Home-Appliance Purchase AI Consultation Survey (July 2026): How far do appliance buyers use AI, and what do they want from retailers' official AI consultation?

Survey Summary

Stellagent, Inc. surveyed 400 people who, within the past six months, had purchased a new home appliance and were involved in gathering information or selecting where to buy, asking about pre-purchase information gathering, whether they considered a consumer-electronics retailer, their real-world use of AI consultation, and their intent to use an official AI consultation service offered by a consumer-electronics retailer.

Metric	Result
Valid responses	400
Collection date	July 21, 2026
Used AI	29.5%
Used AI / thought about using it / wished they had used it	54.0%
Selected AI chat services as a pre-purchase information source	19.2%
Selected AI chat services as the most helpful information source	8.1%
Intent to use a retailer's official AI consultation service (Top 2)	59.0%
Same intent among those who considered a retailer but bought elsewhere (Top 2)	68.2%

In the survey, 29.5% of respondents said they had "used" AI such as ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini when gathering information or comparing options before purchase. Including "thought about using it but did not" and "did not use it but wished they had after buying," the total reaches 54.0%, suggesting that in recent home-appliance purchases, AI consultation is beginning to spread as an option at the consideration stage, not only among early adopters.

In addition, when asked whether they would want to use an AI chat consultation service on a retailer's official site or app that lets them check product candidates, prices, stock, delivery and installation, recycling collection, warranties, and in-store consultation guidance all in one place, 59.0% answered "definitely want to use" or "somewhat want to use." Among those who considered a consumer-electronics retailer but ultimately purchased through another channel, this intent rose to 68.2%.

The chart above may be reproduced as-is in news coverage, articles, and materials, provided that "Stellagent, Inc. survey" is credited as the source and a link to this page is included.

Background

Home-appliance purchases tend to involve a large amount of information to compare before buying, such as price, specs, reviews, stock, delivery and installation, warranties, and post-purchase support. Especially for high-priced, installation-type appliances such as air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, and televisions, decisions are shaped not only by comparing the products themselves but also by the service terms of each place of purchase.

Meanwhile, consumers' information-gathering methods have expanded beyond search engines, EC marketplaces, price-comparison sites, video, social media, and in-store staff to include AI chat services. When AI becomes an entry point that organizes a user's desired conditions and compares multiple products and sellers, a new customer-acquisition challenge for retailers is deciding which information their official site or app makes available for AI to handle.

In this survey, we asked people who had purchased a home appliance within the past six months about their actual place of purchase, the information sources they used before buying, whether they used AI, the situations in which they used AI, and their intent to use an official AI consultation service offered by a consumer-electronics retailer.

Survey Method

Item	Content
Survey name	Survey on retailer touchpoints and AI consultation needs in home-appliance purchases
Conducted by	Stellagent, Inc.
Operator	Stellagent
Method	Web survey
Tool	Freeasy
Collection date	July 21, 2026
Valid responses	400
Target	People who, within the past six months, purchased a new home appliance for themselves or a member of their household and were involved in gathering information or selecting where to buy
Selection / recruitment criteria	Screening confirmed recent new-appliance purchase experience and involvement in information gathering, product comparison, seller selection, or payment/ordering
Purchase answered about	The one purchase, among new appliances bought within the past six months, in which the respondent was most involved in gathering information or comparing
Tabulation	Single-answer questions by count and percentage, multiple-answer questions by number of selectors, and branched questions using eligible respondents as the base

This survey was conducted as a web survey using Freeasy. The collection date was July 21, 2026, and there were 400 valid responses. Screening confirmed that respondents had purchased a new home appliance within the past six months and had been involved in gathering information, comparing products, selecting where to buy, or paying/ordering. Respondents were asked to recall the one new appliance, purchased within the past six months, in which they were most involved in gathering information or comparing, and to answer the main questions about that purchase.

For tabulation, individual raw responses and simple tabulations were exported from Freeasy as CSV and stored together with the question wording and options. Single-answer questions were tabulated by count and percentage for each option, multiple-answer questions by the number of selectors for each option, and branched questions using eligible respondents as the base. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place (rounding at the second decimal). The figures in this report were calculated by cross-checking the individual responses of 400 people collected via Freeasy against the simple tabulations.

