Hong Kong retailers face AI checkout trust barrier

Shoppers readily use AI for product discovery but remain reluctant to surrender payment control as retailers test agent-led commerce.

Hong Kong retailers face a trust barrier in moving artificial intelligence from product discovery to payment, with consumers demanding tighter controls before allowing AI to complete purchases on their behalf.

Whilst 74% of Hong Kong shoppers already use AI to discover products, 45% remain uncomfortable allowing the technology to complete a transaction. Anson Bailey, Head of Consumer & Retail for Asia Pacific at KPMG China, said consumers distinguish between accepting recommendations and surrendering control over payments.

“Consumers may trust the AI to recommend, but they still want control when money leaves their accounts,” Bailey said.

Closing that gap will require what Bailey described as “graduated delegation” rather than immediately giving AI full purchasing autonomy. Shoppers could initially allow AI to search for products and build baskets before requiring confirmation, with automated purchases introduced later for familiar or lower-risk categories.

“The more clearly consumers can set boundaries, I think the more comfortable they're going to get at delegating,” he said.

Retailers will also need systems that show customers what AI is authorised to do, what actions it has taken and what protections apply when transactions go wrong.

Bailey said agentic commerce should therefore be treated as an ecosystem readiness issue rather than simply a chatbot upgrade. Reliable product data, payments and service recovery systems will all influence whether shoppers trust AI with transactions.

Consumers are unlikely to accept unlimited access to their wallets, he added, making clearly defined and verifiable payment permissions particularly important.

For retailers, that means growing consumer use of AI for shopping does not automatically translate into willingness to automate checkout.

Bailey said retailers themselves are still learning as concerns around security and cyber breaches affect confidence. Payments will consequently face greater scrutiny as agentic commerce develops.

Retailers will therefore need to prove that automated purchasing can operate within clear limits, with verifiable permissions and reliable recovery mechanisms, before consumers are comfortable handing over more control at checkout.