Most UAE shoppers expect an AI to shop for them within two years

Most shoppers in the UAE expect to let an AI do some of their buying soon. A new study backed by Visa found that 71% expect to use an AI shopping agent within two years. That is a tool that can pick and pay for items on your behalf. Shops, however, are far less prepared than their customers.

What the study found

The 2026 Global Digital Shopping Index was commissioned by Visa Acceptance Solutions and produced by PYMNTS Intelligence. It found that 72% of UAE shoppers surveyed used AI during their most recent purchase. The figure was 53% in Brazil and 46% in the US. UAE shoppers also averaged 2.3 digital shopping activities per day, the highest of the three markets.

Shoppers want control

Trust is the condition. Some 82% of UAE shoppers surveyed said they would let an AI agent make a purchase on its own if they could set a maximum cost. Shoppers also prefer to give permission case by case when sharing shopping and payment data.

Payment choice still matters too. Some 86% said knowing a shop accepts their preferred payment method influences where they buy. That was the highest share among the three markets.

Shops are behind

Merchants see the shift coming. Among UAE merchants surveyed, 74% expect AI agents to account for at least 5% of their sales within two years. About 42% expect at least 16%. But the groundwork is thin.

• Only 19% have structured product data an AI agent can read.
• Only 31% can clearly tell when a sale started on an AI platform.

Structured product data simply means product details laid out in a consistent way, so software can understand them without guessing.

How to read the numbers

Visa sells payment technology, so it has an interest in this topic. The UAE results come from 1,270 consumers and only 100 merchants, surveyed in March 2026. The study covered just three countries. Also, expecting to use an AI agent is not the same as actually doing it.

What to do

• Shoppers: if you try an AI buying tool, set a maximum cost first.
• Shoppers: share personal and payment data only when you approve it.
• Shops: organize product data so AI agents can read it.
• Shops: track which sales begin on AI platforms.

Visa also points merchants toward authenticated and tokenized payments. Tokenized means a card number is swapped for a stand-in code, so the real number is not passed around.