AI in ecommerce: Shoppers want help – not decisions made for them

AI shopping assistants are popping up everywhere. One minute, you’re browsing for sneakers, and the next, a chatbot is insisting you need five different pairs. Cool tech? Sure. But do shoppers actually trust AI to make decisions for them?

Our latest findings reveals that while consumers appreciate AI-driven recommendations and discovery tools, they’re still skeptical about trust, data privacy, and the overall effectiveness of AI’s role in their shopping experience. Here’s what we found:

Consumers appreciate AI – but not for purchasing decisions

AI is great for helping people shop, but when it comes to actually making a purchase, most draw the line. In fact, 66% of consumers refuse to let AI make purchases for them, even if it promises better deals. They like AI as a tool, not as a decision-maker.

The most valued features are personalized product suggestions, with 38% of consumers saying they appreciate AI’s ability to tailor recommendations, and 31% saying they like how it speeds up the shopping process.

What’s clear is that shoppers want AI to assist, not take over. It’s useful for filtering options, suggesting relevant products, and making the overall experience smoother, but they still want to be the ones in control.

For retailers, the takeaway is quite simple: AI should improve the shopping journey, not replace human decision-making.

Trust and data privacy concerns are holding AI back

Even when AI is helpful, many shoppers still don’t trust it. More than half – 58% – worry about how AI handles their personal data, and 28% say they don’t trust any company with their data at all. There’s also a growing sense that AI is designed to benefit businesses more than consumers, with 42% of people saying too many targeted ads and upselling is AI’s biggest drawback.

And this is where retailers need to be careful. Personalization is great, but if it starts to feel too aggressive, it backfires. No one (we’re taking a leap here, but we’re pretty sure) wants to feel like they’re being tracked too closely or manipulated into buying things they don’t need.

On top of that, 40% of shoppers are frustrated by the lack of human support in customer service, while 37% cite privacy concerns as a major drawback. And when AI gets it wrong, it only adds to the frustration – 21% say its recommendations are often inaccurate, making the experience feel more like a guessing game than a helpful tool.

In any case, for AI to work in ecommerce, brands need to be transparent about how it’s being used, give customers control over their data, and make sure personalization actually feels helpful rather than intrusive.

AI still has a customer experience problem

Even when shoppers are open to AI, it doesn’t always work well enough to deem them useful. A total of 39% of shoppers say they’ve abandoned purchases because of poor AI interactions, whether that’s frustrating chatbots, inaccurate recommendations, or just feeling like the technology is against them.

When asked what AI feature they’d like to see improved the most, 48% said customer service quality. This highlights a key issue: AI is only as valuable as its ability to solve real problems. If it creates more friction instead of making things easier, shoppers will quickly lose patience.

Alas, AI tools should be refined, so they actually enhance customer support, reduce friction, and make interactions more effortless – because when AI gets in the way, shoppers walk away.

The bottom line? AI’s future in ecommerce depends on trust

AI has significant potential, but its adoption depends on trust, transparency, and whether it delivers real value to customers. Shoppers want AI to assist them, not take control, and they need to feel confident that it’s working in their best interests – not just as a tool for businesses to push more sales.

The retailers that get it right will be the ones that use AI to genuinely improve the shopping experience, rather than automating for the sake of it. If brands prioritize customer needs over sales objectives, they’ll be the ones that earn long-term loyalty and engagement.