Global Survey: 73% of Shoppers Use AI in the Buying Journey – But Agentic Commerce Introduces New Merchant Risks
Riskified a global leader in ecommerce fraud prevention and risk intelligence, has released new research highlighting a transformative shift in how consumers shop online—and the emerging risks that merchants must navigate as a result.
According to a global survey of over 5,000 consumers, the adoption of AI in ecommerce has reached a tipping point. Nearly three in four shoppers (73%) now use AI at some stage in their shopping journey. Tools like ChatGPT and other AI-powered shopping assistants are playing increasingly significant roles—from generating product ideas (45%) and summarizing reviews (37%) to comparing prices (32%).
While just 13% of respondents have completed a purchase based on an AI assistant’s recommendation, a remarkable 70% say they feel at least somewhat comfortable allowing AI agents to make purchases on their behalf. More than half (58%) plan to use AI tools for gift shopping during the upcoming holiday season, pointing to the first truly AI-powered shopping period in history. This shift signals greater convenience for consumers, but it also ushers in new uncertainties and risks for merchants.
“AI shopping agents may make buying easier for consumers, but they also blur the lines of accountability for fraud and policy abuse,” said Jeff Otto, Chief Marketing Officer at Riskified.
He added, “When an AI shopping agent completes a transaction, is the merchant still liable if something goes wrong—even if the customer never interacted directly with the site? This gray area introduces real risk, especially in cases of disputed charges, hijacked AI accounts, or even legitimate customers claiming their AI agent made an error.”
The growing reliance on AI introduces vulnerabilities that fraudsters are eager to exploit. Fraud rings—many of which are also using AI—are poised to take advantage of gaps in identity verification, customer support systems, and payment processes. While the customer enjoys a smoother and faster shopping experience, the merchant may be left bearing the burden of increased disputes, chargebacks, and financial loss.
This shifting landscape has exposed a growing list of consumer concerns around AI-enabled shopping. Chief among them is payment security, cited by 32% of survey respondents. Other top concerns include privacy (26%), the risk of AI making mistakes (18%), and a perceived loss of control (17%). Still, trust in AI is growing quickly: 36% of consumers now trust AI to help guide purchase decisions—closely trailing the 38% who rely on in-store associates. Notably, only 25% prefer to shop online without AI assistance at all.
To help businesses prepare for this new era of “agentic commerce,” Riskified is recommending a proactive, strategic approach, including the following imperatives for merchant fraud and risk teams:
1. Educate Executive Leadership
Fraud and risk teams are uniquely equipped to assess the trade-offs between innovation and security. These teams must take the lead in educating internal stakeholders about the new types of fraud and abuse enabled by AI-powered shopping. With clear communication, leadership can better evaluate both the benefits and risks before integrating agentic commerce technologies.
2. Advocate for Greater Data Transparency
For AI-driven commerce to be sustainable and secure, platforms like OpenAI and others must commit to providing critical behavioral and contextual data to merchants. This includes device fingerprints, IP addresses, and user behavior signals. Without this transparency, merchants are forced to make decisions blindly, increasing the likelihood of fraud slipping through the cracks.
3. Leverage Shared Fraud Intelligence Networks
As AI intermediates more of the customer journey, merchants lose direct access to many traditional fraud signals. Partnering with fraud intelligence networks such as Riskified allows businesses to regain some of that lost context by tapping into a broader ecosystem of transaction data and risk indicators. This shared intelligence helps close visibility gaps and improves fraud prevention accuracy.
“Fraud teams are the natural leaders for agentic commerce safety,” Otto emphasized. “Their role isn’t about resisting innovation—it’s about designing the safeguards that enable it. With the right infrastructure in place, merchants can confidently say ‘yes’ to new channels while minimizing risk.”
Riskified is at the forefront of helping merchants adapt to this evolving landscape. Through advanced AI fraud prevention tools and liability guarantees for agentic fraud chargebacks, the company empowers ecommerce businesses to grow confidently while navigating this next phase of digital transformation.
As AI becomes an integral part of how consumers browse and buy, merchants must rethink not only how they engage with customers but also how they protect their bottom line. Agentic commerce represents both a tremendous opportunity and a potential threat—one that can only be managed through collaboration, transparency, and intelligent risk mitigation.
