A significant shift in consumer behavior is already underway. According to the research, 72% of consumers now expect AI agents to assist them in their online shopping journeys. Interestingly, this adoption spans multiple environments, from retailer-owned platforms to external large language models. However, there is a distinct disconnect between what retailers are building and what consumers actually want. While the retail industry has heavily focused its AI investments on streamlining checkout and payments, consumers see the real value at the opposite end of the funnel. For shoppers, the magic of AI lies in product discovery and decision-making. They want intelligent tools that cut through choice overload and help them find exactly what they need with less friction. Already, 66% of shoppers have either tried or are open to using a conversational AI shopping assistant to navigate these early stages.

Of course, this readiness does not equal endless patience. Consumer enthusiasm comes with strict conditions, and execution is critical. An imperfect, poorly trained AI assistant can actually damage your brand and drive sales away. The report highlights that irrelevant AI suggestions actively trigger exit behavior; when early adopters received off-base product recommendations, an alarming 69% of them simply gave up and searched elsewhere. This emphasizes that hyper-personalization is no longer optional—it is a fundamental requirement. Furthermore, as users grow accustomed to these tools, their expectations evolve beyond a simple chatbox sitting passively in the corner of a webpage. Today's consumers expect AI to be proactively embedded throughout the entire site experience—such as in the search bar and product pages—anticipating their needs, building full shopping carts for specific occasions, and surfacing relevant trends before they even have to ask.

Trust plays a pivotal role in this evolution, particularly across different age demographics. For early adopters and younger shoppers, positive experiences with AI agents are already acting as a significant driver of brand trust. But while consumer expectations for these advanced shopping experiences accelerate, a widening "readiness gap" has emerged. Shoppers are ready and waiting, yet only 36% of retailers currently have a dedicated AI budget. The technology to deliver these experiences exists today, meaning this is a gap of timing and prioritization, not capability. Retailers who embrace agentic AI now will secure a massive competitive advantage, while those who wait risk playing catch-up in a market that has already moved on.

Are you prepared to meet your customers where they are, or will you let the competition win their trust? Discover the blueprint for the future of online retail and explore all the exclusive data.

Download the full report and bridge the readiness gap today, or to discuss these findings in person, meet the Nosto team at eCommerce Expo in London on September 23-24, 2026. Get your free ticket here!