces. In October 2025, at least 4,500 online marketplace shoppers from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the Netherlands were surveyed.
Last year, the previous report showed that 47 percent of online shoppers start their search for products on marketplaces. These platforms were used more often than search engines or brand websites to discover products.
Attention spread across several channels
This year, marketplaces are still used more often to discover products than search engines and brand websites. However, the report shows that consumers are increasingly spreading their attention across several channels, like search, social and AI assistants.
Only 17% of shoppers feel comfortable completing a purchase via AI
When consumers are researching products, more than half (58 percent) of shoppers use AI tools. Additionally, more than a third have started a purchase journey through this same channel. But only 17 percent feel comfortable completing a purchase via AI. For most consumers, AI tools are a research assistant, rather than a buying agent.
53% of shoppers compare product on multiple marketplaces
It is not surprising that consumers compare products across multiple channels, given that they are active on many channels. Up to 53 percent of shoppers said that they always or often compare the same product on multiple marketplaces. They browse an average of three platforms before buying.
Three in five shoppers hesitate to buy if a product has no reviews
While comparing a product, consumers lose trust because of price differences and inconsistent product information across channels. Additionally, three in five shoppers hesitate to buy if a product has no reviews. According to ChannelEngine, this indicates that social proof has become a requirement, rather than nice-to-have.
Free shipping influences 91% of shoppers
There are more factors that can influence whether a shopper will decide to buy a product. Pricing remains important, but so is free shipping. This was cited by 91 percent of consumers, along with delivery speed, availability and reliability. And sustainability was mentioned by 65 percent, making it rank significantly lower in purchase decisions.
