Inside Worldpay’s Agentic Commerce Report

New Worldpay research reveals how global consumers view AI-powered shopping – and how trust will define success.

A new era of agentic commerce is emerging, where autonomous digital agents can browse, compare and buy on a shopper’s behalf.

The Agentic Commerce Report explores this global shift, based on insights from 8,000 consumers in the U.S., U.K., France, Brazil, China, Singapore and Australia. The findings offer an early look at how shoppers feel about AI handling purchases – and what merchants must do to prepare.

Consumers are curious but cautious

Globally, 40% of consumers say they’d let AI shop for them, with another 33% open to the idea. Yet curiosity is tempered by concern.

Top worries include:

• Identity theft (55%)
• Incorrect or unauthorized purchases (55%)
• Fraud (53%)
• Loss of financial control (51%)

Younger shoppers are far more comfortable delegating decisions: Half of those under 35 would trust AI to handle a purchase, compared with just 15% of those over 55.

“Consumers are intrigued by the convenience of AI shopping, but confidence will determine adoption,” said Cindy Turner, Worldpay’s chief product officer. “Merchants must make trust visible – through transparent payments, verifiable AI interactions and control that always stays with the consumer.”

Her comment underscores a core theme from the report: The future of AI shopping won’t be defined by technology alone, but by the trust infrastructure that supports it.

Trust, not technology, will drive adoption

Despite high interest, most consumers remain reluctant to hand over decision-making to AI without strong safeguards.

The features most likely to build trust include:

• Fraud protection (54%)
• Ability to cancel purchases within 24 hours (50%)
• Review before completion (49%)
• Access to human support (43%)

In short: Consumers seek automation that balances accountability with the ability to take control when needed.

Everyday purchases will lead the way

Much like the early moments of e-commerce, agentic shopping will likely start small – streamlining low-cost, low-risk purchases such as food delivery, subscriptions and tickets – before expanding into higher-value categories.

Confidence will grow as systems prove reliable. Over time, as AI agents integrate into daily life, they’ll become trusted shopping partners, not just tools.

A global view of readiness

While the U.S. and China are furthest ahead, adoption is spreading quickly:

• Americans expect 9% of purchases to be AI-driven within five years, equivalent to more than $260 billion in e-commerce.
• China leads globally, with two-thirds of consumers already open to AI shopping.
• Europe remains skeptical, especially in France, where 53% say they’d never feel comfortable letting AI make purchases.

The pattern is clear: Markets with strong mobile and digital payment ecosystems are more confident in the shift to agentic commerce.

The payments infrastructure of the agentic era

Worldpay is currently working with partners including OpenAI, Google, Visa, Mastercard, Trulioo and Cloudflare to build the trusted infrastructure that will power this next wave of digital commerce.

These collaborations aim to ensure payments are:

• Secure – protecting consumers and merchants from emerging AI-related risks.
• Interoperable – enabling simplified transactions across agents, platforms and networks.
• Transparent – giving consumers confidence in every automated decision.

As commerce becomes more intelligent, trust will be the new currency of global transactions.

The takeaway

AI is poised to transform commerce faster than most businesses realize. Consumers are ready to let intelligent systems help with everyday purchases – but they expect transparency, security and control at every step.

Merchants that embed trust and accountability into their payment experiences will be best positioned to thrive in this new agentic era.

Download the full report

Explore detailed findings from all seven global markets, including consumer sentiment, spending projections and regional trust trends.

Download The Agentic Commerce Report →