Trust gap widens as APAC consumers embrace AI shopping but hesitate at checkout
Visa survey reveals 74% use AI for product discovery, yet nearly half demand stronger payment security assurances before completing purchases.
While three-quarters of Asia Pacific consumers already use AI-powered tools to browse and discover products, a significant trust gap emerges when it comes to handing over payment information, according to new research from Visa.
The payments giant's State of Digital Commerce in Asia Pacific study, conducted by YouGov across 14 markets surveying 14,764 consumers, reveals a clear divide between AI adoption for shopping discovery and willingness to trust the technology with financial transactions.
The findings suggest that while AI has successfully integrated into the early stages of the consumer journey, the path to widespread agentic commerce—where AI systems autonomously complete purchases—faces substantial barriers around security transparency and data control.
Discovery versus transaction: The AI trust paradox
The survey found that 74% of APAC consumers use AI-powered tools to discover, track, or learn about products. Yet this enthusiasm diminishes sharply when transactions become personal.
Nearly a third (32%) of consumers remain reluctant to share personal or payment information with AI systems, while 26% are unsure whether AI recommendations truly align with their best interests.
Perhaps most telling: 45% of consumers say they would be more open to AI-powered or agentic commerce if they had stronger assurances around payment security.
"The way people shop is changing quickly, with AI now playing a growing role in how consumers discover and choose products," said T.R. Ramachandran, Head of Products & Solutions, Asia Pacific at Visa. "But as AI becomes part of the checkout experience, trust and control become even more important."
He added that consumers want to understand how their data is being used and feel confident that every transaction is secure, noting that building that trust will determine whether AI-powered commerce can truly scale.
Affluent consumers show heightened caution
Interestingly, the research reveals that caution toward AI-enabled shopping is more pronounced among affluent households—defined as those with monthly household incomes of US$8,000 or above.
Some 39% of affluent consumers express higher expectations around how their data is used, compared to 29% among lower-income groups.
Digital-first markets also demonstrate above-average wariness, with Australia (38%), New Zealand (37%), and Singapore (34%) showing particularly high levels of caution.
This suggests that digital maturity and purchasing power correlate with heightened expectations for transparency and control in AI-driven commerce.
"These findings underscore the need for trusted frameworks in AI-driven commerce," Ramachandran said, pointing to Visa's initiatives including Visa Intelligent Commerce and the Trusted Agent Protocol designed to create secure connections between consumers, AI agents, and merchants.
Market divide: Emerging versus mature economies
The study highlights a stark contrast in AI commerce adoption across the region's diverse markets. India and Vietnam lead in openness to AI-driven purchases, with 42% of consumers in each market expressing willingness to use AI for online shopping—indicating strong appetite to experiment with new commerce models.
Conversely, consumers in digitally mature economies show considerably more reservation. Just 14% of consumers in Singapore and Japan, and 16% in New Zealand, express interest in AI-enabled online shopping.
This hesitancy reflects higher expectations for data protection, security, and personal control before embracing agentic commerce, according to the research.
The study also found that improved payment security represents the strongest enabler of increased adoption in these mature markets, reinforcing the critical role of trusted infrastructure in scaling AI commerce.
Building the trust layer
Visa positions the findings as validation for its focus on secure authentication and payment infrastructure as enablers of AI-powered commerce.
"Consumers are ready for AI to play a more active role in shopping, and agentic commerce has already started scaling beyond concept and into daily life," Ramachandran said. "For this shift to accelerate, trust and secure authentication must be in place."
He highlighted Visa's solutions including Tokenisation and Visa Payment Passkeys as tools designed to deliver seamless and secure experiences that enable consumers to shop with greater confidence as AI becomes embedded in everyday commerce.
The findings arrive as the payments industry grapples with balancing innovation velocity against consumer protection in an increasingly AI-mediated commerce landscape.
While AI clearly excels at driving product discovery and comparison shopping, the research suggests that converting interest into completed transactions requires more than algorithmic recommendations—it demands robust security frameworks and transparent data practices that meet rising consumer expectations.
Implications for the channel
The trust gap between AI discovery and AI checkout suggests opportunities for security solutions, authentication technologies, and payment infrastructure that can bridge consumer hesitation.
The pronounced caution among affluent and digitally savvy consumers also indicates that premium segments may require more sophisticated approaches to data transparency and control than mass-market offerings.
Meanwhile, the contrast between emerging and mature markets points to the need for differentiated strategies across the region, with security assurances potentially mattering more in developed economies than raw convenience or novelty.
As AI continues reshaping digital commerce across Asia Pacific, the challenge for the industry will be demonstrating not just what AI can do, but how it can be trusted to do it securely and transparently throughout the entire purchase journey.
The State of Digital Commerce in Asia Pacific 2025 study was conducted in September 2025.