The New Research Points To A Rise Of The Validation Economy As AI Reshapes the Consumer Journey

NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — New research from global media, data, and creative agency Croud reveals consumers may be far more ready for AI-powered commerce than brands realize. According to the latest Croud Consumer Index, The Expansion of the Validation Economy: How to Win in a World of AI-Mediated Consumer Journeys, 69% of Americans are open to AI purchasing on their behalf, and 3 in 4 would use AI-powered instant checkout in at least one category.

Based on a nationally representative survey of more than 2,000 U.S. consumers, the report finds AI is reshaping every stage of the customer journey, from discovery to decision, fundamentally changing how brands earn attention, trust, and conversion.

The research identifies three major shifts redefining modern commerce:

Discoverability: 73% of AI users research via LLMs before deciding on a specific brand or product, allowing AI to shape consideration before preferences have been formed.
Validation: 39% of AI users validate AI recommendations across four or more sources before buying, with more than one-third turning to YouTube–signaling that reviews, creators, social platforms, and brand-owned content determine whether AI recommendations convert into purchases.
Automation: Half of consumers are comfortable allowing AI to purchase across three or more categories, reinforcing growing consumer confidence in AI-assisted commerce.

“Ironically, AI is making the consumer journey more human, not less. As consumers increasingly rely on AI to discover more options, they’re placing significant value on human validation before making a purchase,” said Val Davis, Croud’s U.S. CEO. “That shifts the role of creators, communities, reviews, and brand storytelling from awareness to a critical driver of conversion.”

While the report finds that low-risk, routine purchases such as groceries and household essentials dominated the categories in which AI users were likely to trust AI-automated checkout, fashion shoppers stood out with unique behavioral patterns:

AI-assisted fashion shoppers spend 56% more than non-users, demonstrating AI’s potential to drive higher-value purchasing behavior in certain categories.
AI users are 23% more likely to search by style or aesthetic, signaling a shift from traditional keyword searches toward more conversational, intent-driven discovery.

“AI shoppers research with intention, search by need and aesthetic over brand, and ultimately spend more,” said Dani Jordan, Global CMO at Croud. “This creates a critical window for brands to influence decisions in the validation journey, before preferences lock in. To win, brands must show up consistently discoverable, distinctive, and trustworthy, not just to human shoppers, but to the machines guiding them.”

The findings align with Croud’s work to help brands adapt to AI-powered discovery. Health and wellness brand Thorne, for example, recently partnered with Croud to shift from a keyword-first search strategy to one focused on intent, context, and AI visibility, contributing to a 30% year-over-year increase in organic revenue and a 66% LLM mention rate.

“What stood out to us wasn’t just that consumers are using AI to discover products, but that trust still has to be earned beyond the AI recommendation,” said Rajiv Ragu, VP of Growth at Thorne. “We’ve seen firsthand that success in AI search isn’t about optimizing for one platform. It’s about building authoritative content and a trusted brand presence that consumers and AI systems alike can rely on.”

The full report, The Expansion of the Validation Economy: How to Win in a World of AI-Mediated Consumer Journeys, is available for download at https://croud.com/resources/croud-consumer-index-validation-economy-us.

About Croud

Croud is a global media, data, and creative agency delivering a return on intelligence. We have a proven track record of delivering returns to brands that compound over time, driven by our data-driven brand and performance heritage, advanced technologies, and global talent.

Our capabilities span brand planning, strategy, integrated and retail media, social, creative and data, strengthened by acquisitions including Born Social, Metageni and specialist luxury marketing expertise. Our proprietary operating system, CroudOS, powers media and creative intelligence, supported by AI-driven technologies in data analytics, automation and effectiveness, and predictive modelling.

Founded in 2011 to reinvent the agency model, Croud combines 600+ in-house experts with a flexible global network of 2,900 specialists. Backed by ECI Partners and chaired by former Publicis Groupe Global COO Steve King, we work with brands such as Audible, Nespresso, and Timberland to deliver truly incremental growth.

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