Excluding respondents who met the screening's out-of-scope conditions, we analyzed the 400 valid responses. No additional exclusions or re-fielding were carried out after collection. Regarding ethics and privacy, personally identifiable information is not included in this public report. Free-text responses are not quoted in the body of this report.

In this survey, "AI chat services" refers to AI services that answer questions posed in natural language, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, and Perplexity. On the web survey, because of branching, "reasons for buying at a consumer-electronics retailer" and "reasons for not buying at a consumer-electronics retailer" were set as separate questions, so the question numbers in the tabulated data run from Q1 to Q13.

The exact wording and response options shown to respondents are provided in the Full Questionnaire at the end of this article.

Respondent Profile

Of the 400 valid responses, the breakdown was 235 men (58.8%) and 165 women (41.2%). By age, there were 81 people in their 20s (20.3%), 102 in their 30s (25.5%), 111 in their 40s (27.8%), and 106 in their 50s (26.5%). Age was taken from Freeasy's base attributes and was not asked as a question.

Attribute	Category	Count	Percentage
Gender	Male	235	58.8%
Gender	Female	165	41.2%
Age	20s	81	20.3%
Age	30s	102	25.5%
Age	40s	111	27.8%
Age	50s	106	26.5%

The appliances answered about were: PCs, tablets, and peripherals 17.8%, air conditioners 13.0%, vacuum/robot vacuum cleaners 12.5%, washing machines/clothes dryers 9.3%, other appliances 9.3%, microwave/oven ranges 8.5%, refrigerators/freezers 8.0%, televisions 7.5%, rice cookers 7.0%, beauty/health appliances 5.5%, and dishwashers 1.8%.

"Used" AI before home-appliance purchase is 29.5%, rising to 54.0% including the latent-use segment

When 400 people who had bought a home appliance within the past six months were asked whether they used AI such as ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini when gathering information or comparing before purchase, 29.5% said "used it."

"Thought about using it but did not" was 15.3%, and "did not use it but wished I had after buying" was 9.3%. Combining these as "used AI / thought about using it / wished they had used it" gives 54.0%.

Answer	Count	Percentage
Used it	118	29.5%
Thought about using it but did not	61	15.3%
Did not use it but wished I had after buying	37	9.3%
Did not use it and had no intention of using it	150	37.5%
Did not know about AI	34	8.5%

AI users' purposes were led by product comparison, model/spec consultation, and organizing reviews

When the 118 people who used AI were asked how they used it, "compared multiple products" was 52.5%, "asked about a model/spec that suits me" was 51.7%, and "organized word of mouth/reviews" was 44.9%.

How AI was used (multiple answers; base is the 118 people who used AI)

How AI was used	Count	Percentage
Compared multiple products	62	52.5%
Asked about a model/spec that suits me	61	51.7%
Organized word of mouth/reviews	53	44.9%
Asked about price levels or how to buy cheaply	39	33.1%
Compared sellers	36	30.5%
Asked about warranty/repair/support	28	23.7%
Asked about delivery/installation/carry-in	23	19.5%

AI users' purposes extended beyond the early stage of product selection to price levels, seller comparison, and organizing reviews. For retailers, this means product information, price and stock information, and review and comparison information need to be maintained on the assumption that they will be referenced via AI.

Intent to use a retailer's official AI consultation service is 59.0%

When asked whether they would want to use an AI chat consultation service on a retailer's official site or app that lets them enter desired conditions in natural language and check product candidates, prices, stock, delivery and installation, collection, warranties, and in-store consultation guidance all at once, and even complete payment, 27.5% said "definitely want to use" and 31.5% said "somewhat want to use." The Top 2 total is 59.0%.

Answer	Count	Percentage
Definitely want to use	110	27.5%
Somewhat want to use	126	31.5%
Neither	100	25.0%
Would rather not use	18	4.5%
Do not want to use at all	46	11.5%

Among the 118 people who used AI, the Top 2 intent to use an official AI consultation service was 94.9%. Meanwhile, even among the 282 people who did not use AI, the Top 2 was 44.0%. Not only current AI users but also non-AI-users showed a certain level of intent when the service is offered as a retailer's official service.

