Two-Thirds of Consumers Open to AI Shopping Assistants but Demand Human Oversight — Commerce.com, Inc.

Event summary

Commerce.com and PayPal released research showing 63-67% of consumers in the US, UK, and Australia are interested in trying AI-powered shopping assistants.
81% of US consumers want AI tools to help with online shopping but 82% demand payment security equal to or better than existing methods.
UK consumers prioritize avoiding overpaying and finding discounts, while Australian shoppers emphasize security concerns like unauthorized purchases.
The study surveyed 3,000 online shoppers across the three markets in March and April 2026.

The big picture

The research highlights a growing consumer appetite for AI-assisted shopping but reveals significant trust barriers that could slow widespread adoption. As the e-commerce industry shifts toward more intelligent discovery and purchasing processes, companies that can demonstrate robust security measures and maintain transparency will likely gain competitive advantage. The findings suggest agentic commerce won't replace human decision-making but rather augment it with smarter tools for product discovery.

What we're watching

Trust Dynamics: How merchants and payment providers will balance AI convenience with consumer demand for control over purchases.
Security Priorities: Whether existing payment security frameworks can adapt quickly enough to support agentic shopping adoption.
Market Differentiation: Which companies will emerge as trusted providers of AI-powered shopping tools across different regions.