0
0
Spreedly survey finds consumers increasingly open to AI-driven product recommendations, while fraud and payment control remain major concerns
Consumers appear increasingly willing to let AI shopping assistants influence which brands they buy, but most remain reluctant to give artificial intelligence unrestricted control over their money, according to a nationwide survey commissioned by Spreedly.
The survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, conducted by Talker Research, found that 63% of respondents would or might allow an AI shopping assistant to select brands for them if it consistently saved them 20% on purchases.
The findings come as AI shopping agents expand beyond product discovery and into purchasing and checkout, potentially changing how consumers interact with brands and merchants.
Younger Consumers More Open to AI Brand Selection
Brand loyalty appears particularly open to change among younger consumers. Thirty-four percent of Gen Z respondents and 30% of Millennials said they would give up brand loyalty if an AI assistant consistently identified the best products at the lowest prices.
Parents with children under five also showed a relatively high level of willingness to delegate brand selection, with 60% saying they would allow AI to choose brands if it consistently delivered 20% savings.
The findings suggest that price and convenience could become increasingly important factors in purchasing decisions as consumers rely more heavily on AI-powered shopping tools.
ChatGPT Gains Ground in Product Research
AI is also beginning to influence how consumers research products. Across all respondents, Google Search remained the most trusted source for product research at 25%, followed by friends and family at 22%.
Among Gen Z respondents, however, ChatGPT was selected as the most trusted source by 31%, compared with 12% for Google Search. ChatGPT also ranked ahead of friends and family, online reviews, and retailer websites within this demographic.
The results point to a generational difference in how consumers discover and evaluate products as conversational AI becomes part of the shopping journey.
Consumers Want to Retain Payment Control
While consumers may be willing to delegate product and brand selection, the survey found a clearer boundary when it comes to spending decisions.
Forty-three percent said they would still want to determine how much an AI assistant could spend, while 41% said they would retain control over the payment method.
Only 20% would allow an AI shopping assistant to spend money without approval. Another 16% would permit autonomous spending for small purchases, while 64% said they would not allow AI to spend money without their approval.
Consumers were similarly cautious about giving AI direct access to payment information. Only 19% said they would provide such access if the AI could guarantee the lowest price available online. Twenty-three percent said they might do so, while 58% rejected the idea.
Fraud Remains a Major Barrier
Security concerns remain one of the biggest obstacles to autonomous AI-powered commerce. Fifty-two percent of respondents identified fear of fraud as a reason they would not allow an AI assistant to complete purchases.
Other concerns included a lack of trust in AI companies, cited by 45%, and fear of overspending, cited by 40%.
Consumers also tend to place responsibility on the AI provider when something goes wrong. Forty-one percent said they would primarily hold the AI company responsible if an assistant selected a product that resulted in a problem, compared with 13% who would blame the retailer and 6% who would blame the payment provider.
No Dominant AI Shopping Brand Yet
The survey also found that no potential AI shopping provider has established a clear lead in consumer trust.
Google ranked first at 13%, followed by PayPal at 11%, while Amazon and Walmart each received 10%.
The results suggest that the transition toward agentic commerce may depend less on consumers’ willingness to use AI and more on how much control they are prepared to surrender. While savings and convenience can make consumers more comfortable with AI selecting products, payment authorization, fraud protection, and accountability remain more sensitive parts of the purchasing process.
