Consumer Demand for AI Shopping Is Rapidly Expanding, but Trust in Agentive Commerce Still Lags Behind
Key facts
- Consumer Demand for AI Shopping Is Rapidly Expanding, but Trust in Agentive Commerce Still Lags Behind
- According to Checkout.com's latest survey, 33% of consumers expect over 10% of their purchases to be AI-driven within a year, yet a significant gap remains between consumer expectations and industry readiness, particularly regarding trust and control mechanisms.
- Source: PR Times
- Date: June 17, 2026
Direct answer
According to Checkout.com's latest survey, 33% of consumers expect over 10% of their purchases to be AI-driven within a year, yet a significant gap remains between consumer expectations and industry readiness, particularly regarding trust and control mechanisms.
- Citation
- Consumer Demand for AI Shopping Is Rapidly Expanding, but Trust in Agentive Commerce Still Lags Behind (June 17, 2026), PR Times
- Source
- PR Times
- Date
- June 17, 2026
According to Checkout.com's latest survey, 33% of consumers expect over 10% of their purchases to be AI-driven within a year, yet a significant gap remains between consumer expectations and industry readiness, particularly regarding trust and control mechanisms.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: June 17, 2026 at 19:18
- 🔍 Collected: June 17, 2026 at 10:32
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 17, 2026 at 10:57 (24 min after Collected)
Checkout.com (Headquarters: London, UK; Founder and CEO: Guillaume Pousaz), a provider of digital payment platforms, has released the results of its latest survey on agentive commerce. Agentive commerce refers to a new form of commerce in which AI agents perform tasks such as searching for, comparing, and purchasing products on behalf of consumers. The survey reveals a significant gap that still exists between rapidly growing consumer demand and the 'trust, control, and infrastructure' needed to support it. These findings are based on Checkout.com’s new research report, 'Agentive Commerce 2026: Consumer Demand and Merchant Readiness'.
One in three consumers (33%) expect that more than 10% of their purchases will be AI-driven within one year. However, a gap remains between consumer expectations and industry preparedness.
Merchants in the UK and US also recognize this shift, with 72% responding that 'consumers will adopt agent-led shopping faster than most merchants are prepared'.
'Trust' remains a barrier to adoption: 27% of consumers said 'there is not a single organization I would trust to operate an AI shopping agent', and 24% said 'I would never entrust purchasing to AI'.
Growing demand and the emerging 'expectation-trust gap'
One in three consumers (33%) expect that more than 10% of their purchases will be AI-driven within one year. Merchants also recognize this shift, with about three in four (72%) saying 'consumers will adopt agent-led shopping faster than most merchants are prepared'. There is clearly a consumer segment that anticipates rapid expansion of AI shopping, and merchants expect changes across product discovery, payment, and authentication. However, the industry as a whole recognizes that infrastructure, standards, and frameworks for accountability are still in development.
What exists here is not just an 'expectation gap' but a 'trust gap'. Consumers are interested in AI-led shopping but are not yet ready to entrust spending without clear safeguards. In this survey, one in four consumers (24%) said 'I would never entrust purchasing to AI', and 27% said 'there is not a single organization I would trust to operate an AI shopping agent'. While consumers believe AI has the potential to transform the shopping experience, businesses are expected to build trust through clear control functions, permission settings, and easy cancellation options.
The key to trust: spending limits, immediate revocation of permissions, and easy cancellation
Consumers have clear ideas about how businesses can foster trust in agentive commerce, stating they would only entrust spending to AI agents 'if strict control functions are in place'. Across all six surveyed markets, the average amount consumers are willing to let an AI shopping agent spend per transaction without additional approval is £177 (approximately ¥34,000), below the £200 (approximately ¥38,000) that UK and US merchants anticipate.
Top non-negotiable conditions for consumer comfort with agent-led shopping are spending limits (30%), immediate revocation (29%), and easy cancellation (28%). Merchants also recognize the need for transparency and control, with 75% saying 'the ability for users to revoke permissions in real time is essential for consumer adoption of agentive commerce'.
Adoption driven by 'convenience', with gradual rollout starting from low-risk areas
For consumers, agentive commerce is driven by 'convenience'—the desire to automate routine tasks and reclaim time, and to achieve more valuable shopping experiences. One in four (25%) cited 'saving time' as the top motivation for using an AI shopping agent, while 20% said they want to 'use AI to avoid missing out on better deals'.
The survey results suggest that agentive commerce will expand gradually and unevenly—starting with low-risk, recurring purchase categories before expanding into broader areas. The categories consumers are most willing to delegate are groceries (41%) and daily necessities (31%), which are seen as low-risk, recurring purchases. In contrast, purchases requiring careful consideration, such as financial services, are the least likely to be delegated (15%), a result that contrasts with merchants’ expectations that agentive commerce will first take hold in complex decision-making areas like financial products.
Changing brand loyalty and advancing merchant preparedness
Agentive commerce could also transform brand loyalty. A clear majority of consumers (57%) said they would 'allow an AI shopping agent to switch brands if a more valuable option is found'. AI shopping is already changing how product discovery, comparison, and brand selection work. If businesses can resolve challenges around trust, accountability, and control, AI holds the potential to reshape the digital commerce landscape. According to UK and US merchants, transactions involving AI agents currently account for only 3% of total volume. However, 89% of merchants are actively preparing for agentive commerce, indicating that merchant readiness has already begun amid the maturation of standards and trust models.
Comment from Rory O'Neill, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Checkout.com
'Agentive commerce is rapidly transitioning from concept to reality. Consumers are beginning to test AI agents for everyday purchases, and across the industry, collaboration on protocols and standards to support this next-generation e-commerce is accelerating. However, while adoption accelerates, the infrastructure to support it remains in development. Consumers need confidence that AI agents operate within clear frameworks for security, refunds, permissions, and spending limits. Until these foundations are in place, “trust” will remain one of the biggest barriers to widespread adoption.'
