AI-powered buying is successful over American shoppers when it saves time or makes shopping for selections simple, however a slew of latest surveys present buyers will not be prepared for autonomous buy brokers.
For instance, in January 2026 electronic mail platform Omnisend commissioned a survey of 4,000 buyers throughout the U.S., Canada, and Australia as to their use of AI for buying within the earlier six months.
Of the 1,072 U.S. buyers surveyed, solely 8.29% had been “absolutely comfy” with AI finishing on-line purchases. Practically three-quarters of respondents needed some type of transactional restriction, and 20.28% had been “not comfy in any respect” with “handing over transactions to AI instruments.”
Procuring Effort
But buyers are utilizing AI within the shopping for journey. Omnisend’s survey discovered that 47% of U.S. respondents use AI for product analysis and comparisons, 40.9% for locating offers or coupons, and 38.6% for summarizing evaluations.
Individually, eMarketer, citing a Q3 2025 IBM survey of 18,000 international shoppers, reported final month that buyers most frequently use AI for basic assist, product analysis, and reviewing choices. And McKinsey’s February 2026 survey of roughly 4,000 U.S. shoppers discovered that 68% had used AI instruments within the earlier three months, principally to assist decision-making.
Collectively, the information point out that buyers worth AI when it makes buying simpler.
In Omnisend’s knowledge, 47.2% of U.S. respondents stated AI saves time. One other 40.1% stated it simplifies the method, and 38.6% stated it helps uncover merchandise they won’t have discovered in any other case.
Usually, saving time, simplifying, and figuring out all cut back cognitive load or effort. As a substitute of sorting by way of dozens of product pages or evaluations, buyers can compress that work into just a few prompts or queries.
This distinction is critical. Immediate-based buying shifts how shoppers resolve what to purchase. AI narrows the choice earlier than a consumer reaches an ecommerce product web page.
Buy Management
Regardless of the convenience of use, survey respondents are much less comfy giving up buy management. Once more, solely 8.29% of Omnisend’s U.S. respondents stated they’re absolutely comfy with AI finishing a transaction.
Thus buyers stay cautious. Some 56.4% of Omnisend respondents stated they at all times or normally double-check AI-generated suggestions earlier than shopping for.
Furthermore, a February 2026 survey of 1,500 U.S. adults from Ipsos, the analysis agency, discovered that simply 27% of Gen Z respondents (born 1997-2012) stated they’d permit an AI agent to decide on and purchase a product with out approval, whereas simply 4% of Gen X (1965-1980) and youthful Boomers (1946-1964) would do the identical.
Ipsos discovered shoppers are likely to want automation over agent autonomy. AI brokers may make purchases based mostly on prior conduct, similar to choosing acquainted manufacturers or working from a predefined checklist, however not from new, autonomous alternatives.
Ecommerce Implications
Therefore survey knowledge suggests shoppers use AI for product discovery, however not but for agentic shopping for. That distinction ought to inform ecommerce companies the place to prioritize efforts.
For instance, making certain that product knowledge is structured and feed-ready is vital. AI chat instruments use that structured info to summarize, examine, and floor product suggestions. The mundane activity of cleansing knowledge is extra essential than launching a co-shopping agent.
Equally, content material advertising is a precedence over cutting-edge AI widgets. GenAI-optimized product comparisons, shopping for guides, directions, and even evaluations feed discovery.
Whereas retailers ought to monitor how AI platforms evolve, the buying journey is the near-term alternative. AI helps shoppers resolve what to purchase, however not but shopping for for them.
