PSE Consulting surveyed 4,250 consumers across the UK, France, Germany and the US to understand how AI assistants are reshaping shopping behaviour, commercial models and marketplaces.

AI-powered shopping assistants are rapidly moving from novelty to mainstream. As consumers increasingly rely on tools like ChatGPT and Claude to research products, compare options and make purchasing decisions, a new era of agentic commerce is reshaping the digital commerce landscape.

To understand the scale of this shift, PSE Consulting surveyed 4,250 consumers across the UK, France, Germany and the US, uncovering how AI is changing shopping behaviour, consumer trust and the future role of merchants, marketplaces and payment providers.

Our research reveals that while AI is becoming the first point of discovery, consumers still rely on trusted brands, marketplaces and payment experiences to validate and complete purchases. The result is a new layered commerce ecosystem that will redefine customer acquisition, loyalty and conversion.

Read the report to explore the key findings, including:

• Why consumers are adopting AI shopping agents and what they expect from them.
• Whether shoppers prefer ad-funded or subscription-based AI assistants.
• How agentic commerce could reshape the role of merchants, marketplaces and payment providers.
• Why consumers favour universal shopping assistants over retailer-specific AI experiences.

Then join us live on 28 July at 4:00pm BST/ 5:00pm CEST/ 11:00am EDT/ 8:00am PDT when we will be running a webinar with Mastercard, Layla AI Travel Planner, and Glenbrook, in partnership with The Paypers, where we’ll go beyond the data to discuss what these findings mean in practice. Our panel will explore the strategic implications for merchants, PSPs and the wider payments ecosystem, answering the critical question: what should the industry be doing now to prepare for the next evolution of commerce?

Register below to access the research report and secure your place at the webinar.