New research from Accenture shows consumers are willing to let AI agents handle shopping tasks. 74% of respondents trust AI agents more than friends to make purchases.

A survey of 25,590 consumers across 16 countries found that 74% of respondents would trust a personal AI agent to make a purchase on their behalf. Consumers are open to delegating routine tasks such as deal negotiation and complaint resolution to AI agents.

Delegating Shopping Tasks

The survey found that 74% of consumers would allow an AI agent to handle routine tasks. These tasks include deal negotiation, complaint resolution, subscription renewals, and product reorders. Consumers are more open to delegating parts of shopping that feel repetitive, time-consuming, or low-risk.

Autonomous Purchasing

A smaller group of consumers is open to AI agents completing purchases without final approval. 9% of respondents would allow an agent to initiate and complete purchases within defined boundaries. However, only 12% of consumers are open to agents making purchase decisions autonomously at the payment stage.

Conditions for Delegation

The report identified several conditions that affect consumer willingness to delegate more control, including data safeguards, configurable permissions, and instant override options. Consumers are more comfortable with AI agent autonomy in parts of the journey where effort is high and emotional stakes are lower.

Brand Evaluation and Loyalty

The report found that 56% of all consumers would tell their AI agent which brands to consider. Among behaviorally loyal consumers, 37% said they would allow an agent to switch brands if it found a better fit. Brands and retailers need product data, pricing, availability, policies, and claims to be readable by the systems agents use to evaluate options.