REPORT: Online Shoppers Fear AI Shopping Assistants Are Manipulative
New report reveals shopping addictions and more fuel skepticism to adopt AI-driven commerce, however there is ample opportunity to increase this trust
June 10, 2026 – AUSTIN – Invoice Home, a leading invoice template software designed to meet the invoicing needs of small businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs worldwide, today released its 2026 Agentic Commerce Perception Report, uncovering frequent online shopper’s willingness to adopt AI-driven shopping in the U.S.. Conducted with third-party research firm Censuswide, data suggests shoppers are hesitant to adopt the technology; however, Amazon has built trust around its Alexa for Shopping offering, creating opportunity ahead of Prime Day.
Primed for agentic commerce
This Prime Day, 53% of U.S. online shoppers plan to interact with an AI shopping agent in some way. In examining trust overall, 3 in 10 (30%) trust Amazon’s AI shopping assistants the most, followed by OpenAI's ChatGPT (17%) and Walmart (14%). In thinking about 2026 Prime Day, shoppers are planning to interact with Amazon’s Rufus/Alexa for Shopping to:
Despite respondents trusting the commerce giant the most, 1 in 5 (20%) don't plan to use Amazon’s AI-shopping tools out of fear it will not work in their best interest.
Amazon aside, there is opportunity for other LLMs to capitalize on consumer interest in AI-assisted shopping. U.S. online shoppers shared that if an AI shopping assistant was capable of the following, they would have it support:
- Scanning the internet to purchase the cheapest version of a product requested – 53%
- Troubleshoot order issues with customer service – 34%
- Order household essentials/routine purchases – 31%
- Build a personalized shopping cart on a retailer's site – 29%
- Complete purchases after added to cart – 24%
Agentic AI Fears
Evolving tech often comes with hesitation to adopt. The novelty of agentic commerce has 42% of U.S. shoppers doubting its readiness to be trusted with purchasing decisions. 36% stated they worry AI-shopping assistants are designed to manipulate them into spending more, while 18% said they fear they will contribute to or worsen shopping addictions. Others admitted the following would prevent them from using an AI shopping assistant:
- If it prioritizes sponsored or paid-placement products without disclosing – 45%
- If it only compares prices within the host retailer's ecosystem, not across the web – 37%
- If it favors large brands over small businesses – 35%
- If it contributes to generating a commission in any way (for ex. a retailer, an influencer, etc.) – 31%
Another 27% will only trust an AI-shopping assistant built by a company with no financial stake and 21% will trust an LLM (Claude, ChatGPT) over one offered directly by a retailer.
Financial fears and data security continue to rise to the top of shopper’s concerns. 58% would not use an AI-shopping assistant out of concern it would collect and sell behavioral data to third parties, while another 53% are worried it’ll make purchase errors without flagging them. 35% worry it’ll recommend inappropriate products.
“When AI is unsupervised without human oversight, it increases the risk for shopper’s confidential information to be misused,” said Petr Marek, Co-Founder and CEO of Invoice Home. “We’re starting to see more adoption of AI technologies, however, it’s important for consumers to set clear parameters for what they’re comfortable and willing to let these assistants support, while also understanding the financial risk if they choose to allow actions such as automated purchases.”
37 percent worry that once they give an AI-shopping agent access, it would be difficult to revoke purchasing permissions in the future. What makes respondents most uncomfortable about them handling checkout or payments is:
- Automatically enrolling them in subscriptions – 43%
- Sharing purchase or payment data with third parties – 42%
- Storing sensitive payment information – 39%
- Charging the wrong payment method – 30%
However, shoppers stated they’d allow an AI-shopping agent to spend on average up to $50 with pre-approval. The top products they would have a shopping agent buy for them include:
Methodology
All figures are from Censuswide, among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 U.S. Online Shoppers (Americans who shop online at least a few times a month). Fieldwork was undertaken between May 26-28, 2026. The survey was carried out online and are representative of all U.S. adults age 18+.
About Invoice Home
Founded in 2011, Invoice Home is a comprehensive invoicing platform and invoice template software, simplifying the invoicing needs of small businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs worldwide by offering over 100 customizable, multi-lingual templates and online payment integrations, all in a unique and user-friendly interface.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas and trusted by 12 million customers in more than 150+ countries and territories, Invoice Home is the leading invoice generator for business professionals. Visit Invoice Home online to learn more and follow on LinkedIn and Facebook.
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