Survey: Fewer than one-in-five consumers trust AI to complete a purchase
Consumers are warming up to using artificial intelligence tools to aid with online shopping – but reservations still remain.
Nearly six-in-10 (58%) shoppers have used AI tools to research products, and 37% have started a purchase journey through an AI assistant, according to a survey of American and European online marketplace shoppers from ChannelEngine. Despite this, only 17% say they feel comfortable completing an online purchase through AI.
More than half (53%) of those surveyed always or often compare the same product across multiple marketplaces, browsing an average of three platforms before making a final decision. Lower prices (48%), fast shipping (36%), product availability (32%), and product variety (26%) are the top factors influencing what shoppers choose to buy on a marketplace.
“As AI becomes a permanent layer in product discovery and filtering, the report concludes that the quality and consistency of product information increasingly define the shopping experience,” said ChannelEngine. “Brands that win will be those that reduce uncertainty through transparent content, consistent pricing, clear seller identity, and reliable fulfillment.”
Concerns about product quality (43%) and authenticity (31%), along with uncertainty around seller identity (22%), are the leading reasons shoppers avoid certain categories on marketplaces, according to the survey, especially for higher-value purchases. Returns and refund friction (26%) is also a common trigger for distrust.
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“Together, these findings point to the emergence of what ChannelEngine defines as the ‘Confidence Economy,’” said the company. “Shoppers explore widely across marketplaces, social platforms, search, and AI tools, but buy where they feel most certain about what they will receive, what it will cost, and how reliably it will arrive.”
ChannelEngine’s “Marketplace Shopping Behavior Report 2026” is based on a survey of 4,500 marketplace shoppers across the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