About Checkout.com
Checkout.com provides payment services to thousands of businesses powering the digital economy. Its digital payment network supports over 145 currencies and processes tens of billions of transactions annually worldwide.
With flexible and scalable technology, it helps improve payment success rates, reduce processing costs, and combat fraud, turning payments into a driver of business profitability. Headquartered in London and with offices in 19 locations worldwide, Checkout.com serves companies such as Sony, Netflix, Uber, Spotify, Alibaba, Docusign, Wise, Sain
One in three consumers (33%) expect that more than 10% of their purchases will be AI-driven within one year. However, a gap remains between consumer expectations and industry preparedness.
Merchants in the UK and US also recognize this shift, with 72% responding that 'consumers will adopt agent-led shopping faster than most merchants are prepared'.
'Trust' remains a barrier to adoption: 27% of consumers said 'there is not a single organization I would trust to operate an AI shopping agent', and 24% said 'I would never entrust purchasing to AI'.
Growing demand and the emerging 'expectation-trust gap'
One in three consumers (33%) expect that more than 10% of their purchases will be AI-driven within one year. Merchants also recognize this shift, with about three in four (72%) saying 'consumers will adopt agent-led shopping faster than most merchants are prepared'. There is clearly a consumer segment that anticipates rapid expansion of AI shopping, and merchants expect changes across product discovery, payment, and authentication. However, the industry as a whole recognizes that infrastructure, standards, and frameworks for accountability are still in development.
What exists here is not just an 'expectation gap' but a 'trust gap'. Consumers are interested in AI-led shopping but are not yet ready to entrust spending without clear safeguards. In this survey, one in four consumers (24%) said 'I would never entrust purchasing to AI', and 27% said 'there is not a single organization I would trust to operate an AI shopping agent'. While consumers believe AI has the potential to transform the shopping experience, businesses are expected to build trust through clear control functions, permission settings, and easy cancellation options.
The key to trust: spending limits, immediate revocation of permissions, and easy cancellation
Consumers have clear ideas about how businesses can foster trust in agentive commerce, stating they would only entrust spending to AI agents 'if strict control functions are in place'. Across all six surveyed markets, the average amount consumers are willing to let an AI shopping agent spend per transaction without additional approval is £177 (approximately ¥34,000), below the £200 (approximately ¥38,000) that UK and US merchants anticipate.
Top non-negotiable conditions for consumer comfort with agent-led shopping are spending limits (30%), immediate revocation (29%), and easy cancellation (28%). Merchants also recognize the need for transparency and control, with 75% saying 'the ability for users to revoke permissions in real time is essential for consumer adoption of agentive commerce'.
Adoption driven by 'convenience', with gradual rollout starting from low-risk areas
For consumers, agentive commerce is driven by 'convenience'—the desire to automate routine tasks and reclaim time, and to achieve more valuable shopping experiences. One in four (25%) cited 'saving time' as the top motivation for using an AI shopping agent, while 20% said they want to 'use AI to avoid missing out on better deals'.
The survey results suggest that agentive commerce will expand gradually and unevenly—starting with low-risk, recurring purchase categories before expanding into broader areas. The categories consumers are most willing to delegate are groceries (41%) and daily necessities (31%), which are seen as low-risk, recurring purchases. In contrast, purchases requiring careful consideration, such as financial services, are the least likely to be delegated (15%), a result that contrasts with merchants’ expectations that agentive commerce will first take hold in complex decision-making areas like financial products.
Changing brand loyalty and advancing merchant preparedness
Agentive commerce could also transform brand loyalty. A clear majority of consumers (57%) said they would 'allow an AI shopping agent to switch brands if a more valuable option is found'. AI shopping is already changing how product discovery, comparison, and brand selection work. If businesses can resolve challenges around trust, accountability, and control, AI holds the potential to reshape the digital commerce landscape. According to UK and US merchants, transactions involving AI agents currently account for only 3% of total volume. However, 89% of merchants are actively preparing for agentive commerce, indicating that merchant readiness has already begun amid the maturation of standards and trust models.
Comment from Rory O'Neill, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Checkout.com
'Agentive commerce is rapidly transitioning from concept to reality. Consumers are beginning to test AI agents for everyday purchases, and across the industry, collaboration on protocols and standards to support this next-generation e-commerce is accelerating. However, while adoption accelerates, the infrastructure to support it remains in development. Consumers need confidence that AI agents operate within clear frameworks for security, refunds, permissions, and spending limits. Until these foundations are in place, “trust” will remain one of the biggest barriers to widespread adoption.'
About Checkout.com
Checkout.com provides payment services to thousands of businesses powering the digital economy. Its digital payment network supports over 145 currencies and processes tens of billions of transactions annually worldwide.
With flexible and scalable technology, it helps improve payment success rates, reduce processing costs, and combat fraud, turning payments into a driver of business profitability. Headquartered in London and with offices in 19 locations worldwide, Checkout.com serves companies such as Sony, Netflix, Uber, Spotify, Alibaba, Docusign, Wise, Sain
FAQ
What is agent-based commerce?
A new shopping model where AI agents search, compare, and purchase on behalf of consumers.
How much do consumers trust AI shopping?
27% say no organization is trustworthy; 24% will never delegate purchases to AI.
What drives adoption of agent-based commerce?
Convenience, time savings, and automated price comparisons are key motivators.
How are businesses preparing for agent-led shopping?
89% of merchants are preparing, but infrastructure and standards remain a challenge.
What does Checkout.com do?
A global payment platform based in London, serving thousands of companies like Sony and Netflix.