New research from inclusive global payments platform, Ecommpay, has brought together insights from consumers and merchants across five European countries, to identify opportunities and challenges of AI-led e-commerce. The white paper, Before They Check Out, highlights the importance of building real trust before investing in full scale Agentic Commerce implementation.
Among consumers across the countries taking part, the Ecommpay research focused on individuals’ understanding of AI agents, how they currently use AI, and how comfortable they are with different agent functions:
- Awareness of agentic commerce is highest in Spain (66%) followed by Italy (62%), France (58%), Germany (55%) and the UK (51%)
- Trust with card details is also highest in Spain (62%), with Italy (52%), France (50%) and Germany (50%) not far behind; the UK has a much lower level of trust at 33%
- Understanding of the AI agent concept is most accurate in the UK (50%) and Spain (48%), with Italy (44%) and Germany (40%) just behind and France (37%) lower still
- Expectations for AI shopping to be mainstream were high across all countries, with Spain (77%) the most optimistic, followed by Italy (74%), the UK (72%), Germany (71%) and France (69%)
- Comfort levels around using AI remain low but are highest in Spain (48%) and Italy (44%), ahead of Germany (40%), France (37%) and the UK (31%)
Overall, Spain was revealed to be the clear leader in awareness and confidence in AI, with just 9% of Spanish respondents saying they wouldn’t use AI agents. Spaniards were also more willing to allow larger spending limits, with 40% saying they would allow an agent to spend more than £100 on their behalf.
Italy and Germany appear to have similar outlooks on AI, both sitting in mid-range positions in terms of trust and comfort with AI. Germans stand out for being more willing to let AI shop for gifts and being the least likely to say that nothing would stop them using an AI agent.
French consumers are more cautious according to the Ecommpay research, and the most likely after the UK to say they would not allow AI to spend money on their behalf (24%). French consumers show relatively strong interest in travel bookings compared to other continental markets.
Like France, the UK is more hesitant and less trusting of agentic commerce. 31% said they wouldn’t let AI spend any money at all. The top barrier in the UK is payment distrust (51%), which is noticeably higher than all other markets surveyed. The UK also has the strongest preference for pre-purchase approval as a confidence builder (42%).
Across the five markets we surveyed, consumers are most open to using AI agents for comparing prices and finding deals and are least likely to use agents to complete purchases autonomously. This signals that consumers are interested in AI, but to assist rather than to act on their behalf. Looking at levels of trust reveals one of the main causes of hesitancy, and a key area of opportunity for merchants and payment providers – trust. “
With greater trust in the agent, more consumers will engage with agentic commerce, and more merchants will be able to access its benefits. Payment service providers (PSPs) hold a strong position of trust with consumers and merchants alike, and are ready to support identity proofing, transaction mandates, authentication, fraud prevention and dispute management. Holding a vital position between merchants, consumers, banks and schemes, PSPs are perfectly placed to secure that essential consumer confidence that will be the key to merchant success as agentic commerce evolves.
– Max Ryzhov, Chief Product Officer, Ecommpay
