Our newsletterVendor reportProduct.ai, 14 Oct 2026
37.5% of U.S. AI shoppers would let an AI agent spend nothing without asking; 61.0% cap it at under $25 or zero
Buyer behaviour
Maximum amount AI users would let a shopping agent spend without checking first
Maximum amount AI users would let a shopping agent spend without checking first| Spending threshold | Share of AI users (%) |
|---|---|
| Nothing | 37.5% |
| Under $25 | 23.5% |
| $25 to $100 | 27.1% |
| $100 to $500 | 10% |
| More than $500 | 2% |
- Reader Note:
- Among 550 U.S. shoppers who used AI for product research in the past 90 days, asked the most an AI shopping agent should spend without checking with them first. Nothing 37.5%, under $25 23.5%, $25–$100 27.1%, $100–$500 10.0%, more than $500 2.0%. Comfort with a fixed monthly agent allowance averages 3.30 on a 1–7 scale; it is 4.90 among shoppers who have let AI complete a purchase and 2.39 among those who never started one. Self-reported online survey of U.S. adults (Aug 27 – Sep 1, 2026), unweighted; Product.ai sells verification products for commerce.
- Evidence:
- Stated intention
- Vendor interest:
- High — This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
- Sample:
- Survey of 1,493 U.S. adults who shop for products, online or in stores, from a general-population panel; unweighted with quotas on age, gender, and region. Trend comparisons use 1,247 online shoppers; AI-user findings mostly use 550 respondents who used AI for product research in the past 90 days.
Reader Note:
Evidence:
Vendor interest:
Sample:Good for
Reading the mood, and deciding what to test yourself.
Not for
- Predicting what people will actually do. Intentions and behaviour come apart.
- This was measured in one market. It may not hold where you are.
- This is an aggregated or average number that covers very different cases. Real results in a particular segment may differ.
- This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
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