More than half of consumers in Spain would tell an AI agent which brands to consider, but almost half (42%) of those who are loyal to a brand would allow an AI agent to change their usual brand for a better option.
This is shown by the results of the Accenture survey, Consumer Pulse 2026, collected in the report Talk to my AI agent: The new rules of brand value, based on more than 25,000 consumers in 16 countries to analyze the impact of agentic AI on consumer habits and brand value.
The emergence of AI agents, systems capable of acting, deciding and executing purchases based on user instructions at scale, is redefining how consumers discover, compare and buy products, and testing brand loyalty. This shift is underpinned by a growing level of trust in AI, with 73% of consumers saying they would trust an AI agent more than their best friend to make a purchase on their behalf.
In this context, three out of four consumers (76%) are already open to having an AI agent perform commercial tasks, such as negotiating offers, resolving complaints, placing recurring orders or managing subscriptions, as long as they maintain final control. In addition, 27% are willing to delegate the final purchase decision to the agent within certain established limits, such as price or certain preferences. Meanwhile, 6% say they would allow a level of total autonomy, letting the AI agent initiate and complete transactions on its own.
However, this evolution towards autonomy is progressive and conditional. 35% of consumers indicate that a positive experience in low-risk purchases, such as the replacement of basic household products, would make them feel more comfortable moving towards the use of autonomous agents, always with guarantees such as data protection, the possibility of immediate intervention and clear mechanisms in case of incidents.
“A year ago, our research showed that consumers were beginning to establish an emotional connection with AI, reaching an unexpected level of trust in its recommendations. Today, that trust is no longer a differentiating factor: it is the starting point. Now, consumers are actively deciding how much authority they give to AI agents, from providing support to making decisions or acting fully on their behalf. This changes loyalty. When it is an agent doing the comparing, loyalty becomes dependent on performance, on verifiable value, on claims that hold up. and consistently reliable execution,” explains José Manuel del Pino, head of Consumer Goods at Accenture in Spain and Portugal. “For brands, the response must be practical and immediate. This means making products and their propositions machine-readable and verifiable, ensuring visibility where agents compare and decide, building a real-time view of consumer intent, and closing the gap between brand promise and operational execution. At the same time, brands must protect and invest in those human moments that consumers won’t delegate—moments of identity, trust, and emotion—while using internal AI to bolster execution behind the scenes.”
The study reflects that the impact of AI on consumption will also be increasingly structural. 68% of consumers in Spain estimate that at least half of their spending in a given category will be influenced by AI in the next 12 months. This new scenario forces brands to rethink their positioning and visibility in environments where agents act as key intermediaries in decision-making.
Three out of four consumers (76%) are already open to having an AI agent perform business tasks
“AI is changing the way people shop, not by replacing the role of retailers, but by transforming where and how value is created. As consumers increasingly use AI to search, compare and decide, routine purchases are automated and expectations regarding ease, relevance and value increase considerably. This creates real challenges, but also significant opportunities,” adds Alberto Molina, head of Retail at Accenture in Spain and Portugal. “Retailers need their offerings to be clear, credible and easy for AI to evaluate, while using AI internally to eliminate friction, improve availability and deliver more consistent results. At the same time, stores take on a more relevant role as spaces of experience, trust and connection, places where customers feel safe, inspired and understood. The retailers that succeed will be those that use AI to simplify the functional part of shopping, while deliberately investing in stores and experiences that provide the human moments that technology cannot replace.”
Despite this rise in automation, presence and human intervention will continue to be relevant, although more selective. 27% of consumers consider that physical stores will gain importance as spaces to create positive experiences, while 30% highlight the value of personal interaction to generate trust. Additionally, 45% want to continue participating in some phase of the purchasing process, either for the enjoyment of the experience or for their emotional connection with the brand.
