132 Million Americans Are Now Using AI While Shopping, but there’s a Catch
Artificial intelligence is becoming a regular part of how Americans shop, especially when it comes to finding products and comparing prices. But the latest national data shows that AI is not yet changing where most people actually complete their purchases. Instead, many AI-assisted shopping trips still end on the same major retail platforms consumers already know.
AI shopping is growing fast, but Amazon still dominates
Nearly 132 million U.S. adults have used AI to assist in a retail purchase, according to the PYMNTS Intelligence September 2026 report, released September 15, 2026. The report, titled Will the 2026 Shopping Season Go Agentic?, surveyed more than 2,000 consumers and 60 merchants between September 2025 and August 2026. It found that 59% of AI-assisted purchases still conclude on Amazon.
That number matters because the report says AI is helping with discovery more than it is changing the final point of sale. In other words, shoppers may be asking AI what to buy, but they are still checking out on familiar marketplaces. The same report found that 46% of shoppers using AI are doing it specifically to hunt for the best deal.
What this means across the U.S. right now
The data is national, and the report does not break out results by state, city, or metro area. That means there is no confirmed list showing where AI shopping is growing fastest, or whether Amazon’s 59% share of AI-assisted purchases is higher in any specific region. What is confirmed is that the user base is already large, with nearly 132 million U.S. adults involved.
The report also shows a big gap between using AI for help and letting AI take over the checkout process. Data from Checkout.com found that only 3% of actual transactions currently involve agents. So while AI shopping tools are reaching consumers across the country, full agent-driven buying remains limited in real-world transactions.
Trust, liability, and merchant rules are slowing wider adoption
The main catch is trust, according to multiple datasets cited in the September 2026 findings. Worldpay reported that only 14% of consumers trust AI to execute purchases without manual verification. That leaves a wide gap between interest in AI recommendations and comfort with AI acting as a financial proxy.
Merchants are also holding back because of liability concerns. PYMNTS found that 93% of merchants believe the AI or agent provider should absorb the financial loss when an agent makes the wrong purchase, and 80% expect providers to verify an agent’s authority before it acts. The report said only 28% of merchants are currently willing to offer agents their full product range on the same terms as other sales channels, showing that broader AI commerce still faces clear limits.
