AI Refrigerator Purchase-Consultation Retailer Recommendation Survey: Which Electronics Retailer Do the Five Major Generative AIs Recommend for Buying a Refrigerator?

Summary

To see which purchase sources major generative AIs recommend for buying a refrigerator, Stellagent Inc. asked five AI services — ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot — across six purchase scenarios, five times each, for 150 questions in total. The survey was conducted in two stages: first we checked recommendation trends across purchase-source categories including electronics retailers, Amazon, Rakuten Ichiba, Kakaku.com, and manufacturer official; then we limited the question to electronics retailers and, under a nationwide, general-context condition that uses neither the user's location nor prior context, checked which retailer names the AI ranked highly. We extracted 735 recommendation rows from the 150 answers.

Metric	Result
Target AIs	5 services (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot)
Number of runs	5 AIs × 6 scenarios × 5 runs · 150 answers total
Recommendations extracted	735 recommendation rows
Top on ranking points in the retailer-only comparison	Yamada Denki (235 points)
Top on first-place picks in the retailer-only comparison	K's Denki (32 picks)
Mentions of energy efficiency	3 of 75 answers

In the nationwide, general-context comparison limited to electronics retailers (S4R–S6R, 75 answers), Yamada Denki led on ranking points with 235, narrowly ahead of K's Denki (234) and Bic Camera (222). Meanwhile, K's Denki led on first-place picks with 32 — so which retailer was "recommended most" depended on which measure you looked at.

The chart above may be reproduced as-is in media coverage, articles, and other materials, provided that you credit "Stellagent Inc." as the source and include a link to this page.

For a refrigerator, not only the unit price but also the carry-in route, installation space, door swing, heat clearance, recycling of the old unit, long-term warranty, and ease of in-store consultation shape purchase satisfaction. Across the 75 answers in this retailer-only comparison, delivery/installation and in-store consultation were mentioned in every answer, while energy efficiency was mentioned in only 3 and capacity/family size in only 28 — a skew in the confirmation items tied to whether the refrigerator will actually fit and work.

Background

A refrigerator is a large white good that is hard to buy on price alone by comparing it on e-commerce. On top of the unit price, the carry-in route, installation space, door swing, heat clearance, recycling of the old refrigerator, long-term warranty, and ease of in-store consultation shape purchase satisfaction.

When consumers ask a generative AI "where should I buy it?", the entry point for comparing electronics retailers can change depending on which purchase sources the AI recommends and which confirmation items it emphasizes. Whether price-comparison sites and EC marketplaces rise to the top, or electronics retailers rise on the strength of installation, recycling, and warranty, is a question that bears on retailers' e-commerce, in-store DX, CRM, and customer-service support.

This survey was conducted to see which purchase sources and electronics retailers major generative AIs recommend for a refrigerator purchase, and whether they guide users all the way to the carry-in route, installation space, door swing, heat clearance, recycling, warranty, capacity/energy efficiency, and official EC/in-store consultation flows.

Survey Overview

Item	Content
Subjects	Recommendation answers by major generative AIs about where to buy a refrigerator
Target AIs	ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot
Selection criteria	Major general-purpose generative AIs that ordinary users in Japan can access via a web UI and that are commonly used for purchase consultations. The set includes search-engine-type and answer-engine-type services so that differences in purchase-source exposure can be compared
Scenarios	Three purchase-source category comparisons; three within-retailer comparisons
Number of runs	5 AIs × 6 scenarios × 5 runs, 150 answers total
Recommendations extracted	735 recommendation rows
Survey date	July 17, 2026
Method	Entered identical prompts into each AI's web UI and recorded the recommended purchase sources, rankings, reasons, caveats, and mentions of delivery/installation, recycling, warranty, and in-store consultation
Recording	Saved each answer in full on the spot, recording the full answer, timestamp, model name or display name, subscription plan, web-search setting, and input prompt
Context-influence control	Used a new chat or a temporary chat, and specified within the prompt not to reference past conversation or memory. In the within-retailer comparison, specified to answer as a nationwide generalization for all of Japan, without using the user's location, address, IP address, nearby stores, or account information
Aggregation	Based on a tally of recommendation rows extracted from the answers, computed recommendation counts, first-place counts, ranking points, scenario-level trends, and mention rates for confirmation items

Conditions by AI Service

The AI services were not aligned to the same model tier or subscription plan. For each answer, we recorded the model name or display name, the subscription plan, and the web-search setting.

