Consumer goods enter AI-fuelled retail as marketplaces and social commerce reshape growth

The global consumer goods ecosystem has moved into a new phase of digital maturity powered by AI enabled discovery, platform heavy shopping behaviour and evolving buyer values. Comscore’s Digital Landscape 2025 report shows that the industry now attracts 1.2 billion monthly unique visitors worldwide, reflecting both active buyers and those preparing to convert. This surge strengthens consumer goods as one of the most universal digital categories, spanning apparel, grocery, electronics and luxury.

Marketplaces remain the gravitational centre of global retail. Amazon continues to lead with 918 million unique visitors while India secures its position as a digital retail powerhouse through Flipkart which draws 298 million users.

The fastest climber is Temu which has increased its global reach by 35 percent to 254 million visitors making it the most aggressive disruptor of the year. In apparel the momentum of Shein remains unmatched with 189 million visitors while Indian players like Myntra record steady gains.

A defining shift highlighted in the report is the rapid rise of AI agents as consumer gateways. Access to top retailers via ChatGPT has surged by 181 percent year on year indicating that AI platforms are no longer peripheral tools but becoming front line traffic drivers capable of influencing decisions and routing users directly to product environments. This development signals a new phase where AI shapes intent rather than simply assisting with search.

Category insights show where digital demand is most pronounced. Apparel attracts 469 million global visitors and grocery is close behind with 463 million making them the two largest online consumer sectors. In grocery India’s JioMart stands out with a 28 percent yearly growth bucking the decline seen among other global players.

Consumers themselves are signalling a shift in values. During the US shopping season Gen Z users who prioritise buying American made products rose by 21 percent within a month. This points to a rise in origin based and ethical consumption.

Social media remains a force multiplier. TikTok content tied to Black Friday and TikTok Shop was led by beauty and food centred keywords while Diwali campaigns in India saw heavy influencer collaboration.

Together these forces mark a consumer goods market that is leaning into AI intelligence, social discovery and marketplace scale as the core engines of future retail growth.