PSE Consulting's survey of 4.250 consumers across four markets has found price and brand recognition are the dominant factors in AI-assisted purchase decisions.
The findings are drawn from an online survey of 4.250 adults across the UK, the US, France, and Germany who already use AI tools for online shopping. The survey was commissioned by PSE Consulting, conducted by market research company OnePoll between 5 March 2026 and 18 March 2026, and carried out in accordance with the Market Research Society's code of conduct.
Price comparison, not delegation
Price emerged as the single most influential factor when consumers choose between AI-generated recommendations, cited by 32% of respondents as their primary decision driver. This is more than double the share who say they simply follow the AI assistant's top recommendation (14%), suggesting that consumers are using these tools primarily as price comparison instruments rather than ceding purchasing decisions to the technology. US consumers are notably more price-focused than those in other markets surveyed, with 37% ranking price as their primary consideration.
Brand recognition and customer reviews play a decisive role once the shortlist has been generated. 89% of respondents said recognising the seller's brand is important or very important when acting on an AI recommendation, while 92% said customer reviews matter when deciding between AI-generated options. 68% also indicated they would consider an AI recommendation for an unfamiliar seller, but only after consulting reviews and ratings first.
Market-level differences
The research highlights notable variation across the four markets. UK consumers are the most reliant on seller brand recognition, with 15% citing it as their primary decision factor, compared to 8% in the US, France, and Germany. UK respondents also show a stronger attachment to loyalty programmes, with 36% saying the loss of loyalty points would make them less likely to continue using AI shopping tools — significantly higher than Germany, where that figure stands at just 14%.
Furthermore, France recorded the highest proportion of mostly positive AI shopping experiences at 53%, and showed the most even distribution of decision-making factors across price (27%), ratings (22%), and following the AI assistant's top recommendation (21%).
Overall, 43% of respondents across all four markets reported positive experiences with AI-assisted shopping, while fewer than 3% reported mostly negative experiences. The remainder described their experience as mixed.
Adoption ahead of maturity
The pattern of adoption stands in contrast to earlier conversational commerce formats such as voice-based shopping, which saw slower and more hesitant uptake. The data indicates that consumers are engaging with AI shopping tools at scale before the technology has reached a settled or standardised form.
Chris Jones, Managing Director at PSE Consulting, noted that while AI agents are effective at discovery and shortlisting, trust signals (particularly brand recognition and peer reviews) remain the determining factors at the point of purchase, and that unrecognised sellers without review validation are unlikely to convert from AI-generated recommendations alone.
PSE Consulting describes the survey as part of a broader study into the commercial and structural implications of agentic commerce across four major Western ecommerce markets, with a full report forthcoming.
