• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, March 18, 2026

Consumers are warming up to artificial intelligence, at least when shopping online, judging by a study from Omnisend. 

The news has import for email teams struggling to build open and click-through rates and ROI. 

Openness to AI tools handling checkouts has increased from 34% to 80%, which makes you wonder if AI could help reduce abandoned carts. And almost 90% are willing to share their data for more relevant recommendations. 

"In a tight economy, shoppers spend more time proving a purchase is worth it,” says Bernard Meyer, AI operations manager at Omnisend. “They compare prices, read reviews, look for better options, and still second-guess at checkout. AI can help reduce the effort it takes to feel confident about spending."

The comfort level does seem to be growing: 38% have completed a purchase within ChatGPT. 

What’s more,  88% would share personal information with AI tools to get better product suggestions. This includes their location data (34%) and email receipts (32%).

Moreover, 29% are largely comfortable allowing AI to transact independently. And a tiny group -- 16% -- would allow automatic reorders without reviewing them.

But don’t go too far: Shoppers draw the line at AI being used for personalized pricing. Indeed, 70% would drop a brand that used AI to tailor prices, or complain or leave negative feedback.

That’s not the only guardrail needed: Consumers want final approval (29%) and limits to small purchases (22%). 

In general, 45% worry about how their data is collected and used. And 86% still have at least some level of concern about AI, while some are wary about AI recommendations being biased (28%) or paid for (28%). 

"AI promises fewer steps between intent and purchase, but the 'one interface' future only works if shoppers believe the recommendations are earned, not bought, and that the data behind them won't be used against them," Meyer concludes.