Segment	Base	Intent (Top 2)	Percentage
Overall	400	236	59.0%
People who used AI	118	112	94.9%
People who did not use AI	282	124	44.0%
People who considered a retailer but bought elsewhere	179	122	68.2%

The chart above may be reproduced as-is in news coverage, articles, and materials, provided that "Stellagent, Inc. survey" is credited as the source and a link to this page is included.

Expectations of official AI consultation were led by checking price/stock, product suggestions, and explaining differences

When asked what they would expect from a retailer's official AI consultation service, "checking price/points/stock" was highest at 36.5%, followed by "suggesting products that match desired conditions" at 32.8% and "explaining differences among multiple products" at 27.5%.

What is expected of an official AI consultation service (multiple answers; base 400)

Expectation	Count	Percentage
Checking price/points/stock	146	36.5%
Suggesting products that match desired conditions	131	32.8%
Explaining differences among multiple products	110	27.5%
Explaining differences in warranty/repair/support	97	24.2%
Checking the total including delivery/installation fees	93	23.2%
Guidance on old-appliance collection/recycling	89	22.2%
Presenting checkpoints for whether it can be installed at home	84	21.0%
Checking delivery date/lead time	78	19.5%
Guidance to the purchase page	64	16.0%
Booking a consultation with in-store staff	51	12.8%
Nothing in particular expected	83	20.8%

Beyond general product recommendations, an official AI consultation service is expected to confirm information directly tied to purchase decisions, such as price, points, and stock. Expectations also extended to the service information retailers hold, such as warranty and support, delivery and installation fees, and collection and recycling.

Consumer-electronics retailers are considered, but at final purchase a segment flows to other channels

Before purchase, 83.8% considered a retailer's store or official online shop as a place to buy. Meanwhile, 44.2% ultimately purchased at a retailer's store or official online shop.

Metric	Count	Percentage
Considered a retailer as a place to buy	335	83.8%
Purchased at a retailer's store or official online shop	177	44.2%
Considered a retailer but bought elsewhere	179	44.8%

Of the 335 people who considered a retailer, 179 ultimately purchased outside a retailer, which is 53.4% of those who considered one. In this segment, the Top 2 intent to use an official AI consultation service was 68.2%.

When the 223 people who ultimately purchased outside a retailer were asked their reasons, the top ones were "wanted to complete the purchase online" 28.7%, "going to the store was a hassle" 25.1%, "another seller was cheaper" 23.8%, and "reviews/information on EC marketplaces or manufacturer official sites were more helpful" 20.2%. These 223 people include, in addition to the 179 who left after considering a retailer, a segment that never had a retailer as a candidate in the first place.

Reasons for not buying at a consumer-electronics retailer (multiple answers; base is the 223 who bought outside a retailer)

Reason for not buying at a retailer	Count	Percentage
Wanted to complete the purchase online	64	28.7%
Going to the store was a hassle	56	25.1%
Another seller was cheaper	53	23.8%
Reviews/information on EC marketplaces or manufacturer official sites were more helpful	45	20.2%
The item I wanted was out of stock or hard to find	36	16.1%
Another seller's points/campaign were better	33	14.8%

These results show that while consumer-electronics retailers are easily included as purchase candidates, buyers may flow to other channels over online completeness, price, the clarity of reviews and information, and the ease of finding stock.

AI chat services are 19.2% as a pre-purchase source and 8.1% as the most helpful source

The information sources used for pre-purchase gathering and comparison were led by "search engine" 35.0%, "price-comparison site" 33.8%, "EC marketplace product pages/reviews" 31.0%, "manufacturer official site" 30.0%, and "retailer's in-store staff" 30.0%. "AI chat services" was 19.2%. The table below excerpts the top items and AI chat services.

