U.S. consumers are increasingly comfortable using AI for shopping convenience but remain skeptical about AI handling payments, according to new data from ESW Signals, an insights platform launched by ecommerce platform ESW. The research, drawn from over 23,000 interviews across 18 markets in Q1 2026 combined with ESW transaction data, found that 47% of U.S. consumers are comfortable using AI for price comparison and 44% for deal finding, but only 24% trust AI-powered payments (Retail TouchPoints). Trust in conversational AI shopping skews heavily generational, with 34% of Millennials and 29% of Gen Z open to it, compared with 8% of Baby Boomers (Retail TouchPoints).
Social media's role in product discovery continues to expand, reaching 45% of Americans overall and 76% of Gen Z shoppers, yet only 27% trust social commerce checkout experiences (Retail TouchPoints). This discovery-to-checkout trust gap represents a critical friction point for commerce practitioners investing in AI and social commerce strategies. Meanwhile, 39% of U.S. consumers reported decreased discretionary spending over the past year, compared with 31% who said it increased, with half of financially unconfident consumers trading down to cheaper alternatives versus 14% of financially confident shoppers (Retail TouchPoints). Cards remain the dominant and most trusted payment method, with PayPal ranking consistently second (Retail TouchPoints).