72% of Singapore Shoppers Now Use AI to Decide What to Buy, Adyen Report Finds

Artificial intelligence has quietly become a shopping companion for most Singaporeans. More than seven in ten consumers here (72%) used AI assistants to support their shopping in the past year, according to the Adyen Index 2026 Singapore Retail Report — and the habit is clearest among the young, with 85% of Gen Z and 80% of millennials turning to AI to decide what to buy.

The report, released this week, paints a market splitting along generational lines. While 42% of Singaporeans say they are spending more than a year ago and 25% are spending less, half of Gen Z (50%) and 51% of millennials report higher spending, against 36% of Gen X and just 29% of baby boomers. Among those spending more, 62% cite rising costs of living and interest rates as the driver — but 28% of Gen Z say they are simply "choosing to enjoy life more", a sentiment shared by only 6% of boomers. The divide shows up in social commerce too: Gen Z spends an average of S$104 per purchase through social media and millennials S$106, versus S$80 for Gen X and S$62 for boomers.

The AI shift is reshaping discovery and expectations. Of shoppers who use AI assistants, 72% say the technology cuts through online noise, 68% say it delivers inspiration faster, and 66% use it to find unique brands and experiences. Nearly half of consumers (46%) now want a seamless online-to-in-store experience, 43% want real-time product visibility, and 38% want faster shopping technology. On the merchant side, 99% of surveyed Singapore retailers say they use AI in some capacity, though 95% still face barriers to wider adoption — competing priorities and limited resources (39%), integration difficulties (38%) and a lack of in-house AI skills (35%).

Adyen's Southeast Asia and Hong Kong general manager Ben Wong argues the fragmentation demands better data discipline: "Clean data, paired with the right platform and expertise, can [let] retailers unlock actionable insights at close to real-time speed." His caution about fundamentals is well placed — 59% of consumers said a payment error negatively affected their perception of a brand, and 15% would switch to a competitor altogether.

Why it matters for Singapore: The report shows AI adoption has moved from novelty to default behaviour in Singapore's retail economy — but also that the gains are uneven, with older shoppers spending less and trusting less. For retailers, the winners will be those who pair AI-powered personalisation with reliable fundamentals, and who recognise that Singapore's consumer market is no longer one audience but several.