A new study by Orisha Commerce in collaboration with OpinionWay reveals a significant shift in how 15–25-year-olds approach online shopping, with social media and artificial intelligence now central to the purchasing journey.
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The research, based on 1,600 respondents across France and Spain, shows that social platforms dominate product discovery. Around 59% of young consumers rely primarily on social media, rising to 82% during the research phase before a purchase. Among platforms, TikTok leads at 66%, followed by Instagram (44%) and YouTube (38%).
AI is also becoming embedded in this journey. Nearly one in three respondents trust tools such as ChatGPT for shopping-related advice, with 29% using AI for product discovery and 35% during pre-purchase research. However, adoption remains uneven, with 64% not actively using AI, highlighting ongoing trust concerns.
Live shopping and social commerce are accelerating this shift. Some 44% of respondents have already purchased via platforms like TikTok Shop, Instagram or Snapchat after watching live-streamed content. Impulse buying is also widespread, with 83% reporting purchases of products discovered случайно on social media.
Despite strong engagement, scepticism persists. Concerns include inaccurate recommendations (46%), lack of personalisation (36%), and data privacy risks (26%). Still, AI is closing the trust gap, ranking just behind influencers as a trusted source.
The findings underline a broader transformation: for younger consumers, social media is no longer just a discovery tool but a fully integrated shopping environment, where influence, decision-making and transaction increasingly converge.
Source: www.univers-habitat.eu
