The behavioral data firm tracked tens of thousands of US consumers during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days (8–9 October 2025) to see whether ChatGPT was changing the way people shop. The results? ChatGPT usage has skyrocketed year over year, but its influence on real-time purchase journeys remains limited.
“AI tools will fundamentally change how people shop, discover, and decide what to buy,” said Craig Parker, Product Manager at RealityMine. “This October’s Amazon Prime Day still followed familiar discovery paths through search and social, but that shift is accelerating — and we’re eager to see how it shows up in the data over the months ahead.”
Key findings
Prime Big Deal Days did what Prime Days do best: Amazon app activity jumped 21% in visits, 44% in searches, 33% in buyers, and 45% in orders compared to the previous week — consistent with historic patterns.
ChatGPT adoption surged — up from 1.8% of Amazon app users in 2024 to 9.1% in 2025 — yet only 1.5% of Amazon visits happened within five minutes of ChatGPT use, virtually flat versus a random baseline.
Pinterest, eBay, Target, and Walmart remain more tightly linked to shopping journeys, with users several times more likely to open them before Amazon.
When ChatGPT does appear in the discovery path, conversion rates rise modestly — 9.4% vs 7.2% average — hinting that AI-assisted shoppers may be more deliberate and research-oriented.
A subtle signal, not a seismic shift
The analysis suggests that while consumers are experimenting with AI tools, they still rely on traditional discovery habits when it comes to retail events. ChatGPT may be influencing how people think about purchases, but not yet when or where they make them.
“It’s tempting to look for a revolution, but right now the story is evolution,” added Chris Havemann, CEO of RealityMine. “AI is creeping into the consumer mindset, but the behavioral data tells us its role in actual purchase journeys is still small. That’s exactly why brands need to measure—not assume—how these new tools fit into their funnel.”
What this means for brands
Don’t overreact to the hype. Focus on proven drivers: availability, pricing, and visibility.
Experiment with AI-informed shoppers. High-intent users may be using tools like ChatGPT to compare or validate products before buying.
Track the journey, not just the click. Understanding what apps or sites consumers use before they buy is key to seeing the real picture.
The findings are detailed in RealityMine’s latest blog post, “Prime Day check-in: Is ChatGPT really changing how people shop?”, available on the RealityMine website.
About RealityMine
RealityMine fills crucial data blind spots for global platform and app owners – penetrating walled garden ecosystems to reveal the full spectrum of consumers’ digital behavior. Through privacy-first in-app tracking technology, we capture what real people do on their smartphones and other devices across the app and web universe, from e-commerce to media consumption to AI-powered search. RealityMine data is the foundation for smarter benchmarking against competitive apps, product and platform strategy, and proprietary AI models.
For more information, visit www.realitymine.com.
