Roughly 8 in 10 Romanians would trust AI to make online purchases, study finds
A vast majority of Romanians, around 8 in 10, would be willing to allow AI agents to make purchases and complete payments on their behalf in certain scenarios, according to a new study by digital payment services provider PayU Romania.
Expectedly, openness to delegating purchasing or payment decisions to AI agents is strongest for lower-value purchases. Nearly one-third (29%) of respondents would allow AI to manage transactions between RON 100 and RON 500 (EUR 100), while 24% would trust AI for purchases below RON 100 (EUR 20).
Willingness declines as transaction values increase. As such, 15% would delegate purchases between RON 500 and RON 1,000 to AI agents (EUR 100-200), 6% would do so for transactions between RON 1,000 and RON 1,500 (EUR 200-300), and only 3% would trust AI with purchases exceeding RON 1,500 (EUR 300).
Meanwhile, 22% of respondents said they would never delegate purchasing decisions to AI, regardless of transaction value.
According to the study, Romanians are more comfortable using artificial intelligence as a support tool rather than acting fully autonomously. Half of respondents would welcome personalized product recommendations, 47% would use AI to simplify product selection, and 44% would rely on AI to improve the security of the online shopping experience. At the same time, 41% of respondents said they are concerned about data security and how AI uses financial information.
“Checkout remains the stage in the purchasing journey with the greatest potential for AI applications in e-commerce. According to our study, 43% of consumers believe AI can deliver the greatest value by verifying merchant credibility and recommending the most suitable payment options,” added Elena Gheorghe, Country Manager of PayU Romania and Hungary.
In terms of trust in AI for autonomous actions, 37% of respondents said they would feel comfortable with AI agents selecting the best payment method, while 31% would allow the technology to complete the payment autonomously.
From a demographic perspective, young adults aged 20 to 29 remain the segment most open to AI-assisted shopping and intelligent payment experiences, while consumers aged 50 to 60 are primarily interested in AI-driven personalization and enhanced security features. For merchants, AI-powered commerce could help simplify the customer journey, reduce friction at checkout, and ultimately improve conversion rates and customer trust.
The survey was conducted by Reveal Marketing Research on behalf of PayU Romania in April 2026 on a representative sample of 1,005 Romanian online shoppers who shop online at least once every two to three months. PayU Romania is a dynamic and innovative payment services provider, boasting over 20 years of experience in the payments industry and a dedicated team focused on merchant success.
(Photo source: Ekkasit919|Dreamstime.com)
