Shoppers still wary of AI agents

Despite fast-growing adoption of AI agents, the majority of shoppers remain wary of trusting AI to autonomously transact on their behalf, with payments now the key friction point

That's according to latest research from the Retail Technology Show (RTS).

Original research of over 1,000 UK shoppers by RTS revealed that two fifths (38%) have already used AI agents within product discovery, leveraging the technology to search for items or ask for product recommendations. 

Usage was even higher among younger demographics, with adoption of agentic product discovery rising to six in ten (59%) of Millennials and over half (55%) of Gen Z.

Meanwhile, a further quarter (27%) of UK shoppers have already used AI agents to make purchases on their behalf autonomously, rising to almost half of Millennials (47%) and Gen Z (46%).

However, despite rising adoption, six in ten (60%) UK shoppers remain mistrustful of using AI agents to complete end-to-end shopping missions from discovery through to payment. 

“As the indomitable rise of AI takes over more aspects of consumers' day-to-day lives and shopping behaviours, retailers are racing towards meeting rapidly evolving customer expectations, bridging the gap between vision and execution,” Matt Bradley, RTS event director , said.  “With maturity around AI hardening, the next frontier of innovation will require retailers to widen integrations within the AI shopping layer - not just across payments, but beyond into Order Management Systems (OMS), delivery and post-purchase.”