AI service	Model name / display name	Subscription plan	Web-search setting
ChatGPT	ChatGPT Web, model display unconfirmed	ChatGPT Plus	No explicit search operation; answers may contain web-derived citations
Gemini	Gemini Flash	Logged in, Pro shown	Automatic web search enabled
Claude	Claude Haiku 4.5	Pro plan	Web-search setting unspecified
Perplexity	Perplexity	Free plan	Search mode
Microsoft Copilot	Copilot Smart	Logged in	Automatic web search enabled

Because the model tier, subscription plan, and web-search setting differ by service, the by-service differences described later reflect not only differences in the services themselves but also differences in the combination of model, plan, and search settings used.

Scenarios Used

S4R–S6R are the nationwide, general-context versions of the scenarios that prevent the use of regional context such as location, address, nearby stores, or account information. In this survey we ran only these nationwide, general-context versions; a separate S4–S6 (versions that allow regional context) was neither run nor excluded.

ID	Scenario	Condition
S1	General refrigerator purchase consultation	No purchase-source category specified; observe, as a baseline, which sources the AI naturally raises
S2	Purchase consultation with carry-in / installation concerns	State concerns about a condominium, carry-in route, installation space, door swing, heat clearance, and recycling of the old refrigerator
S3	Price-focused, comparing online purchases	Explicitly compare Amazon, Rakuten, Kakaku.com, electronics retailers, and manufacturer official
S4R	General comparison within electronics retailers	Without using location etc., observe the top retailer-name recommendations as a nationwide generalization
S5R	Carry-in / installation-focused comparison within retailers	Without using location etc., observe retailer recommendations that account for carry-in, installation, recycling, and warranty
S6R	Balancing price and peace of mind within retailers	Without using location etc., observe retailer recommendations that balance low price with carry-in, installation, recycling, and warranty peace of mind

In the Retailer-Only Comparison, the Top Pick Splits by Measure

Across the 75 answers in S4R–S6R, where the condition fixed the answer to electronics-retailer names, Yamada Denki led on ranking points with 235, K's Denki was second with 234, and Bic Camera was third with 222. Meanwhile, on first-place picks, K's Denki was the most common with 32. Ranking points are calculated as 5 points for first place, 4 for second, 3 for third, 2 for fourth, and 1 for fifth.

Rank	Electronics retailer	Recommendations	First-place picks	Ranking points	AIs appeared in	Scenarios appeared in
1	Yamada Denki	71	16	235	5	3
2	K's Denki	63	32	234	5	3
3	Bic Camera	70	4	222	5	3
4	Yodobashi Camera	48	23	173	5	3
5	EDION	54	0	126	5	3
6	Kojima	19	0	39	4	3
6	Nojima	19	0	39	2	3
8	Joshin	14	0	32	4	3

Of the 366 recommendation rows across the 75 answers in S4R–S6R, we tallied the 358 rows in the electronics-retailer category. Yamada Denki edged ahead on ranking points, but K's Denki had the most first-place picks, and Bic Camera was mentioned often (70 times) while receiving only 4 first-place picks. In the AI answers, stores that broadly enter the upper ranks and stores that concentrate in first place tended to diverge.

By Scenario, K's Denki Leads the General and Installation-Focused Comparisons; Yamada Denki Leads Price-and-Peace-of-Mind

Scenario	Top on ranking points	Recommendations	First-place picks	Ranking points
S4R: General comparison within retailers	K's Denki	25	11	88
S5R: Carry-in / installation-focused	K's Denki	19	11	71
S6R: Balancing price and peace of mind	Yamada Denki	25	8	90

In S4R, K's Denki, Yamada Denki, and Bic Camera were each recommended 24–25 times, and their ranking points were close at 88, 81, and 81. In S5R, K's Denki led on both ranking points and first-place picks. In S6R, Yamada Denki led with 90 points, rising relatively higher under the condition that seeks to balance low price with peace of mind.

First-Place Picks Diverge by AI Service

Looking at the 75 answers in the retailer-only comparison by AI service, first-place trends diverged from service to service.

