AI models are about to decide a good chunk of Australia's shopping list this Black Friday through Boxing Day. All before a single ad gets clicked.
By Malin Gaertig · July 14, 2026
AI-assisted shopping is now mainstream in Australia, with up to 86% of shoppers using AI in their path to purchase. Retailers need to know what models say about them before the holiday season — because whoever the model recommends gets the click.
- —AI-assisted shopping is now the majority path in Australia — the question is whether your brand shows up in those conversations.
- —AI-referred traffic converts better than other channels; the brands winning did the structural groundwork, not the biggest ad spend.
- —Test what models say about you before the season — ranking and spend don't guarantee a recommendation.
AI models are about to decide a good chunk of Australia's shopping list this Black Friday through Boxing Day. All before a single ad gets clicked.
IAB Australia and Pureprofile's 2026 Commerce & Discovery Report found 6 in 10 Aussie online shoppers now use AI somewhere in their path to purchase, rising to 75% among 18-39s. Klaviyo puts total AI-assisted shopping among Aussies at 86%, the highest of any market they track.
This shows that for a growing share of shoppers, research, comparison and shortlisting that used to span a dozen tabs now happens inside one conversation with an AI model, start to finish. Whoever the model recommends gets the click. Whoever it doesn't, doesn't make the list.
Second, Adobe's Q1 2026 data shows AI-referred US retail traffic converting 42% better than every other channel in March. This represents an 80-point swing in twelve months (Adobe). A channel doesn't flip worst to best that fast without something structural shifting underneath it.
Retailers need to come to grips that the channel deciding who gets shortlisted is compounding monthly, on a mechanism retail marketing wasn't built for. No auction to buy into, no budget shortcut. The brands showing up did the groundwork early, not the ones who spent the most.
Most marketing teams can't answer the question: what does an AI model say about your brand when asked for a recommendation. SEO ranking, PPC spend and merchandising don't guarantee an answer.
That's the gap MARK closes. Share of Model shows how often you're recommended versus competitors. Ghost Shopper simulates how an AI agent shops your site and flags where it breaks down. Feed Guardian makes sure your product data is machine-readable enough to be picked up.
Where's your brand showing up in AI right now? Worth finding out before the season, not after.