Consumers Increasingly Trust AI Shopping Agents, Accenture Study Finds
A new report from Accenture's 2026 Consumer Pulse Research indicates a growing willingness among consumers to delegate shopping tasks to AI agents. The study, which surveyed over 25,000 consumers across 16 countries, found that 74% of respondents would trust a personal AI agent more than a best friend to make a purchase on their behalf. This trend extends beyond basic chatbots, suggesting consumers are ready for AI to manage negotiations, resolve complaints, and handle subscriptions, with some openness to delegated and even autonomous purchasing decisions within set limits.
Consumers are showing an increased readiness to allow AI agents to manage a variety of shopping-related tasks, according to new research from Accenture. The company's 2026 Consumer Pulse Research, based on a survey of 25,590 consumers in 16 countries, revealed that 74% of respondents would trust a personal AI agent over a best friend to complete a purchase on their behalf.
An AI agent, in this context, refers to software designed to act on a consumer’s behalf within defined permissions. These capabilities include shopping, negotiating deals, resolving complaints, managing subscriptions, and in some instances, completing purchases. The survey found that 74% of consumers would permit an AI agent to handle routine tasks such as deal negotiation, complaint resolution, subscription renewals, and product reorders. Additionally, 32% of consumers would ask an AI agent to make a purchase decision within specified limits, such as budget and brand preferences, with the consumer retaining final approval before payment.
While consumers are open to delegating routine and low-risk aspects of shopping, full autonomy still has limits. The report indicated that 9% of respondents would allow an agent to initiate and complete purchases within defined boundaries without final approval. However, at the payment stage, only 12% of consumers are open to agents making autonomous purchase decisions. Factors influencing consumer trust and willingness to delegate more control include data safeguards, configurable permissions, instant override options, clear recourse, platform reputation, and perceived neutrality.
Consumers demonstrate greater comfort with AI agent autonomy in areas with high effort and lower emotional stakes, such as negotiation and post-purchase support. Recurring services ranked highest for delegation across various stages, whereas lifestyle and travel purchases showed a decline in consumer openness as autonomy increased. Consumers tend to retain control over choices linked to personal identity or enjoyment, preferring to delegate tasks like routine grocery restocking but not decisions on hotel rooms, clothing, or experiences.
The findings suggest implications for brands and retailers, which will need to ensure product information is clear and machine-readable for AI agents. This includes making pricing, availability, policies, and claims easily assessable for agent comparisons. The report noted that 56% of consumers would instruct their AI agent on which brands to consider. Among behaviorally loyal consumers, 37% would permit an agent to switch brands if a better fit was identified based on factors like price, availability, and service performance. Furthermore, 61% of consumers expressed interest in agents capable of shopping across multiple providers.
(Source: AI News)
