The survey of 200 generative AI users aged 20 to 49 in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi found that 96% had used generative AI within the previous month. The findings suggest conversational AI is moving beyond general information retrieval to become an increasingly important part of the consumer purchase journey.

ChatGPT and Gemini dominate AI use

OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini account for a combined 90% of primary generative AI tool usage among respondents.

ChatGPT had the broadest reach, with 80% of respondents reporting use of the platform and 53% identifying it as their most-used tool. Gemini followed with a 68% usage rate, while 37% named it their primary platform.

Usage patterns varied by age and gender. Gemini was particularly popular among consumers in their 30s, with adoption reaching 83%. ChatGPT was more popular among women, with 63% of female respondents choosing it as their primary tool, compared with 44% of men.

Other platforms had significantly smaller user bases. Meta AI was used by 25% of respondents, while Claude and Microsoft Copilot each recorded 17%. DeepSeek had a 14% usage rate, followed by Grok at 11% and Perplexity at 3%.

AI enters the shopping journey

General knowledge retrieval remained the most common use of generative AI, cited by 78% of respondents, followed by personal advice at 62%.

Meanwhile, commercial research has quickly become a major use case. About 58% of respondents said they regularly used generative AI to research products or services before making a purchase.

That put pre-purchase research ahead of workplace tasks at 57% and education and translation at 53%. Creative content generation accounted for 37%, while travel and spending planning stood at 36% and entertainment at 33%.

Consumers in their 30s were the most active users for shopping research, with 67% using AI to investigate products before buying. Respondents in their 20s were more likely to use AI for education and language-related tasks, at 63%.

Generative AI is also emerging as a significant product-discovery channel. Traditional search engines remained the leading source, with 86% of respondents using them for product searches, followed by Shopee and Lazada at 77%.

Facebook accounted for 59% of product inquiries. Generative AI, at 58%, ranked ahead of TikTok at 57%, YouTube at 52%, official brand websites at 50%, and recommendations from family and friends at 37%.

However, only 4% of respondents said generative AI was their single most-used shopping information source, suggesting that AI currently complements rather than replaces established channels.

Consumers use AI most for high-involvement purchases

Using AI to research products has become a regular habit for many urban consumers. About 62% said they always or often use AI before purchasing, including 9% who do so always and 53% who do so often. Another 30% use AI sometimes, while only 3% said they never use it for purchase research.

Usage was highest among consumers in their 30s, at 68%. Consumers in their 40s were more likely to use AI occasionally, with 44% selecting "sometimes".

Food and beverages were the most researched category, at 55%, followed closely by electronics and appliances at 54%. Fashion and accessories accounted for 47%, cosmetics and skincare 43%, hotels and travel 40%, restaurants and cafes 39%, and health and fitness 29%.

Gender differences were particularly pronounced in some categories. Men were more likely to use AI to research electronics and food, while women showed stronger demand for beauty-related information. Some 53% of female respondents used AI to research cosmetics, compared with 33% of men.

Saving time is the main appeal

The biggest attraction of generative AI is its ability to reduce the effort required to research products. About 70% of respondents said they valued receiving a ready-made summary rather than having to read information across multiple websites. Personalized recommendations were important to 54% of users, while 52% valued the speed of retrieving information.

Consumers in their 40s placed particular emphasis on customized recommendations, with 65% citing tailored options as an important benefit.

The findings highlight one of the key differences between conversational AI and conventional search. Rather than presenting users with a list of links, generative AI can consolidate information against a set of specific criteria and produce a shortlist.

From search to analysis

Consumers are increasingly using AI to evaluate products rather than simply locate them. Summarizing pros and cons was the most common analytical task, cited by 67% of respondents, followed by comparing products or brands at 62%.

Some 55% used AI to identify products matching specific needs, while 44% used it to check features or technical specifications. General product recommendations accounted for 42%, followed by customer-review summaries at 41% and price or value-for-money assessments at 38%. Only 12% used AI primarily to find where a product could be purchased.

Consumers in their 40s were particularly likely to use AI as a filtering tool, with 70% asking it to identify options that met specific conditions.

AI creates shortlists, but consumers still verify

Despite the growing reliance on AI recommendations, most consumers do not immediately act on an AI-generated suggestion. Only 15% said they would purchase an AI-recommended product without further verification.

Instead, 60% checked Shopee or Lazada after researching with AI, while 55% read user reviews and 49% conducted additional searches on Google. Another 43% checked TikTok, Facebook, or YouTube, while 41% visited official brand websites.

Physical stores remained part of the verification process, with 32% inspecting products in person. The same proportion sought opinions from family or friends.

Younger consumers were the most likely to verify AI recommendations. Among respondents in their 20s, 69% checked e-commerce stores. Consumers in their 40s were more willing to act directly on AI recommendations, with 23% purchasing the recommended product without further verification.

AI is changing the consumer discovery funnel

The survey suggests that generative AI is producing a structural change in how urban Vietnamese consumers research products.

Only 5% of respondents said AI had not changed their research habits. Half said they were discovering more new products and brands through conversational AI, while 46% said the technology was helping them reach purchase decisions faster.

The shift is also reducing reliance on some traditional digital channels. About 35% of respondents said they searched Google less frequently, 33% said they read fewer traditional websites, and 28% spent less time browsing customer reviews and social media feeds.

The changes point to a new challenge for brands. Search-engine optimization and social-media advertising remain important, but consumers are increasingly relying on AI systems to synthesize information and recommend products.