The Future of AI Shopping Depends on Trust

AI is starting to change online shopping from something people do themselves to something AI can help do for them. Generative AI is already helping shoppers discover products, compare prices, and get recommendations. The next step is agentic commerce, where AI agents shop on a consumer’s behalf, including completing the purchase, based on parameters the consumer sets.

That changes what trust means in shopping. When AI helps compare two products, the
shopper ultimately decides what to buy. When an AI agent makes the purchase, the shopper
has delegated more: judgment, money, identity, and permission to act. The more freedom
the agent has, the more confidence consumers will need before they use it. They will want to
know if the agent is acting in their interest, protecting their information and money, following
the rules they set, and giving them a clear way to fix mistakes.  

The market opportunity for agentic commerce could be substantial. Morgan Stanley
estimates that AI shopping agents could represent 10% to 20% of US e-commerce by 2030,
equal to $190 billion to $385 billion in annual spending. The companies that establish trust
early and set the standards for agentic transactions may be best positioned to influence the
development of this new market. Consumers will decide which brands, platforms, and
financial providers they trust to make AI shopping feel safe, clear, and accountable.

Synchrony surveyed 2,000 US consumers in May 2026 on their attitudes toward AI in online
shopping and payments, and interviewed eight senior payments, retail, and technology
leaders in partnership with Oxford Economics. The research shows that consumers are open
to letting AI do more for them, but only when they feel protected, in control, and able to
approve the final decision.