New Delhi, Oct. 31 -- Artificial intelligence-powered search tools are becoming a stronger influence on consumer buying decisions than traditional search engines, with nearly one-third of AI shoppers identifying them as the biggest factor behind their most recent purchase, according to a report by McKinsey.

"Globally, AI users are 3.2 times more likely to rank AI search tools as more influential than traditional search engines, and 2.6 times more likely to rank them higher than other strong influences, like friends or family," the report said.

Around 29 per cent of AI shoppers said these tools were the single biggest influence on their most recent purchase, ahead of retailer platforms, review websites, search engines and recommendations...