Almost six out of 10 people in a recent OneDayOnly survey say they would probably use an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered shopping assistant to compare prices and find deals.
This, as South Africans shift the way they shop in an economy that is now going backwards – increasingly focusing on value and waiting for sales.
OneDayOnly’s October 2026 ODOmeter found that the increasing AI use by customers to shop cost-effectively “highlights a shift toward pragmatic tech adoption” in that they are “using an efficiency tool to assist with smart spending and protect household budgets”.
OneDayOnly’s survey, which was undertaken among 2 410 online shoppers, skewed towards its customers, over around two weeks in August 2026, examined online shopping behaviour amid cost-of-living pressures, including spending and saving habits, trust, Black Friday and the potential use of AI shopping assistants.
The research found that 92% of respondents are happy to shop online.
Head of customer experience Jane Walters notes that amid a shift by consumers towards being more cost-conscious, “almost 60% of respondents said they would probably use AI to help them shop, compare prices and find deals”.
South Africa’s economy declined for the first time in six quarters in the three months to June, coming in at negative 0.2%. However, retail trade sales increased by 3.3% year-on-year in August 2026, according to data from Statistics South Africa published a week ago.
Saving bucks
In its survey, OneDayOnly found that just more than three-quarters of the respondents rigorously cross-check prices across multiple platforms before checking out, with almost nine out of 10 consumers reporting saving harder than ever before and 80% intentionally waiting for promotions before spending.
OneDayOnly director Laurian Venter says “before clicking ‘buy’, consumers are checking the price against other retailers, reading reviews, hunting for an extra discount code, and asking whether the saving is actually as good as it looks”.
Almost half of the respondents are using discount codes more than they ever used to, at 46%, and over a third are willing to switch retailers to find a better price, says Walters.
Venter is optimistic that this behaviour shows consumer resilience instead of despair. “Rather than navigating a tight economy helplessly, many South Africans appear to be adapting by introducing a level of diligence, caution and careful planning.”
Bargain bots
Visa’s mid-year Stay Secure survey of 5 800 adults in 17 markets across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa found that just more than three-quarters of South African consumers have used AI tools to assist with shopping.
“In South Africa, consumers are embracing AI as part of their shopping journeys, using AI tools to assist with activities such as comparing prices, finding gift ideas, and checking reviews or product ratings,” the survey notes.
Globally, a VML report for 2026 notes that 82% of consumers surveyed between 22 May and 9 June 2026 said they used AI when shopping, which it says is “a massive jump” from the 68% recorded last year, with this year’s figure led by Gen Z at 89% (between 1997 and 2012) and Millennials at 88% (1981 to 1996). VML’s The Future Shopper 2026 report surveyed 28 000 consumers across 17 countries.
Part of life
Brent Taylor, global commerce lead of the marketing and PR company, notes that consumers are rapidly integrating conversational AI into their product research and daily tasks.
“Commerce is entering a transformative phase driven by AI and a potential future of automated buying assistants,” Taylor says in the foreword to its global 10th edition of The Future Shopper.
VML states that the leading global uses of AI include quick answers to general knowledge questions at 22% and language translation at 21%, while financial budgeting advice sits at 11%. Yet, a third of global consumers say they would not let AI make purchases on their behalf.
New technologies, including AI-powered tools, are making online shopping faster and easier than before, says Visa, noting that 92% of those surveyed agreed with this statement. However, just under a quarter trust AI agents to complete checkout on their behalf.
AI is also influencing how consumers discover new brands and retailers, Visa adds.
“People still want good-quality products. They still want good brands, they still want lovely things, they still want a great festive season, they want to buy presents for their families, they still want their homes to look nice, and they want to buy something special for their families, or enjoy a purchase that they’ve been saving towards for a very long time,” says Venter.
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