Contact centre and customer experience leaders are being urged to prioritise transparency and human oversight as AI shopping assistants become increasingly embedded in the retail journey.
New research from Exploding Topics by Semrush found that while 78% of consumers have used AI to support shopping decisions in the past six months, only one in three would trust AI to actually spend money on their behalf.
The findings highlight growing consumer caution around AI-driven automation, despite rapid adoption by major retailers including Amazon and Walmart, both of which have introduced AI-powered shopping assistants to support product discovery and purchasing.
For customer experience leaders, the research points to a critical balancing act between convenience and trust. While consumers are comfortable using AI for recommendations and FAQs, confidence drops significantly when AI begins acting autonomously without clear approval or accountability.
Industry experts warn that poor implementation risks creating reputational damage and increased pressure on customer service operations, particularly where customers struggle to understand liability or escalate issues to human support.
Recent controversy has intensified these concerns. Target has reportedly updated its terms and conditions to make customers financially responsible for errors made by its AI assistant, while Walmart has faced criticism over claims that AI shopping tools encourage higher consumer spending.
The research identifies several emerging trust risks, including unclear terms and conditions, lack of transparency around recommendations, insufficient data privacy controls and the absence of clear escalation pathways to human agents.
For contact centre leaders, the findings reinforce the ongoing importance of human support within AI-enabled customer journeys. While AI can streamline routine interactions, consumers still expect access to human judgement for more complex or sensitive issues.
The report also highlights growing expectations around transparency. Customers increasingly want retailers to explain why products are being recommended, how their data is being used and when AI is making decisions on their behalf.
As AI adoption accelerates, customer experience teams are likely to play a central role in maintaining trust—ensuring automation enhances rather than undermines service quality.
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