AI service	Electronics retailer with the most first-place picks	First-place picks	Notes
ChatGPT	K's Denki	15 / 15	Picked K's Denki first in every S4R–S6R answer
Gemini	K's Denki	15 / 15	Picked K's Denki first in every S4R–S6R answer
Claude	Yamada Denki	11 / 15	Bic Camera and Yodobashi Camera each took first twice
Copilot	Yodobashi Camera	12 / 15	K's Denki twice, Yamada Denki once
Perplexity	Yodobashi Camera	9 / 15	Yamada Denki four times, Bic Camera twice

Even with the same prompt, the top-recommended sources differed greatly by AI service. For electronics retailers, it is necessary to grasp not only how they appear on a single AI but also the reasons and rank differences across multiple AIs.

In the Category Comparison, Electronics Retailers Are Most Common; Under Price-Focus, Price-Comparison Sites Take First

Across the 75 answers to S1 (no category specified), S2 (stating carry-in/installation concerns), and S3 (price-focused, also comparing online purchases), the electronics-retailer category was the most common with 206 recommendation rows.

Purchase-source category	Recommendation rows	First-place picks
Electronics retailers	206	47
EC marketplace / online retailer	104	3
Price-comparison site	27	23
Manufacturer direct	27	2
Used / reuse	4	0
Specialty / installer / other	1	0

However, in S3, which explicitly compared Amazon, Rakuten, Kakaku.com, electronics retailers, and manufacturer official under a price focus, a price-comparison site was the first-place category in 23 of 25 answers. Even for refrigerators, when the consultation leans toward "as cheaply as possible," AI tends to present price-comparison sites as the entry point.

In the purchase-source category comparison, the individual names recommended most often were Bic Camera 48 times, Yamada Denki 48 times, Amazon 41 times, Rakuten Ichiba 38 times, and Yodobashi Camera 34 times.

Delivery/Installation and In-Store Consultation Mentioned in Every Answer; Energy Efficiency and Capacity Rare

For the 75 answers in the retailer-only comparison, we tallied whether the answer touched on the confirmation items relevant to buying a refrigerator. When an answer contained multiple recommendations, we counted the answer as mentioning an item if any of its recommendation rows mentioned it.

Confirmation item	Answers with a mention	Answer rate
Delivery / installation	75	100.0%
In-store consultation	75	100.0%
Warranty	72	96.0%
Carry-in route	66	88.0%
Pickup / removal of the old refrigerator	65	86.7%
Recycling	64	85.3%
Installation space	60	80.0%
On-site inspection / advance estimate	58	77.3%
Door swing / opening direction	48	64.0%
Heat clearance	39	52.0%
Capacity / family size	28	37.3%
Delivery / installation included	13	17.3%
Official EC link / flow	12	16.0%
Energy efficiency	3	4.0%

In the AI answers, delivery/installation, warranty, and in-store consultation came out strongly. Meanwhile, capacity/family size, energy efficiency, heat clearance, and door swing — which bear on satisfaction in using a refrigerator — were mentioned unevenly across answers.

The chart above may be reproduced as-is in media coverage, articles, and other materials, provided that you credit "Stellagent Inc." as the source and include a link to this page.

How We Extracted, Normalized, and Broke Ties

Across all 150 answers, we were able to extract a purchase-source name or purchase-source category. Zero answers had no extractable purchase-source name or category. Because the number of recommendations per AI answer ranged from 3 to 5, the 150 answers yielded 735 recommendation rows. When the order was not explicitly stated, we treated the order of appearance in the text as the recommendation order.

We consolidated the purchase sources that appeared in the answers into normalized names, then classified them into purchase-source categories such as electronics retailer, EC marketplace / online retailer, price-comparison site, manufacturer direct, used/reuse, and specialty/installer. For example, "Yamada Denki (ヤマダ電機)" and "Yamada (ヤマダ)" were normalized to "Yamada Denki," "Yodobashi (ヨドバシ)" to "Yodobashi Camera," and "Joshin (ジョーシン)" to "Joshin."

In S1–S3, individual company names and category names such as "electronics retailer," "online retailer," and "manufacturer official" were mixed together. We therefore treated S1–S3 as a purchase-source category comparison and did not use them as the authoritative source for the individual-retailer ranking. The within-retailer ranking is based on S4R–S6R, which specified nationwide, general-context prompts that use neither the user's location, address, nearby stores, nor account information.

The within-retailer ranking is listed in descending order of ranking points; in case of a tie, we checked recommendation count, first-place count, the number of AI services covered, and the number of scenarios covered, in that order.

