Millennials are leading the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) for shopping in India, with 84% using AI-powered tools to search for products, compare options and make purchase decisions, compared with 74% of Gen Z consumers, according to a report by McKinsey & Company.
The McKinsey Agentic Commerce Consumer Survey, conducted in June 2026, found that AI shopping adoption stood at 74% among Gen X consumers and 56% among baby boomers in India, indicating growing use across age groups.
India ranked second among the 11 markets surveyed for overall AI shopping adoption, with 76% of consumers using AI tools for shopping. China topped the list at 80%, while the global average stood at 53%.
The report noted that while Gen Z and millennials lead AI-powered shopping adoption globally, millennials recorded the highest adoption rate in India, exceeding Gen Z by 10 percentage points.
Consumer trust in AI-powered shopping tools was also relatively high in India, with 87% of AI users expressing confidence in AI chat and search tools, compared with the global average of 73%.
Globally, millennials and Gen Z recorded AI shopping adoption rates of 63% and 62%, respectively. However, Gen Z consumers showed relatively lower trust in the technology, with 67% expressing confidence in AI chat and search tools, below the overall average of 73%.
The survey covered approximately 21,000 consumers across 11 markets, including India, China, the United States and the United Kingdom. McKinsey noted that the adoption figure for Indian baby boomers was indicative, as it was based on fewer than 100 respondents.
