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AI Wire · 26 OCT 2026

BCG: 81% of US Shoppers Expect to Use AI Agents, Just 4% of Consumers Would Let One Buy

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Photo: Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

4%

of consumers surveyed would let an AI agent complete a purchase on its own, BCG reports, yet 81% of US consumers expect to use agents when shopping.

BCG's research covers 50 of the top 300 global retailers and 100 top brands. It says agent referrals were under 1% of website visits at leading European brands and retailers in late 2025 and could reach 5% by the end of 2026, and that the effect on traffic can be up to four times the referral count. Those projections are BCG's own.

The week in three lines

  1. Accenture surveyed 3,000 C-suite leaders: 53% expect measurable AI returns within 12 months, while only 15% redesign end-to-end processes and 25% report widespread, sustained value.
  2. BCG finds 81% of US consumers expect to use AI shopping agents, yet only 4% would let one finish a purchase, so the agent recommends and the shopper still buys. Forrester forecasts that one in 20 US and UK consumers will replace traditional shopping with conversations.
  3. An outside agent would judge a retailer on product data, price, availability, delivery and returns that it can read live, which would make stock and promise-date accuracy commercial inputs.

The papers

Accenture Research · Value gap

Accenture: 53% of leaders expect measurable AI returns within a year, but only 15% redesign end-to-end processes

Accenture surveyed 3,000 C-suite leaders and 3,000 non-C-suite employees in July and August 2026. 53% of leaders expect measurable AI returns within 12 months, while 15% redesign end-to-end processes and 25% report widespread, sustained value.

BCG · Supply chain

BCG: shoppers will let AI agents recommend but few will let them buy, and few marketplaces are ready

BCG surveyed 50 of the top 300 global retailers and 100 top brands. 81% of US consumers expect to use AI agents when shopping, only 4% would let one complete a purchase, and 18% of retailers consider their marketplaces ready for agents.

Forrester · Value gap

Forrester: in 2027, retailers chase share in a flat market and investors will back AI turnarounds

Forrester predicts near-zero real retail sales growth in the US and Europe and private equity funding of AI-powered turnarounds. The post is analyst opinion with no survey data.

Forrester · Chatbots

Forrester: "post-click" commerce, as buyers' AI researches suppliers and compares terms

Forrester predicts one in 20 US and UK consumers will replace traditional shopping with conversations, and that one in 10 dollars will disappear from B2B selling budgets as buyer-controlled AI researches suppliers and compares terms. The post gives no supporting data.

Forrester · Agent cost

Forrester, citing a summit source: tokens are 10% to 25% of total AI spend

Reporting on a Linux Foundation summit, Forrester cites a source saying tokens make up only 10% to 25% of total AI spend, and a study of 472 respondents in which 86% of companies are evaluating or using model routers.

Also published

What nobody is saying

Accenture and Gartner measure AI value differently, so their numbers can't be compared. Accenture says 25% of C-suite leaders report widespread and sustained value, while Gartner's headline says only 13% of CIOs report significant or transformational value. Respondents, thresholds and wording all differ, so an executive quoting a single share is choosing a definition.

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