Verification of Official Information

The rankings, recommendation counts, and confirmation-item mention rates in this survey are based solely on the AI answer logs and the tally. For the points AI raised as recommendation reasons — such as delivery/installation, recycling, warranty, and in-store consultation — we confirmed the following official information on July 17, 2026 so that it could be cross-checked before publication.

Confirmation date	Business	URL	Purpose
July 17, 2026	Yamada Denki	Source	Confirm delivery/installation, work, and advance-confirmation items
July 17, 2026	Yamada Denki	Source	Confirm home-appliance recycling
July 17, 2026	K's Denki	Source	Confirm large-item delivery, installation, and recycling
July 17, 2026	K's Denki	Source	Confirm recycling conditions
July 17, 2026	K's Denki	Source	Confirm installation/work fees and estimates
July 17, 2026	Bic Camera	Source	Confirm the flow from refrigerator purchase to installation
July 17, 2026	Bic Camera	Source	Confirm installation and recycling application
July 17, 2026	Yodobashi Camera	Source	Confirm refrigerator installation, carry-in, and recycling fees
July 17, 2026	Yodobashi Camera	Source	Confirm extended warranty
July 17, 2026	Yodobashi Camera	Source	Confirm inquiry / in-store consultation flow
July 17, 2026	EDION	Source	Confirm delivery, installation, and work
July 17, 2026	EDION	Source	Confirm home-appliance recycling
July 17, 2026	EDION	Source	Confirm long-term warranty and repair
July 17, 2026	Joshin	Source	Confirm installation conditions
July 17, 2026	Joshin	Source	Confirm home-appliance recycling

This official information was used to cross-check the points AI raised; the rankings themselves are based solely on the AI answers and the tally.

Implications for Businesses

Electronics retailers need to present, in a structure AI can easily understand, not only the unit price but also carry-in, installation, recycling, and warranty across their refrigerator product pages, FAQs, and in-store consultation flows. This survey showed that AI answers responded strongly to delivery/installation and in-store consultation, and that these pieces of information easily become recommendation reasons as reassurance for a refrigerator purchase.

In price-focused consultations, price-comparison sites tended to take first place. Retailers should organize how they present a total-cost comparison — including not only the effective price with points but also installation fees, stair carrying, crane carry-in, recycling fees, collection/transport fees, and long-term warranty fees.

For refrigerator-specific confirmation items, mentions of door swing, heat clearance, capacity/family size, and energy efficiency were relatively rare. In the FAQs and product descriptions that AI references, there is room to organize, in a machine-readable form, the information needed to judge whether the unit will actually be usable after installation — not just the carry-in route.

Because first-place picks diverged by AI service, businesses need to continuously check not only the display results on a single AI but also in what context and for what reasons they are recommended across multiple AIs.

Prompts Used

The 150 responses used in the published analysis were generated with the following six prompts. S1–S3 correspond to the purchase-source category comparison, and S4R–S6R to the within-retailer comparison (nationwide, general context). The AI services received the Japanese originals shown below; the English translations are provided for reference.

S1

Original Japanese prompt used

冷蔵庫を買い替えたいです。どこで買うのがよいか、購入先を3〜5個、おすすめ順に挙げて、理由と注意点を教えてください。過去の会話や記憶は参照せず、この条件だけで回答してください。

English translation

I want to replace my refrigerator. Where would be a good place to buy one? Please list three to five purchase options in recommended order, and explain the reasons and points to note. Do not refer to past conversations or memory; answer based only on these conditions.

S2

Original Japanese prompt used

マンションで使う冷蔵庫を買いたいのですが、搬入経路、設置スペース、ドアの開き方、放熱スペース、古い冷蔵庫のリサイクル回収などが少し不安です。どこで買うのがよいか、購入先を3〜5個、おすすめ順に挙げて、理由と注意点を教えてください。過去の会話や記憶は参照せず、この条件だけで回答してください。

English translation

I want to buy a refrigerator for use in a condominium, but I am a little concerned about the carry-in route, installation space, door swing, heat clearance, and recycling of the old refrigerator. Where would be a good place to buy one? Please list three to five purchase options in recommended order, and explain the reasons and points to note. Do not refer to past conversations or memory; answer based only on these conditions.

