The Era of Artificial Intelligence in Structured Shopping and the Payment Gap in Investment Platforms
Recent research reveals that American consumers are heavily using artificial intelligence for product discovery, and that investment platforms are struggling with instant payouts.
AI assistants are becoming the decision-making mechanism by narrowing down options before consumers even reach retailers. Meanwhile, reports prepared in collaboration with Visa Direct show that investment platforms still experience a significant payment gap in real-time withdrawals.
Artificial Intelligence Plays a Major Role in Product Discovery
According to a consumer report by PYMNTS Intelligence, 23 percent of consumers in the United States utilized artificial intelligence tools for product discovery over the past year.
Among consumers conducting shopping research, this rate reached 93 percent. Product research and comparison was the only measured shopping activity to record significant growth.
Transformation into a Decision Engine in Retail
Before fully automating payment transactions, artificial intelligence is on its way to becoming the core decision engine of the retail sector.
Generative AI synthesizes information based on consumer constraints to determine which brand gets a shot at a sale, fundamentally altering competitive dynamics.
Speed and Payment Gap in Investment Platforms
Research conducted in partnership with Visa Direct, which surveyed 120 investment platform executives, reveals that companies face serious challenges regarding payment speeds.
Although firms aim to execute 47 percent of payments in real time over the next three years, only 11 percent of standard withdrawal transactions currently reach accounts within one minute.
Automation Plans and Future Expectations
Although half of investment platform executives state that increased automation would improve processes, only 30 percent of companies plan to invest in technology in this direction over the next year.