AI agents in procurement: this is how far consumers’ trust extends

46 per cent of the consumers we surveyed already use AI frequently when making purchasing decisions. The next step is called Agentic Commerce: an agent could identify needs, carry out research, compare prices, add items to the shopping basket and, in the future, even complete the purchase. The question is how much decision-making autonomy consumers are prepared to relinquish. You can find the answer in the latest Consumer Snapshot.

Our study shows that respondents would leave the research and comparison to an agent, whilst retaining control over the final purchase decision themselves. The extent to which this delegation takes place depends on the shopping situation and product category. The assumption that expensive purchases are less likely to be delegated than cheaper ones has not been confirmed.

For the retail and consumer goods sectors, the direct customer relationship changes as soon as the agent acts as an intermediary between the brand and the buyer. Brand-owned AI systems are only of limited help in this regard: when it comes to independence and objectivity, respondents place significantly greater trust in general-purpose generative AI.

The latest Consumer Snapshot examines which tasks might be delegated to AI agents in future, how much willingness varies across different product categories, and what conditions consumers attach to control, data protection and transparency.