A study from 3PL and fulfillment services provider Radial indicates a gap has emerged in agentic AI adoption, with 58% of consumers surveyed saying they are open to placing orders through an AI assistant and only 6% saying they have done so.
The results suggest that agentic commerce looks to have a promising future, but getting there will depend on how companies address trust, control and consistency of execution.
Consumers asked about how much freedom they would allow an AI agent were circumspect, with 34% saying they would allow one to take actions only if buyers approve each transaction. Another 23% only want AI to make suggestions, and 21% do not want AI acting on their behalf at all.
Payments are an issue, with 53% of consumers saying they would require some form of payment approval before any purchase registers, while 41% would require two-factor authentication for every transaction. The ability to review and cancel purchases without penalty is critical for 39% of consumers. In the meantime, 19% of consumers would never trust AI with payment information.
Many consumers want some form of assurance when considering agentic AI transactions, with 46% of survey respondents saying they would only feel comfortable tapping artificial intelligence-based buying with strong privacy protection guarantees and 42% expecting to have the option of speaking with a human representative if issues arise.
Only 5% of survey respondents said they begin their shopping journey directly with AI tools, compared to 34% who begin with search engines and 32% who start with marketplaces. Yet, 47% of respondents said they would use AI to find the best price for a product, far outpacing other use cases, such as choosing a replacement when something is out of stock, attractive to just 12% of respondents.
Agentic AI becomes more attractive in the post-purchase case, as 54% of consumers said they were likely to use artificial intelligence functions for monitored delivery and problem-solving. Then, 36% were interested in AI assistants that work directly with stores or delivery systems to track orders and resolve issues. When asked what suggestions would be helpful from an AI assistant, 44% of respondents said information on faster delivery options and 35% said identification of return-friendly items.
As artificial intelligence drives the evolution of e-commerce, Radial noted that online sales are set to surpass $144 billion by 2029. As such, retailers are racing to integrate intelligent tools across the shopping journey. Still, Radial data demonstrates that most consumers aren’t ready to hand over full purchasing autonomy.
“AI may change how consumers shop but fulfillment is what makes that promise real,” said Tom Schmitt, Radial CEO. “Retailers that invest in flexible, scalable fulfillment networks will be best positioned to support AI-driven commerce without compromising reliability.”
