牛津经济研究院-人工智能购物的未来取决于信任 2026 AI in Commerce Study The Future of Al Shopping Depends on Trust

ExecutiveSummary

TheFutureofAI

ShoppingDepends

onTrust

OXFORD

I'synchronyECONOMICS

1

Introduction

Alisstartingtochangeonlineshoppingfromsomethingpeopledothemselvestosomething

Alcanhelpdoforthem.GenerativeAlisalreadyhelpingshoppersdiscoverproducts,

compareprices,andgetrecommendations.Thenextstepisagenticcommerce,whereAl

agentsshoponaconsumer'sbehalf,includingcompletingthepurchase,basedon

parameterstheconsumersets.

Thatchangeswhattrustmeansinshopping.WhenAlhelpscomparetwoproducts,the

shopperultimatelydecideswhattobuy.WhenanAlagentmakesthepurchase,theshopper

hasdelegatedmore:judgment,money,identity,andpermissiontoact.Themorefreedom

theagenthas,themoreconfidenceconsumerswillneedbeforetheyuseit.Theywillwantto

knowiftheagentisactingintheirinterest,protectingtheirinformationandmoney,following

therulestheyset,andgivingthemaclearwaytofixmistakes.

Themarketopportunityforagenticcommercecouldbesubstantial.MorganStanley

estimatesthatAlshoppingagentscouldrepresent10%to20%ofUSe-commerceby2030,

equalto$190billionto$385billioninannualspending.!Thecompaniesthatestablishtrust

earlyandsetthestandardsforagentictransactionsmaybebestpositionedtoinfluencethe

developmentofthisnewmarket.Consumerswilldecidewhichbrands,platforms,and

financialproviderstheytrusttomakeAlshoppingfeelsafe,clear,andaccountable.

Synchronysurveyed2,000USconsumersinMay2026ontheirattitudestowardAlinonline

shoppingandpayments,andinterviewedeightseniorpayments,retail,andtechnology

leadersinpartnershipwithOxfordEconomics.Theresearchshowsthatconsumersareopen

tolettingAldomoreforthem,butonlywhentheyfeelprotected,incontrol,andableto

approvethefinaldecision.

'MorganStanley,"HereCometheShoppingBots,"December8,2025,/insights/articles/agentic-

commerce-market-impact-outlook

2026AlinCommerceStudyI'synchrony

Theapproval-firstoptionholdsacrosspriceranges,whileinformationistheonlyonewheredisagreementoutweighs

appetiteforfullautonomydecreases—aclearsignthatasagreement:43%disagreevs.34%agree.

stakesrise,consumerswantAlinanassistiverole,notan

autonomousone.TomoveconsumerstowardusingAlformajorpurchases

businesseswillneedtobuildconfidence,giveconsumers

Paymentistheclearestpointofresistance.OfalltheAl-control,andshowtheyhaverecourseifsomethinggoes

sentimentstatements,lettingAlhandlepaymentwrong.

Section2.3:Trustfollowstherelationship

Nosingletypeofcompanyhasalockonconsumertrust.data-sharingbutdistrustofAlmakingafinancialdecision

Consumersshowsimilarlevelsoftrustintechnology(58%).Thetrustrequiredtodelegateadiscountisnotthe

companies(58%),retailersandbrands(56%),generalAlsameasthetrustrequiredtodelegateacreditapplication.

platforms(55%),andtheirownprimarybanks(55%)to

provideanAlshoppingagent.Awell-knownbankthataThatgapcreatesanopeningforretailersthatalreadyhave

consumerdoesnotalreadyusetrailsat38%.Thepatternistrustedrelationshipswithconsumers.Theycanhelpmove

clear:trustfollowsfamiliarity.consumersfromrecommendationstoprequalificationto

approvalbypairingAlshoppingtoolswithclear

Thatpullbackathigherstakesisexactlywhereanexistingauthorization,fraudprotection,andaneasywaytofix

relationshipearnsitspremium.Astransactionsgetlargerproblems.

andmoresensitive,consumerswantmoreaccountability

andconfidencethatproblemswillberesolved.ThiscautionMostconsumersknowAlcanapplydiscounts(53%),but

isstrongestwhenitcomestofinancing.Consumersarefewerknowitcansplitapurchaseintopayments(22%)or

opentoAlrecommendinganewcreditcard(51%)andhelppaybalances(19%).Puttingthosecapabilitiesinsidea

checkingiftheyarequalifiedforacard(48%)butpullbackfamiliar,approval-basedflowcanbuildvalueandtrustatthe

onsettinguppay-over-time(38%)andapplyingforacardsametime.Theleadersweintervieweddrewthesameline:

outright(31%).consumerswillletAlfind,compare,andrecommend,but

theywanttoverifybeforeitacts.Hesitationrisesasthe

ConsumersaremorecomfortablewithAlgivingadvicethantransactionamountincreases,andtheinformation

actingontheirbehalf.Thetopreasonforholdingbackisnotbecomesmoresensitive.

“Thebiggestbarriertotrustisnotonlythe

no