52 percent of Germans can imagine delegating payments entirely to AI agents. 58 percent would even leave product selection to them. That's what the current GfK study "Mastercard Payment Pulse" shows — and it describes a reality that's arriving faster for many companies than they're planning for.
The Numbers in Detail
In April 2026, GfK surveyed more than 1,000 representatively selected Germans aged 18 to 74 online (fieldwork: April 2–6, 2026). The key findings:
- 34% already use AI for online shopping today — chatbots, personalized recommendations, automated price comparisons.
- 74% expect AI agents to become established in online retail.
- Among 30- to 39-year-olds, it's 87% — nearly nine out of ten.
- Gen Z leads the way: 58% already actively use AI while shopping, 72% would also entrust it with payments.
- 45% have already made unplanned purchases based on AI recommendations.
Nikolaus Trzeschan, Country Manager Mastercard Germany:
"AI agents mark the next step in digital commerce: they act on behalf of consumers and make online shopping simpler, faster, and smarter. For this potential to become reality, we need trust, transparency, and clear control over every transaction."
This aligns with what Textilwirtschaft, HORIZONT, and retail-news.de report independently of one another. McKinsey's EU survey from March 2026 confirms the trend at the European level.
Trust Is the Real Infrastructure
The openness is there. But the study shows just as clearly what people need before they trust an AI agent with their credit card:
- Simple operation and full control (30%)
- Trust in security (29%)
- Transparency of processes (25%)
Three requirements, one message: "Make it simple — but let me step in." No company will earn customer trust by deploying AI as a black box. Traceability, German data standards, and the ability to bring in a human at any time — these aren't extras. They're the foundation that turns openness into actual usage.
What Does This Mean for the Mittelstand?
The GfK data comes from B2C e-commerce. But consumer expectations radiate directly onto every company that communicates with end customers or business partners.
Your customers expect intelligent interaction. If one in three already shops with AI support today, they'll expect the same speed and quality from your service — whether you're a trade business, a financial services provider, or an online shop. Anyone who responds with an answering machine and a contact form loses the first call. And with it, the order.
Routine inquiries tie up your best people. Ben, our AI phone agent, takes calls, qualifies leads, and schedules consultations — around the clock, in German, GDPR-compliant. No call-center contract, no missed call at 7pm on a Friday evening.
Online shops benefit doubly. The study shows: customers are willing to trust AI agents with product selection and purchase processing. Anyone who deploys a digital advisor in their own shop — one that recommends products, checks availability, and guides orders — meets an audience that expects exactly that.
Lead qualification becomes a competitive advantage. If 45% of consumers already respond to AI recommendations, the same principle works in B2B: a digital employee who supplies your prospects with the right information at the right time converts better than any static form.
The study delivers the confirmation: AI agents are no longer a topic for the future — they're the present. The question isn't whether. It's whether you deploy them before others do.
GfK study "Mastercard Payment Pulse," April 2026, n=1,005 (ages 18–74, representative for Germany). Confirmed by Textilwirtschaft, HORIZONT, retail-news.de, and the McKinsey EU survey, March 2026.