Accenture: Consumer trust in AI shopping agents on the rise

New research from Accenture shows that consumers are increasingly open to letting AI agents handle more of their shopping tasks.

The company's 2026 Consumer Pulse Research, which surveyed 25,590 people across 16 countries, found that 74% of respondents would trust a personal AI agent more than their closest friend to make a purchase for them.

The report describes this as a shift beyond basic chatbots or search tools. An AI agent, in this context, is software that can act on a consumer's behalf within set boundaries. It can shop, negotiate, handle complaints, manage subscriptions, and in some cases complete purchases.

Consumers are ready to delegate

According to the survey, 74% of consumers would let an AI agent take over routine tasks like negotiating deals, resolving complaints, renewing subscriptions, and reordering products.

Accenture notes that this doesn't mean consumers are ready to give up all decision-making. Rather, the findings suggest people are more willing to delegate parts of shopping that feel repetitive, time-consuming, or carry low risk.

The report also found that 32% of consumers would ask an AI agent to make a purchase decision within set limits, such as budget and brand preferences, along with other conditions defined by the user.

In that case, the AI agent would pick the best available option, but the consumer would still review and approve the purchase before payment. The report calls this delegated decision-making, distinct from task execution or fully autonomous purchasing.

Autonomy still has limits

A smaller share of consumers is comfortable with AI agents completing purchases without final approval. The report found that 9% of respondents would allow an agent to start and finish a purchase within defined boundaries.

Openness to autonomous decisions drops at the payment stage. Accenture says only 12% of consumers are comfortable with agents making purchase decisions on their own at that point.

The report identifies several factors that affect how much control consumers are willing to hand over. These include data safeguards, adjustable permissions, and instant override options. Clear recourse, platform reputation, and perceived neutrality also play a role in building trust.

Consumers feel more at ease with AI agent autonomy in parts of the shopping journey where effort is high and emotional stakes are low. The report points to negotiation and post-purchase support as areas where consumers showed greater openness.

Recurring services ranked highest across stages of delegation, while lifestyle and travel purchases saw a sharper drop as autonomy increased, the report says.

It also notes that consumers are more likely to keep control over choices tied to identity or personal enjoyment. Someone might delegate routine grocery restocking but still want to pick a hotel room, clothing item, or experience themselves.

What it means for brands

The report says AI-assisted shopping means brands and retailers need to make product information clear and machine-readable. If consumers use agents to compare options, pricing, availability, policies, and claims will also need to be easy for agents to assess.

AI agents can compare brands using structured attributes and verified claims. They can also weigh price-to-value ratios and fulfillment records. The report says this affects how brands appear across digital channels, including search engines, marketplaces, and social platforms.

The report found that 56% of all consumers would tell their AI agent which brands to consider. Among behaviorally loyal consumers, 37% said they would allow an agent to switch brands if it found a better fit.

The report links brand switching to factors like fit, price, availability, and service performance.

Accenture also found that consumers are interested in agents that work across providers. The report says 61% want an agent that can shop across multiple grocery retailers for them, while 71% want an agent that can plan and book a complete trip across airlines, hotels, and activities.

Brands and retailers need product data, pricing, availability, policies, and claims to be readable by the systems agents use to evaluate options, according to the report.

The main reasons cited include existing knowledge of shopping preferences, trust built through service and support, and access to a broad selection of products and services.

The report lists several possible roles for brands and retailers in AI-assisted commerce. Some may build their own agents, while others may integrate data, inventory, and services into platforms that consumers already use.

The report points to verified information, clear inventory, transparent pricing, and reliable fulfillment data as factors that can help agents evaluate brands more easily.

It also found that 71% of consumers expect generative AI to influence at least half of their spending decisions over the next 12 months.

The report also found that 63% of consumers want agents to shop for their "idealized self." Examples include helping them make healthier choices or stay within budget. Some respondents also want agents to support more intentional upgrades.

Among active generative AI users, 26% said they had already bought a more expensive item because AI increased their confidence in the decision. The same proportion said AI had led them to increase their basket size.

Stores still matter

The survey also asked consumers how AI could affect stores. It found that 87% believe AI will change the role of stores. Another 31% said stores will become more important for creating moments of enjoyment.

The findings show lower openness to full automation than to routine task delegation. This points to a more selective pattern, with consumers delegating routine or lower-risk tasks while keeping control over purchases that involve personal preference, risk, or emotional value.

The report says some brand evaluation could happen inside agent-led comparison systems before consumers visit a website, app, or store.

See also: Visa ChatGPT integration enables AI agent retail purchasing

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