AI gets the first word as more Malaysians rethink how they shop

AI assistants are becoming the first port of call for important consumer decisions in Malaysia, with 43% of surveyed AI users turning to them before search engines, according to a new study by AI-native consultancy Entermind.

Titled “The secret lives of AI-ready customers”, the whitepaper was based on a September 2026 survey of 1,300 adult AI users in Malaysia. The findings point to a growing commercial opportunity for brands, with AI-savvy consumers in Malaysia accounting for an estimated RM190 billion in annual household spending as they increasingly turn to AI to research, evaluate and make purchasing decisions.

According to the report, about 41% of customers surveyed have already made a purchase or financial decision primarily on AI-provided information or recommendations.

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Frequency of use also appears to matter. Daily AI users were twice as likely as those who used AI weekly or less frequently to have acted on its advice, at 52% compared with 26%. This suggests that useful interactions could encourage consumers to rely on AI for subsequent decisions.

The findings also point to a gap between consumers’ expectations of AI and their experiences with brand-owned channels. Some 78% of respondents said they wanted company apps and websites to make finding information and making decisions as easy as AI tools do. Within these platforms, 42% preferred using a search box to navigate, compared with 17% who favoured menus.

Consumers also prioritised convenience, with 44% valuing instant answers, followed by simpler navigation (37%) and faster service (36%). The ability to reach a person when needed ranked at 30%, while personalisation came in at 25%.

The usefulness of AI also varied by industry. Respondents found it most useful for understanding options in healthcare (45%), comparing options in retail (41%) and discovering options in travel (36%).

Meanwhile, comfort with newer AI formats was higher among users who had acted on AI advice than those who had not. These included metahuman assistants (63% versus 37%), AI voice support (57% versus 32%) and sharing data with an AI operated by a trusted company (58% versus 36%).

The findings sit alongside a more cautious global picture. VML’s 10th annual "Future Shopper" report, which surveyed 28,000 consumers across 17 countries, found that 82% have used AI, but 58% cross-check its product recommendations before buying and a third say they would never let AI buy on their behalf. This suggests that despite growing AI adoption, consumers are not necessarily ready to trust its recommendations without question.

Some 53% worry that AI shopping tools are pay-to-play while nearly half of consumers (49%) have reported that AI-generated imagery reduces their trust in a brand. 

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