74% of Malaysians Use AI while Shopping, Yet More than Half Remain Cautious About Letting AI Make Purchases

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming part of the everyday shopping experience in Malaysia, with nearly three quarters of consumers (74%) using AI assistants to discover products, find inspiration and support purchasing decisions, according to the Adyen Index 2026 Malaysia Retail Report, a survey commissioned by Adyen and conducted by YouGov Plc online. 

Even as AI-assisted shopping becomes mainstream, trust remains a major hurdle to the next phase of commerce. The majority of Malaysians (52%) are uncomfortable allowing AI to complete purchases on their behalf, highlighting growing consumer demand for security, transparency and control as retailers explore more autonomous shopping experiences.

“AI is already shaping how Malaysians shop, but the shift from AI shopping assistants to agentic commerce is just beginning,” said Soon Yean Lee, Country Manager, Malaysia, Adyen. “As retailers explore more advanced AI use cases, the ultimate challenge will be building trust across the entire shopping journey, especially at checkout, where security, reliability, and control matter most.”

AI Is Becoming An Everyday Shopping Companion

As consumers face an overwhelming amount of information online, AI is increasingly helping simplify the shopping journey.

Among Malaysians who use AI while shopping:

• 84% say there is too much information to digest on social media

• 74% say AI helps them find inspiration faster than other sources

• 62% want to use AI to discover unique brands and shopping experiences

The technology is also becoming more visible across retail experiences, with 60% of AI-assisted shoppers saying brands they shop with have integrated AI-powered search tools into their user interfaces.

Alongside AI, Malaysians are increasingly embracing technology throughout the shopping experience. Self-checkout (39%), brand apps to check out and earn loyalty points (26%) and AI tools (19%) rank among the most commonly used retail technologies, reflecting continued expectations for convenience and seamless experiences across channels.

“Malaysian consumers are spending, but they are doing so with greater intention,” said Dato' Liew Bin, President of the Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA). “Competing on price alone is no longer viable in a saturated market like ours. Retailers must look to technology to meet shifting demands, and focus on building long-term loyalty by delivering consistently excellent and trustworthy shopping experiences.”

Trust in AI-Assisted Shopping Depends on Payments and Security

As retailers begin exploring agentic commerce, where AI agents browse, decide, and purchase on a shopper's behalf, consumer trust will determine how quickly these experiences are adopted. This makes confidence in security, reliability and control over transactions essential as commerce becomes more automated.

These expectations place greater importance on payment performance. Nearly six in ten Malaysians (59%) say payment errors negatively impact their perception of a business, while more than a quarter (26%) have abandoned purchases due to security or trust concerns. A further 15% say they would switch to a competitor following a poor payment experience.

For retailers, delivering reliable and secure payment experiences remains an ongoing challenge. Nearly all retailers (97%) report being affected by payment performance issues over the past 12 months, while 94% say they have been targeted by or fallen victim to payment fraud. The impact extends beyond the transaction itself, resulting in higher support and refund handling costs, abandoned checkouts, increased chargebacks, and lost sales from failed or slow transactions.

Retailers Are Preparing For The Next Era Of Commerce

Despite ongoing concerns around trust and security, Malaysian retailers remain optimistic about the role of AI in driving future growth.

AI is already embedded across key retail functions, including marketing and promotions (40%), customer service and support (39%), improving customer experience (39%), and operations and efficiency (37%). Awareness of agentic commerce is also growing. More than eight in ten retailers (85%) say they are familiar with the concept, while over half (51%) say they are very familiar and able to explain it confidently. 

Looking ahead, nearly half of retailers (47%) plan to invest in AI-driven or agentic commerce solutions in 2026, as they balance automation with control and resilience across the customer journey. However, concerns around maintaining customer relationships and brand control (41%), alongside data privacy, security and compliance risks (39%), remain key barriers to wider adoption.

As AI platforms introduce new agentic commerce experiences, large retailers face a growing integration challenge. Each AI platform speaks its own technical language, requiring different product data formats and checkout processes. Without an open, interoperable layer to connect the ecosystem, integrating every new platform becomes a costly, resource-heavy project for retailers.

About the report 

This survey was commissioned by Adyen and conducted by YouGov Plc online from March to April 2026. The sample comprises 1,031 Malaysian consumers aged 18 years and older, and 314 Malaysian retail employees at the senior manager level or higher working for retailers with an annual turnover of at least RM 75 million.

About Adyen

Adyen (AMS: ADYEN) is the financial technology platform of choice for leading companies. By providing end-to-end payments capabilities, data-driven insights, and financial products in a single global solution, Adyen helps businesses achieve their ambitions faster. With offices around the world, Adyen works with the likes of Meta, LVMH, SHEIN, Grab, Klook, ZALORA, and H&M.