Consumers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to find the right pair of shoes or understand a new prescription. Recent data reveals that finding product links and researching health information have emerged as the fastest-growing ways people use these digital tools. Merchants now have a clear roadmap for where to meet their customers as these small, repeatable actions solidify into permanent shopping habits.
The PYMNTS Intelligence report “The AI On-Ramp: Data Shows How Everyday Tasks Build Consumer Habits” examines how generative AI is moving into the mainstream. The study tracked 54 distinct personal tasks from October 2025 through February to identify which activities serve as “on-ramps” for the general public. Researchers found that the most successful entry points are low-stakes, high-frequency tasks that offer immediate value to everyone, regardless of their age or technical skill. This shift toward practical, universal utility suggests a bright future for businesses that integrate AI into the basic flow of commerce and wellness.
The following data points highlight the specific areas where consumer engagement is accelerating:
- Product Discovery Dominance: Finding product links reached a 31.4% adoption rate in February, up 1.6 percentage points from its October-January average, marking it as the only high-usage task that is both universal across all demographics and trending upward.
- Health Information Momentum: Searching for medication or treatment information saw a 1.6 percentage point increase over its recent average of 22.7%, signaling that users are becoming more comfortable using AI for essential wellness needs.
- Universal Communication: Editing or rewording personal writing remains a top-tier activity with a 30.1% average adoption rate, proving that tools that help people communicate more clearly have broad appeal.
These findings offer an optimistic outlook for merchants and service providers. While advanced “power users” often grab the headlines, the real growth is happening among mainstream consumers who want to simplify their daily lives. For example, product discovery is a powerful on-ramp because it carries almost no risk for the user. If a suggested link is not quite right, the customer simply tries again without a second thought. This low-pressure environment allows trust to grow naturally over time.
PYMNTS reported in March that Walmart is introducing an in-ChatGPT app experience that takes users from product discovery in OpenAI’s ChatGPT to checkout in a tailored Walmart experience.
During the same month, PYMNTS reported that AI agents are becoming the most consequential customers brands can acquire. That’s because these agents are querying product catalogs, comparing subscription valueand executing purchases on behalf of a consumer who has delegated the decision.
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Also in March, Microsoft added a Copilot Health offering within its Copilot AI tool that can make sense of a user’s information and offer personalized health insights. The tool combines the user’s health records, wearable data and health history into a single place, then employs intelligence to turn them “into a coherent story,” the company said.
The PYMNTS Intelligence report also indicates that while the market is becoming more competitive, the window for building brand loyalty is wide open. The average AI user now interacts with nearly three different platforms, searching for the one that handles their specific needs most effectively. While some platforms currently lead in writing tasks, others are gaining ground in specialized areas like financial guidance. As consumers’ digital habits mature, the businesses that provide the most reliable assistance for these common tasks will likely become the new gateways for the digital economy.
