AI trust’s in short supply among fashion shoppers when it comes to style picks – report

Published September 20, 2026
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AI trust’s in short supply among fashion shoppers when it comes to style picks – report
PublishedSeptember 20, 2026

Just 7% of fashion and sportswear shoppers trust artificial intelligence (AI) to buy for them today, “showing merchants must build confidence in agentic commerce.”

So “trust, transparency and control” remain critical requirements before consumers are ready to hand purchasing decisions to AI agents, a new report says.It’s the view of online research from ACI Worldwide and YouGov showing that while consumers are embracing AI to help them save money “they want more control before allowing AI to make purchases on their behalf.”

The survey of more than 3,300 consumers across the UK and US  shows price drop alerts and cross-retailer price comparisons were the most valued features, each selected by 35% of consumers. This was significantly ahead of personalised product recommendations (18%) and outfit suggestions (17%).Interest in price drop alerts peaks among 45-54-year-olds (40%) compared to 27% among 18-24-year-olds.However, overall interest “drops significantly” for AI features “that recommend rather than compare”, including finding similar products or alternatives (27%), personalised product suggestions (18%), and outfit recommendations (17%).So wider adoption of agentic commerce “will depend on confidence in how purchases are authorised, monitored and protected,” the report stressed. It comes down to only 7% of respondents currently saying they would allow an AI assistant to make purchases without approval, while most consumers prefer to maintain oversight of spending decisions.The research also suggests consumers are not opposed to AI in commerce but are looking for “greater confidence, transparency and control before allowing autonomous purchasing.”Some 53% are uncomfortable allowing an AI assistant to make purchases on their behalf while 20% would accept recommendations from AI but not autonomous purchases, 14% would require manual approval for every purchase and only 7% would permit autonomous purchasing under predefined conditions.Regardless of whether purchases are initiated by consumers or AI-powered shopping assistants, “payment performance remains a critical factor in conversion,” the report says. It adds: “The findings highlight why payment reliability, fraud prevention and intelligent payment orchestration will remain essential as shopping experiences become increasingly AI-enabled.”Among consumers who have experienced payment failures online, 39% abandoned the purchase altogether, 22% switched to another retailer and 53% attempted to complete the purchase using an alternative payment method.Adriana Iordan, global head, merchant product management and payment intelligence at ACI Worldwide, said: “Consumers are drawing a clear distinction between AI that helps them make better decisions and AI that makes decisions for them.“Fashion shoppers see real value in AI tools that help them find better prices, but they’re not ready to hand over the final purchase decision. For merchants, the challenge is making AI-driven purchases feel as secure and controllable as any other transaction.”Marie Driscoll, president of the Retail Marketing Society, added: “Shoppers are telling us they want AI to inform the purchase, not make it. Price tools succeed because they add insight without removing control. Handing a fashion purchase decision to an agent is a much bigger leap of faith. The requisite trust will be earned when retailers prove that AI can be reliable, transparent and safely constrained, not just convenient.”  

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