Shoppers Still Pick Big Marketplaces Even When AI Does the Buying

AI shopping assistants may change how people find products, but not where they buy. A new survey found that 40.2% of US consumers would tell an AI agent to buy from a large online marketplace, even when a brand's own site matched the price, shipping and return terms.

What the survey found

PYMNTS Intelligence surveyed 2,191 US consumers in August. When every term was equal, 21.8% chose a department store or large retailer. Another 16.1% chose a brand's own website. A further 21.8% would let the AI decide.

Among people who picked a seller type, 36.6% cited easier or more reliable returns. Some 34.9% cited better selection, and 32.7% pointed to habit.

Amazon still wins the sale

Among people who reported their latest AI-assisted purchase, 59.7% completed it on Amazon. Brand websites or apps got 6.3%. Also, 57.9% of consumers who use AI to shop said they usually still buy on Amazon, even when AI helped them find the product.

What would move shoppers

The survey asked 1,286 people who do most of their buying on marketplaces what would make them buy directly from a brand.

• 53.9% said a lower price or an exclusive discount.
• 49.9% said free shipping as fast as a marketplace's.
• 12.1% said an AI assistant handling checkout.

Why it matters for brands

For a brand, the lesson is that checkout tools alone may not pull shoppers away from marketplaces. Price and shipping speed appear to matter far more. The report also noted that eMarketer predicts Amazon and Walmart together will capture more than half of US retail eCommerce sales this year.

What happens next

Big retailers are building their own AI layers. Walmart's Sparky assistant takes over the basket when a shopper picks a Walmart item inside Google's Gemini. OpenAI launched Instant Checkout in ChatGPT in September 2025, then said in March it was moving to Apps, where purchases happen in retailers' own apps.

A legal question is also open. In August, the Ninth Circuit vacated an injunction Amazon won against Perplexity AI. The court said it did not set a new legal regime for agentic AI, so it is still unclear whether AI agents can shop on a platform without its consent.