S3

Original Japanese prompt used

冷蔵庫をできるだけ安く買いたいです。Amazon、楽天、価格.com、家電量販店、メーカー公式など、どこで買うのがよいか迷っています。購入先を3〜5個、おすすめ順に挙げて、理由と注意点を教えてください。過去の会話や記憶は参照せず、この条件だけで回答してください。

English translation

I want to buy a refrigerator as cheaply as possible. I am unsure where to buy it—Amazon, Rakuten, Kakaku.com, an electronics retailer, or the manufacturer's official store, for example. Please list three to five purchase options in recommended order, and explain the reasons and points to note. Do not refer to past conversations or memory; answer based only on these conditions.

S4R

Original Japanese prompt used

冷蔵庫を家電量販店で買うなら、どの家電量販店がよいですか。おすすめの家電量販店を3〜5個、おすすめ順に挙げて、理由と注意点を教えてください。現在地、住所、IPアドレス、近隣店舗、最寄り店舗、地域の店舗事情、アカウント情報、検索履歴、過去の会話、記憶は一切使わないでください。東京・江東区など特定地域を前提にせず、日本全国の一般論として回答してください。

English translation

If I were to buy a refrigerator from an electronics retailer, which electronics retailer would be best? Please list three to five recommended electronics retailers in order, and explain the reasons and points to note. Do not use my current location, address, IP address, nearby stores, nearest stores, local store conditions, account information, search history, past conversations, or memory under any circumstances. Do not assume a specific area such as Tokyo or Koto City; answer in general terms for Japan nationwide.

S5R

Original Japanese prompt used

冷蔵庫を家電量販店で買いたいです。搬入経路、設置スペース、ドアの開き方、放熱スペース、リサイクル回収、保証まで含めて安心できる家電量販店はどこですか。おすすめ順に3〜5個挙げて、理由と注意点を教えてください。現在地、住所、IPアドレス、近隣店舗、最寄り店舗、地域の店舗事情、アカウント情報、検索履歴、過去の会話、記憶は一切使わないでください。東京・江東区など特定地域を前提にせず、日本全国の一般論として回答してください。

English translation

I want to buy a refrigerator from an electronics retailer. Which electronics retailer can I trust when the carry-in route, installation space, door swing, heat clearance, recycling, and warranty are all taken into account? Please list three to five in recommended order, and explain the reasons and points to note. Do not use my current location, address, IP address, nearby stores, nearest stores, local store conditions, account information, search history, past conversations, or memory under any circumstances. Do not assume a specific area such as Tokyo or Koto City; answer in general terms for Japan nationwide.

S6R

Original Japanese prompt used

冷蔵庫を家電量販店でできるだけ安く、でも搬入・設置・リサイクル回収・保証で失敗しないように買いたいです。どの家電量販店がよいですか。おすすめ順に3〜5個挙げて、理由と注意点を教えてください。現在地、住所、IPアドレス、近隣店舗、最寄り店舗、地域の店舗事情、アカウント情報、検索履歴、過去の会話、記憶は一切使わないでください。東京・江東区など特定地域を前提にせず、日本全国の一般論として回答してください。

English translation

I want to buy a refrigerator from an electronics retailer as cheaply as possible, but without making a mistake with carry-in, installation, recycling, or warranty. Which electronics retailer would be best? Please list three to five in recommended order, and explain the reasons and points to note. Do not use my current location, address, IP address, nearby stores, nearest stores, local store conditions, account information, search history, past conversations, or memory under any circumstances. Do not assume a specific area such as Tokyo or Koto City; answer in general terms for Japan nationwide.

Notes on the Survey

• This is an exploratory survey of 5 AIs × 6 scenarios × 5 runs and is not intended for statistical generalization.
• AI answers may vary with the date and time of the survey, the model, the search settings, conversation history, region, account settings, and UI changes.
• This survey tallies recommendation trends in AI answers; it does not evaluate the relative merits of each retailer's service quality, price, delivery handling, or warranty terms.
• The AI services were not aligned to the same model or subscription plan; the model tier, subscription plan, and web-search setting differ by service. The by-service differences reflect not only differences in the services themselves but also differences in the combination of model, plan, and search settings used. It does not evaluate the relative merits of any specific AI.
• Official sources were recorded to cross-check the points AI raised as recommendation reasons before publication; the rankings themselves are based solely on the AI answers and the tally.
• Prices, stock, deliverable areas, warranty terms, recycling fees, and additional work fees change, so please confirm each company's official information at the time of actual purchase.
• Product and service names in this report are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Revision History

• July 21, 2026: First published