Sources used before purchase (main items excerpted; multiple answers; base 400)

Source	Count	Percentage
Search engine	140	35.0%
Price-comparison site	135	33.8%
EC marketplace product pages/reviews	124	31.0%
Manufacturer official site	120	30.0%
Retailer's in-store staff	120	30.0%
Retailer's official site/app	113	28.3%
AI chat services	77	19.2%

The most helpful source in deciding a purchase was led by "retailer's in-store staff" 20.1%, "price-comparison site" 14.8%, and "EC marketplace product pages/reviews" 13.4%. "AI chat services" was 8.1%. This question uses the 358 people who did some pre-purchase information gathering as its base.

While AI chat services currently have a lower usage rate as a primary information source than search engines or price-comparison sites, they are beginning to have a certain presence as a means of pre-purchase comparison and consultation.

Implications for Businesses

The implication for consumer-electronics retailers is that the entry point of purchase is expanding to the "ask AI" stage, before buyers reach the store or official EC. AI is used for product comparison and organizing reviews, and maintaining official-site product information, comparison axes, stock, prices, reviews, and purchase paths in a form that AI can easily interpret becomes a condition for being chosen at that entry point.

What an official AI consultation service is asked to do is not merely general product recommendation but to connect price, points, and stock, product differences, and guidance to the purchase page. In particular, the segment that considered a retailer but purchased through another channel has higher-than-average intent to use official AI consultation and can be expected to serve as a re-engagement point for lapsed buyers. At the same time, in-store staff still have significant influence, so rather than replacing in-store service, official AI consultation more realistically serves to bridge from organizing pre-purchase conditions to in-store consultation and the purchase page.

Notes on This Survey

• This survey is a web survey of Freeasy panel members and does not perfectly represent all home-appliance buyers across Japan.
• Responses are self-reported regarding purchase experience within the past six months. Purchase timing, purchase amounts, actual browsing history, and AI-use history were not verified against external logs.
• Whether respondents used AI chat services may be affected by how much they recognize ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini and the like as AI.
• Because comparisons by appliance category have small bases, this report focuses mainly on overall trends.
• Respondents range from their 20s to their 50s and do not include those aged 60 or over. The home-appliance purchasing behavior and receptivity to AI consultation of the senior segment are outside the scope of this survey.
• This survey is based on responses as of July 21, 2026. The spread of AI services, retailers' official site/app features, and purchasing behavior may change in the future.
• Product and service names in this report are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Revision History

• July 23, 2026: First published

Full Questionnaire

Below is the full text and options of the screening and main questions actually presented to respondents. Question numbers correspond to the tabulated data (Q1 to Q13).

Screening

SC1. Within the past six months, did you purchase a new home appliance for yourself or a member of your household?

1. Purchased
2. Considered but did not purchase
3. Purchased used items only
4. Did not purchase

SC2. In purchasing that appliance, were you involved in any of gathering information, comparing products, selecting where to buy, or paying/ordering?

1. I was mainly involved myself
2. I was involved together with family or housemates
3. I was involved only partly
4. I was hardly involved myself

Main Questions

Q1. Among the new appliances you purchased within the past six months, please choose the one in which you were most involved in gathering information or comparing.

1. Air conditioner
2. Washing machine / clothes dryer
3. Refrigerator / freezer
4. Television
5. Vacuum / robot vacuum cleaner
6. Microwave / oven range
7. Dishwasher
8. Rice cooker
9. Beauty / health appliance
10. PC / tablet / peripherals
11. Other appliance

Q2. Where did you ultimately purchase that appliance?

1. Consumer-electronics retailer store
2. Consumer-electronics retailer's official online shop
3. EC marketplace such as Amazon, Rakuten Ichiba, or Yahoo! Shopping
4. Manufacturer's official online shop
5. A store other than a consumer-electronics retailer, such as a home center or furniture store
6. A shop accessed via a price-comparison site
7. Do not remember
8. Another online shop
9. Other

Q3. Before purchasing that appliance, did you consider a consumer-electronics retailer's store or official online shop as a place to buy?

1. Considered both the store and the official online shop
2. Considered the store only
3. Considered the official online shop only
4. Did not consider
5. Do not remember

Q4. Please select everything you used for gathering information or comparing before purchase.

