AI Shopping Survey: 76% Won't Let AI Agents Buy For Them

Almost 1 in 5 holiday shoppers now ask AI before they shop, a Salesforce survey found, but 76% do not want an AI agent buying anything for them.

Key Takeaways

Almost 20% of shoppers say AI is their first stop, and 74% trust its recommendations
31% have tried a personal AI agent, with Meta Muse the most used at 12%
Only 19% of agent users have let one check out for them, and 27% say an agent bought something too expensive
Salesforce expects AI to drive $75.8 billion in Cyber Week spending, up 13% from 2025

Salesforce surveyed more than 2,500 shoppers in the U.S., the U.K., Canada and Australia and published the results on Nov. 12.

“Everyday shoppers are asking AI what to buy, where to buy it, and whether it’s worth the money before they ever land on a retailer’s site,” said Caila Schwartz, who leads agentic commerce shopper insights at Salesforce.

Also Read: Amazon Lets Some U.S. Shoppers Buy By Text Without The App

Shoppers Keep Their Hands On The Wallet

What shoppers said	Share
Trust AI shopping recommendations	74%
Have tried a personal AI agent	31%
Agent users who let it check out	19%
Agent users with a separate card just for the agent	36%
Agent users who give it full access to their finances	9%
Not interested in an agent buying for them	76%

The biggest worries are personal data or purchase history being shared and charges the shopper never wanted. Among people who use agents, 27% say theirs bought something too expensive, 22% had one blocked from finishing a purchase, and only 32% report no major errors.

Most shoppers give up on an AI assistant after just two or three mistakes, the survey found.

Why Retailers Still Want Shopping Agents

Shoppers who arrive from AI referrals are more than twice as likely to buy as typical online shoppers, Salesforce says. Those who use a brand’s own shopping agent spend 8% more per order and buy 23% more items, and traffic to online stores from AI tools is up 104% from a year ago.

Schwartz’s advice to retailers before Cyber Week is to keep product data, prices and stock levels accurate. “Be the brand that AI can find and humans can trust,” she said.