Yodobashi Camera Tops AI Recommendations for Washing Machine Purchases Among Major Appliance Retailers

Stellagent Inc. (Headquarters: Yokohama, Kanagawa; CEO: Akihiro Suzuki, hereinafter "the Company"), a developer of agentic commerce infrastructure supporting purchasing and reservation experiences in the AI agent era, announces the results of a survey examining which retailers and appliance stores major generative AI models recommend when consulted about washing machine purchases.

In this survey, five AI services—ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot—were tested across six purchase scenarios, with five responses collected per scenario, totaling 150 responses. Among the 75 responses (S4R–S6R) that focused exclusively on appliance retailers under nationwide general conditions without using location or prior context, Yodobashi Camera achieved the highest ranking score of 240 points. In the same 75 responses, K's Denki received the most first-place recommendations (28), while Bic Camera had the highest total recommendation count (68), showing that top-ranked stores vary depending on the metric used.

Full report available here: https://stellagent.ai/ja/research/washing-machine-retailer-ai-recommendation-survey-202607

Background

Consumers now consult AI when replacing washing machines, asking questions like "Where should I buy?" or "Which retailer ensures smooth delivery and installation?" The first retailer or store mentioned in an AI’s response often becomes the starting point for consumer comparison.

Washing machine satisfaction depends not only on the unit price but also on installation factors such as delivery access, installation space, water supply valves, drainage outlets, waterproof trays, recycling collection, and warranty. Therefore, for retailers, it is crucial not only to gain visibility on search engines and e-commerce marketplaces but also to understand which retailers AI recommends, which stores are favored, and for what reasons.

This survey was conducted to determine which retailers and appliance stores major generative AI models recommend when consulted about washing machine purchases, and whether they provide guidance on delivery and installation, water supply, drainage, waterproof trays, recycling, warranty, and store consultation pathways.

Survey Overview

Item

Content

Survey Target

Recommendations from major generative AI on washing machine purchase locations

Target AI Models

ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot

Survey Scenarios

3 scenarios comparing purchase categories, 3 scenarios comparing appliance retailers

Execution Count

5 AIs × 6 scenarios × 5 runs = 150 total responses

Number of Recommendations Extracted

740

Survey Date

July 15, 2026

Aggregation Method

Count of recommendations, first-place mentions, ranking points, scenario-specific trends, and mention rates for verification items

Yodobashi Camera Leads in Appliance Retailer Comparison

In the appliance retailer comparison (S4R–S6R, 75 responses), Yodobashi Camera scored the highest with 240 ranking points. Ranking points were calculated as 5 points for 1st place, 4 for 2nd, 3 for 3rd, 2 for 4th, and 1 for 5th.

Yodobashi Camera stood out in total ranking points. K's Denki led in first-place recommendations (28), closely followed by Yodobashi Camera (27). Bic Camera had the highest total recommendation count (68) but only 2 first-place mentions, indicating a tendency to appear as a second-tier or lower option.

Overall Ranking

Store Name

Recommendation Count

First-Place Mentions

Ranking Points

1

Yodobashi Camera

62

27

240

2

Bic Camera

68

2

208

3

K's Denki

62

28

207

4

Yamada Denki

60

16

202

5

Edion

55

2

122

6

Kojima

22

0

56

7

Nojima

14

0

26

8

Joshin

8

0

23

Recommendation Trends Vary by AI Service

While Yodobashi Camera led in overall ranking points, differences emerged across AI services. In the appliance retailer comparison (S4R–S6R, n=75), ChatGPT and Gemini strongly favored K's Denki, Claude preferred Yamada Denki, and Perplexity and Copilot showed a strong tendency to rank Yodobashi Camera first.

Installation Requirements Often Missing in AI Responses

Key factors in washing machine purchases include delivery and installation, installation space, water supply valves, drainage outlets, waterproof trays, recycling collection, and warranty. In the 75 appliance retailer comparison responses, all responses mentioned delivery/installation, warranty, and store consultation. However, water supply valves were mentioned in only 43 responses, waterproof trays in 45, and drum/front-load vs. top-load type in just 28—indicating that critical installation factors are often omitted.

Implications for Retailers

The results of this survey suggest the following for sales operators:

For washing machines, “peace of mind through installation” matters as much as “low price.” AI responses repeatedly cited delivery and installation, recycling collection, warranty, and in-store consultation as reasons for recommending retailers. Retailers must clearly present not only product prices but also structured information on delivery, installation, collection, warranty, and additional fees on product pages.

Even among top retailers, AI evaluation criteria differ. ChatGPT and Gemini strongly recommended K's Denki, Claude favored Yamada Denki, and Perplexity and Copilot strongly supported Yodobashi Camera. Companies should identify in which AI and purchase scenarios they perform best and prepare official information that is easily cited or summarized by AI.

Verification items like water supply valves, drainage outlets, and waterproof trays are often missing in AI responses. While delivery, installation, and warranty were frequently mentioned, checks for water supply, waterproof trays, and drum/top-load type were relatively rare. Appliance retailers have an opportunity to publicly structure information such as washing machine dimensions, delivery routes, waterproof tray inner dimensions, faucet height, drain location, and door opening direction—items AI should verify during purchase consultations.

Survey Limitations

This survey is an exploratory study with 5 AIs × 6 scenarios × 5 runs and is not intended for statistical generalization.

AI responses reflect outputs from the web UI as of July 15, 2026. Identical prompts may yield different results depending on time, model version, search settings, and account status.

Overall rankings are calculated using ranking points as the primary metric. Rankings may differ if recommendation count or first-place mentions are used as the primary metric. Extracted reason phrases are machine-matched reference values.

For full details on methodology, complete results, and prompts used, please refer to the full report.

Full report: https://stellagent.ai/ja/research/washing-machine-retailer-ai-recommendation-survey-202607

About Stellagent

Developing agentic commerce infrastructure to support purchasing and reservation experiences in the AI agent era.

Company Name: Stellagent Inc.

Representative: Akihiro Suzuki (CEO)

Headquarters: 3-7-1 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 220-0012, Japan, 8F Ocean Gate Minatomirai, WeWork

Founded: February 22, 2022

Website: https://stellagent