Consumers Still Hesitant to Let AI Hit the Checkout Button

While Americans are quite open to shopping with the help of AI, there’s one point where many still draw the line and that’s the actual checkout button. While almost 4 in 10 respondents in a Statista Consumer Insights survey said that they made at least one purchase based on AI recommendations in the past year and 48 percent said they use AI when shopping or researching products often or very often, noticeably fewer said they’d feel comfortable letting AI make autonomous purchases.

Surprisingly, Americans would feel most comfortable letting AI pick and purchase clothing and accessories for them at 27 percent, closely followed by electronics and technology, travel and experiences and personal care products. 23 percent would let AI buy everyday essentials autonomously, which is something that AI would probably be quite good at already after learning a household’s typical consumption habits. Luxury products are the category consumers are least likely to entrust AI with, probably due to fear of unwanted big-ticket purchases.

42 percent of respondents said they wouldn’t trust AI making any purchases on their behalf, suggesting that AI shopping agents still have some convincing to do in order to reach broader adoption. For more insights on AI adoption in shopping and other consumer trends, check out Statista's latest Consumer Reality Update, which you can download here.