Consumer trust declining in wake of AI checkouts

Harry Booth

24th Jul 2026

The ongoing integration of AI into online shopping is beginning to impact consumer trust, according to new research from Adyen.

The fintech platform surveyed e-commerce retailers on their implementation of AI tools, which found that 100 per cent of respondents are now investing in such technology.

This has led to 95 per cent of retailers now saying that they feel familiar with agentic commerce. But, among consumers, 64 per cent said they feel uncomfortable allowing AI to complete a purchase on their behalf.

“AI is becoming embedded across retail, but consumer trust has not advanced at the same pace,” said Hayley Fisher, country manager of ANZ at Adyen. “When AI moves from assisting to acting, payments, identity and security become the real conditions for adoption.”

Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they have used AI to browse, compare or discover products. However, only 26 per cent are comfortable letting AI complete a purchase; only 5 per cent will let AI buy independently.

“At machine speed, even small payment failures can quickly become larger trust issues,” Fisher added. “Payment reliability is no longer just an operational concern – it’s a reputational issue.”

Adyen said that visible safeguards at checkout play a “critical” role in maintaining trust, with 91 per cent prioritising security checks over speed at checkout.

“Agentic commerce has the potential to transform retail, but adoption will depend on whether retailers can build trust into every transaction,” Fisher said. 

“The retailers that succeed will be those that match intelligence with resilience – building payment experiences that perform reliably, protect customers when things go wrong, and earn trust at scale.”