1. Search engine
2. Retailer's official site / app
3. Manufacturer's official site
4. EC marketplace product pages / reviews
5. Price-comparison site
6. Video such as YouTube
7. Social media
8. Blogs, review articles, comparison articles
9. Retailer's in-store staff
10. Family / friends / acquaintances
11. AI chat services
12. Other
13. Did not gather information in particular

Q5. Please choose the single most helpful source in deciding your purchase.

1. Search engine
2. Retailer's official site / app
3. Manufacturer's official site
4. EC marketplace product pages / reviews
5. Price-comparison site
6. Video such as YouTube
7. Social media
8. Blogs, review articles, comparison articles
9. Retailer's in-store staff
10. Family / friends / acquaintances
11. AI chat services
12. Other

Q6. Please select everything you prioritized when choosing that appliance.

1. Low product price
2. Points / campaigns
3. Features / performance
4. Word of mouth / reviews
5. Fast stock / delivery
6. Delivery / installation service
7. Whether it fits the carry-in route or installation location
8. Old-appliance collection / recycling support
9. Long-term / extended warranty
10. Being able to consult in-store staff or experts
11. Post-purchase repair / support
12. Other

Q7. Please select everything you were anxious about before or at the time of purchase.

1. Not knowing which model to choose
2. Not knowing whether the price is reasonable
3. Not knowing whether it can be installed / carried into the home
4. The total including delivery / installation fees being hard to understand
5. The method of collecting / recycling the old appliance being hard to understand
6. Differences in warranty or repair support being hard to understand
7. Too many reviews to judge
8. Not knowing where to buy
9. Stock / delivery time being hard to understand
10. Other
11. No particular anxiety

Q8. Please select everything that was a reason you ultimately purchased at a consumer-electronics retailer.

1. The price was acceptable
2. The points / campaign were good
3. I could check the actual item
4. I could consult in-store staff
5. Delivery / installation was easy to entrust
6. Old-appliance collection / recycling was easy to request
7. The long-term / extended warranty was good
8. Post-purchase repair / support seemed easy to consult
9. It was a store / site I always use
10. Other

Q9. Please select everything that was a reason you ultimately did not purchase at a consumer-electronics retailer.

1. Another seller was cheaper
2. Another seller's points / campaign were better
3. The item I wanted was out of stock or hard to find
4. The total including delivery / installation fees was hard to understand
5. The collection / recycling terms were hard to understand
6. Differences in warranty or support were hard to understand
7. Going to the store was a hassle
8. I wanted to complete the purchase online
9. Reviews / information on EC marketplaces or manufacturer official sites were more helpful
10. I did not think of a consumer-electronics retailer as a place to buy
11. Other
12. No particular reason

Q10. In gathering information or comparing before purchasing that appliance, did you use AI such as ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini?

1. Used it
2. Thought about using it but did not
3. Did not use it but wished I had after buying
4. Did not use it and had no intention of using it
5. Did not know about AI

Q11. How did you use AI such as ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini?

1. Asked about a model / spec that suits me
2. Compared multiple products
3. Asked about price levels or how to buy cheaply
4. Compared sellers
5. Asked about delivery / installation / carry-in
6. Asked about warranty / repair / support
7. Organized word of mouth / reviews
8. Other

Q12. If a retailer's official site or app had an AI chat consultation service where entering your desired conditions in natural language lets you check product candidates, prices, stock, delivery and installation, collection, warranties, and in-store consultation guidance all at once, and even complete payment, would you want to use it in the future?

1. Definitely want to use
2. Somewhat want to use
3. Neither
4. Would rather not use
5. Do not want to use at all

Q13. Please select everything you would expect from a retailer's official AI chat consultation service.

1. Suggesting products that match desired conditions
2. Explaining differences among multiple products
3. Checking price / points / stock
4. Checking delivery date / lead time
5. Presenting checkpoints for whether it can be installed at home
6. Checking the total including delivery / installation fees
7. Guidance on old-appliance collection / recycling
8. Explaining differences in warranty / repair / support
9. Booking a consultation with in-store staff
10. Guidance to the purchase page
11. Other
12. Nothing in particular expected