Retailers and brands are moving marketing dollars into cashback, deal and price-comparison platforms because AI shopping tools are changing where purchase decisions are made. New research from Northwestern University’s Retail Analytics Council and AI shopping assistant maker Minty shows marketers are already shifting spend to follow shoppers—and their AI agents—earlier in the buying journey.

Key findings: savings platforms overtake traditional channels

The report surveyed 150 senior commerce decision-makers at retailers, manufacturers and marketplaces—98% from companies with more than $100 million in annual revenue. Eighty-one percent of respondents said cashback and savings tools are the most helpful channels shoppers use to make purchase decisions, ranking ahead of traditional advertising, loyalty programs and creator marketing.

Respondents expect fast consumer adoption of AI tools: 79% said they expect their primary customer base to be using AI tools by 2027. Two-thirds of marketers in the study believe AI will be the primary way to reach shoppers that year, and more than half already combine AI with savings offerings.

Half of the surveyed marketers reported they are marketing directly to AI agents—an approach Minty calls “proactive commerce,” meaning brands try to surface total-value messaging to shoppers and their AI assistants before a search or click. In contrast, only 18% expect traditional search and 13% expect social media to be their primary channels in 2027.

Budget changes are already visible: among marketers targeting shoppers in the AI-driven early research stages, 61% said they have increased or reallocated spending toward cashback and savings apps.

Why marketers are following AI-driven discovery

When shoppers use AI to compare prices, evaluate alternatives and prioritize savings, the opportunities for influence move earlier and often outside the channels advertisers traditionally measure. That forces three practical shifts for marketing teams.

  • Message timing: Influence must arrive at the discovery stage, not only during search or retargeting. Savings and total-value messaging become primary hooks.
  • Measurement: Attribution must account for recommendations surfaced by AI agents and third-party savings platforms—impressions and engagements off your site can now drive conversion.
  • Media mix: Partnerships and placements inside savings ecosystems gain priority over standalone search or social buys.

How to respond—practical steps

Brands and retailers can begin operational changes now without waiting for full AI adoption:

  • Test placements with cashback and savings platforms to compare cost-per-acquisition and lifetime value versus existing channels.
  • Prioritize clear “total-value” listings (price, shipping, returns and bundles) so AI agents and aggregators can surface meaningful comparisons.
  • Prepare product catalogs and pricing feeds for programmatic ingestion—structured data and freshness matter for third-party agents.
  • Update attribution models to capture early-stage influence and off-site engagements that feed AI recommendations.

These moves come with trade-offs. Heavy promotion via savings apps can drive volume while compressing margins and training price-sensitive behavior. The survey reflects intent among larger retailers; smaller merchants may face different economics and should model the margin impact before reallocating significant spend.

What to watch next

Two signals will determine whether this budget rotation becomes permanent. First, independent consumer panels and purchase-data sources must confirm that shoppers actually rely on AI agents and savings platforms at scale for discovery. Second, major AI-shopping platforms will reveal how they monetize and rank recommendations—whether they reward price alone or surface a broader value picture.

For marketing teams the immediate test is operational: can you surface reliable, machine-readable value signals where AI agents and deal-seeking shoppers are already looking? If the answer is no, reallocate a test budget now; if yes, scale partnerships and measurement to capture influence earlier in the funnel.