AI Chatbot Shopping to Cross ₹450 Lakh Crore by 2030, Says McKinsey Report

Digital Desk

AI chatbots are reshaping online shopping, with McKinsey predicting transactions worth up to ₹450 lakh crore in the next five years. Gen Z leads the trend as global retailers adopt chatbot-driven sales.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming how people shop online, and the shift is happening faster than ever. A new McKinsey study suggests that in the next five years, shopping through AI chatbots could reach a staggering ₹450 lakh crore worldwide. About 20% of young consumers aged 18 to 24 are expected to depend on AI tools for making purchase decisions.

Across markets, the rise of AI-powered shopping assistants is changing consumer habits. For this year’s Christmas and New Year season, shoppers are increasingly turning to chatbots that help them find products, compare prices, and make smarter purchase choices.

A recent Shopify survey found that nearly two-thirds of consumers in high-income countries plan to use AI assistance during the holiday shopping season. The highest adoption rate is among younger shoppers aged 18–24, who prefer fast, personalized recommendations instead of browsing manually.

AI Partnerships Transforming E-commerce

To leverage this trend, major players like OpenAI have started collaborating with e-commerce platforms such as Shopify and Etsy. These partnerships allow users to purchase products directly within conversational interfaces, where businesses pay a small fee to the AI platform. Analysts say this could reshape how online retail platforms operate in the near future.

Meanwhile, tech giant Google is also preparing to expand its presence in this dynamic segment by integrating shopping features into its AI systems.

Amazon Pushes Back Against AI Agents

However, not all companies are embracing these changes smoothly. Amazon has blocked OpenAI’s agents from accessing its product data and has reportedly filed legal action against Perplexity, accusing its Comet browser of accessing Amazon’s site under a false digital identity. The move shows growing tension between AI aggregators and traditional e-commerce giants over data access and customer control.

Walmart Enters the Chatbot Commerce Race

While Amazon is drawing lines, Walmart has chosen the opposite path. The retail giant announced earlier this year that customers will soon be able to buy Walmart products directly through ChatGPT. According to Mizuho Bank, around 4% of Walmart’s web traffic already comes from AI referrals, indicating early success for its chatbot-commerce experiment.

Why Human Touch Still Matters

Despite the digital boom, physical stores remain crucial. The latest Shopify report says nearly 75% of shoppers value human interaction while making purchases—a 50% rise compared to last year. Experts believe that as AI handles efficiency, retailers must maintain strong, human-led experiences to build emotional loyalty.

As AI tools become smarter and shopping more automated, the retail landscape is entering a hybrid era—where digital convenience meets human connection. The next five years will likely determine how customers balance these two worlds in the age of AI commerce.