Background
Consumers are increasingly consulting AI for advice on air conditioner replacements, asking questions like “Where should I buy?” or “Which retailer is reliable for installation and warranty?” The initial purchase locations or store names suggested by AI become the starting point for consumers’ comparison and consideration. Air conditioner purchases involve not only the unit price but also installation costs, outdoor unit considerations, piping, additional construction fees, and warranties, all of which influence the total cost and customer satisfaction. Therefore, for sellers, it is crucial to understand which purchase destinations and retailers AI recommends, and for what reasons.
This survey was conducted to ascertain which major generative AIs recommend specific purchase locations and electronics retailers for air conditioner purchases, and whether they provide guidance on all-inclusive installation, specific installation conditions, warranties, and in-store consultation routes.
Survey Overview
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Survey Target | AI recommendations for air conditioner purchase destinations |
| Targeted AI | ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot |
| Survey Scenarios | 3 scenarios for purchase category comparison, 3 scenarios for electronics retailer comparison |
| Execution Count | 5 AIs × 6 scenarios × 5 times, total 150 responses |
| Recommendation Extraction Count | 719 cases |
| Survey Dates | July 13-14, 2026 |
| Survey Method | Inputting identical prompts into each AI’s web UI and recording recommended purchase locations, rankings, reasons, caveats, and mentions of installation, warranty, in-store consultation, etc. |
| Context Influence Suppression | Temporary mode, temporary chat, secret chat, or new chat used. Prompts explicitly stated not to refer to past conversations or memory. For electronics retailer comparisons, prompts specified to answer based on general conditions across Japan without using current location, address, nearby stores, or account information. |
Survey Results
K’s Denki Most Recommended in Electronics Retailer Comparison
In the comparison limited to electronics retailers, focusing on general recommendations across Japan (scenarios S4R-S6R, 75 responses), K’s Denki was most strongly recommended. The overall ranking was determined primarily by ranking points (5 points for 1st place, 4 for 2nd, 3 for 3rd, 2 for 4th, 1 for 5th, a weighted index reflecting the strength of the recommendation).

| Overall Rank | Store Name | Mentions | 1st Place Recommendations | Ranking Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | K’s Denki | 73 | 34 | 261 |
| 2 | Yodobashi Camera | 57 | 23 | 220 |
| 3 | Yamada Denki | 69 | 15 | 203 |
| 4 | Bic Camera | 72 | 0 | 188 |
| 5 | Edion | 63 | 3 | 181 |
| 6 | Nojima | 17 | 0 | 30 |
| 7 | Kojima | 7 | 0 | 15 |
| 8 | Joshin | 5 | 0 | 13 |
While Bic Camera had a similar number of mentions (72) to K’s Denki, it received zero first-place recommendations, indicating a strong tendency for it to appear as a second or lower-tier option. K’s Denki led in ranking points, total mentions, and first-place recommendations, consistently ranking highest regardless of the metric used.
Top 3 Retailers Recommended in Different Purchase Contexts
The top three electronics retailers were recommended in distinct contexts by AI. K’s Denki was often associated with “cash discounts, long-term warranties, and clear total costs.” Yodobashi Camera was frequently linked to “point rewards, product variety, and e-commerce/delivery.” Yamada Denki tended to be recommended for “store network, consultation, and price negotiation.” This suggests that AI recommendations are influenced not just by market share but also by a retailer’s strengths that are easily explained in response to specific query conditions.
AI Service-Specific Recommendation Trends
Although K’s Denki was the overall leader, there were differences across individual AI services. Claude strongly recommended Yamada Denki (13 first-place recommendations), while Microsoft Copilot (14 first-place recommendations) and Perplexity (9 first-place recommendations) frequently gave top billing to Yodobashi Camera.
Room Condition Confirmation Often Overlooked by AI
In the 75 responses for electronics retailer comparisons, while warranty/long-term warranty and in-store consultation were mentioned in all responses (75/75), confirmation of room conditions such as room size was only mentioned in 5 out of 75 responses. This indicates that AI still tends to overlook the proactive confirmation of necessary room conditions for air conditioner selection.

Implications for Businesses
While the electronics retailer category performed strongly in purchase destination comparisons, individual retailers seeking to rank high will likely need clear comparative axes that AI can easily explain, such as all-inclusive installation costs, clear long-term warranties, transparent additional construction fees, and clear pathways to in-store consultation. Businesses should assess which purchase scenarios are most likely to lead to AI recommendations for their brand and reinforce the associated descriptive terms in their official information.
Furthermore, as Kakaku.com and online retailers were strongly recommended in price-focused scenarios, electronics retailers are advised to present not only the unit price but also the total cost, including installation, additional work, warranty, and recycling fees, in a clear and official manner. There remains an opportunity to structure and publish room conditions such as room size, sunlight exposure, insulation, floor level, 200V power availability, piping holes, and outdoor unit placement.
For a detailed report, please visit:
Survey Limitations
This survey is an exploratory study involving 5 AIs × 6 scenarios × 5 repetitions and is not intended for statistical generalization. AI responses reflect the output from web UIs as of July 13-14, 2026, and may vary depending on the date, model, search settings, and account status even with the same prompt. The overall ranking is calculated primarily using ranking points; the ranking of 2nd place and below may change if the number of recommendations were used as the primary indicator.
About Stellagent
Stellagent Inc. develops agentic commerce platforms that support purchasing and booking experiences in the AI agent era.
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Company Name: Stellagent Inc.
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Representative: Akihiro Suzuki (Representative Director)
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Location: WeWork, Ocean Gate Minatomirai 8F, 3-7-1 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
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Establishment Date: February 22, 2022
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Website: https://stellagent.ai/ja
Inquiries Regarding This Matter
Stellagent offers consultation services to electronics retailers, manufacturers, and other retailers on visualizing AI recommendation status and developing AI strategies. The company also supports the design and execution of AI recommendation surveys by industry and product category.
For consultations on AI recommendation status, AI strategies, or category-specific AI recommendation surveys, please visit:
*Product and service names mentioned in this news release are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

