NIQ, a leading consumer intelligence company, revealed new analysis presented at The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Global Summit showing that nearly one in three consumers in Western markets now purchase products they first discover on social platforms, as artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging commerce models accelerate a shift towards discovery-led commerce.
Presented by Emilie Darolles, President, West Europe, NIQ, the findings highlight a fundamental shift in how consumers discover, evaluate, and purchase products-blurring traditional geographic, channel, and operational boundaries.
New growth engine: Commerce models scaling from East to West
NIQ's latest global insights show that live, social, and quick commerce models-long scaled across Asia-are now a significant driver of incremental digital growth globally, as these formats expand rapidly into Western markets.
At the same time, AI is no longer just influencing commerce-it is beginning to shape and increasingly determine what consumers buy, transforming product discovery into a more automated, data-driven process.
A widening-and closing-adoption gap
Despite this acceleration, adoption of emerging commerce models in Western markets remains uneven. Around two-thirds of European consumers have yet to engage with quick or social commerce-underscoring the significant growth opportunity ahead.
However, momentum is building rapidly as discovery-led commerce gains traction, with consumer behavior shifting toward more seamless, content-driven shopping experiences.
Retail media and AI are redefining competitive advantage
As Eastern innovation reshapes consumer expectations, Western markets are leading in retail media, data ecosystems, and measurement. Retail media has grown into a $184bn global market, underlining its role as one of the fastest-scaling advertising channels worldwide.
While both regions are rapidly converging, their starting points remain distinct. In the East, commerce is built on integrated ecosystems-combining content, creators, retail media, payment, fulfillment and AI-driven personalisation within a single platform-optimised for speed and seamless consumer experiences.
In contrast, the West has focused on retail media monetisation, first-party data, measurement infrastructure and attribution systems, operating across a more fragmented set of channels. As AI converges these models, the opportunity lies in bringing these strengths together into a connected global commerce system.
"Commerce no longer has an East or West-only a connected global model moving at the speed of AI," says Emilie Darolles, President, West Europe, NIQ. "This is not hype-AI is fundamentally reshaping how consumers discover and choose products. The brands winning today are those that combine the strengths of both models and adapt in real time."
Leaders joining the CGF panel session reinforced how this shift is already shaping business strategies globally.
"European consumers are prioritising reliability, speed, and convenience, but meeting those expectations requires more than simply transferring successful models from other markets,"said a Joybuy spokesperson."While capabilities such as advanced supply chain management, logistics infrastructure, and retail technology are transferable, success in Europe depends on adapting them to local consumer preferences and market conditions.
We believe the next phase of retail innovation will be driven by combining operational expertise with strong local execution."
"The convergence of commerce models is fundamentally changing how brands go to market,"said Paul Chapman, Global Head of CBIA at Haleon."Success increasingly depends on connecting insight, activation and measurement in real time-particularly as AI reshapes how consumers discover and engage with products. For brands, this means rethinking how to create more relevant, connected consumer experiences across channels."
The convergence of commerce models is already reshaping the competitive landscape in Europe. NIQ analysis shows that brands adopting these integrated approaches are better positioned to capture emerging growth opportunities, while those slower to adapt risk falling behind.
This shift is moving the industry from fragmented channel strategies to connected, consumer-centric systems, where discovery, media, fulfilment and measurement are increasingly integrated into a single experience.
NIQ is a leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete and trusted understanding of consumer buying behaviour and revealing new pathways to growth.
By combining an unmatched global data footprint and granular consumer and retail measurement with decades of AI modeling expertise, NIQ builds decision systems that help companies turn complex data into confident action.
With operations in more than 90 countries, NIQ covers approximately 82% of the world's population and more than $7.4tn in global consumer spend.
