Key takeaways:
- 47% of U.S. consumers are comfortable using AI for price comparison, but only 24% trust AI-powered payments.
- 45% of Americans discover products through social media, yet just 27% trust social commerce checkout experiences.
- 39% of U.S. consumers say discretionary spending has decreased over the past year, compared with 31% who say it has increased.
U.S. consumers are continuing to spend, but growing differences in financial confidence are reshaping how Americans shop, pay and engage online, according to new data from ESW, an international ecommerce platform that helps brands scale across global markets.
The findings are part of the global launch of ESW Signals, a new insights platform from ESW exploring consumer behavior and international commerce trends. The report draws on more than 23,000 interviews across 18 markets conducted in the first quarter of 2026, combined with ESW’s transaction data and expert commentary on international ecommerce.
AI Builds Trust Around Value, Not Payments
U.S. shoppers are most receptive to AI when it improves convenience or value: 47% are comfortable using AI for price comparison and 44% for deal finding, but only 24% trust AI-powered payments, and just 10% would allow AI-led auto-replenishment. Comfort with conversational AI shopping skews heavily generational, with 34% of Millennials and 29% of Gen Z open to it, compared with 8% of Baby Boomers.
Social Discovery Grows, But Checkout Trust Lags
Social media’s role in product discovery continues to grow, reaching 45% of Americans overall and 76% of Gen Z shoppers. Still, only 27% trust social commerce checkout experiences, and trust in influencer recommendations is similarly generational: 43% of Gen Z shoppers trust influencers, compared with 11% of Boomers. Despite social media’s growing discovery role, 37% of U.S. consumers still prefer shopping directly through brand or retailer websites, rising to 52% among Boomers, compared with 7% who prefer shopping mainly through social platforms.
Financial Confidence Splits Spending Behavior
On spending, 39% of U.S. consumers reported decreased discretionary spending over the past year, compared with 31% who said it increased. Half of consumers who feel unconfident about their household finances said they are trading down to cheaper alternatives, compared with 14% of financially confident shoppers. Regional gaps were notable: 19% of Western consumers reported trading down, compared with 26% in the Midwest and South.
Cards Remain King at Checkout
Payment trust remains concentrated in traditional methods. Cards remain the dominant and most trusted payment method, with PayPal consistently ranking second. One in five U.S. consumers used buy now, pay later services in the past year, rising to 31% among Millennials, though Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) remains among the least trusted payment methods for international purchases.
ESW CEO Eric Eichmann said in a statement that while U.S. consumers are willing to embrace new ways of discovering products and value, confidence drops once those experiences move closer to checkout and payment.
“Our data shows that consumers in the West are generally more open to new shopping behaviors, while much of the Midwest remains more cautious and value focused,” Eichmann added. “Consumers in the West continue to show greater openness to social commerce, AI and international shopping, but trust, transparency and reliability still matter across every region.”
