Price is the single most influential factor in AI-assisted shopping, with almost a third of consumers (32 per cent) citing it as their primary decision driver when choosing between recommendations made by an AI assistant. This is more than double the proportion who say they simply follow the AI’s top recommendation (14 per cent), underlining that consumers are using AI as a price comparison tool rather than delegating purchasing decisions to the algorithm. US consumers are particularly price-driven of any market surveyed, with 37 per cent ranking price as their primary consideration.
The study is based on a survey of 4,250 consumers across the UK, US, France and Germany who use AI for online shopping, commissioned by payments consultancy PSE Consulting.
The research found that 43 per cent of consumers report positive experiences of AI-assisted shopping so far, while fewer than 3 per cent report mostly negative experiences. The remainder describe their experience as mixed, suggesting that adoption is already mainstream and accelerating. Consumers are not waiting for the technology to mature before they use it. They are trying it out and coming back for more, in stark contrast with use cases such as voice commerce that have emerged in the recent past.
What they are waiting for is a brand they recognise. 89 per cent of respondents say recognising the seller’s brand is important or very important when acting on an AI recommendation. 92 per cent say customer reviews matter when deciding between AI-generated options, and 68 per cent say they would consider an AI recommendation for a new or unfamiliar seller/merchant brand, but only after checking reviews and ratings first.
Chris Jones, Managing Director at PSE Consulting, said: “What the research shows clearly is that consumers are using agents to find the best online deals. But once the shortlist is in front of the consumer, the same signals that have always driven purchasing decisions take over: does the consumer recognise the seller’s brand, and what do other customers say about it?
He added: “AI is enhancing consumer decision-making, not replacing it. Consumers are happy to delegate discovery and shortlisting to an AI assistant. But trust remains critical when it comes to the final purchase. If the brand is not recognised and there are no reviews to validate it, the AI recommendation does not close the sale.”
The research also reveals meaningful differences between markets. UK consumers are the most seller brand-reliant of all four markets, with 15 per cent citing brand recognition as their primary decision factor, compared to just 8 per cent in the US, France and Germany. UK consumers also show the strongest attachment to existing loyalty ecosystems, with 36 per cent saying the loss of loyalty points would make them less likely to continue using AI shopping tools, significantly higher than Germany at just 14 per cent.
France emerged as the most AI-trusting European market surveyed. French consumers recorded the highest proportion of mostly positive AI shopping experiences at 53 per cent, while decision-making factors were more evenly spread between price (27 per cent), ratings (22 per cent) and simply following the AI assistant’s top recommendation (21 per cent), the most even distribution of any market.
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