Consumers are increasingly incorporating AI into their purchasing decisions, but age and trust significantly shape acceptance. In particular, 18- to 34-year-olds in Germany are open to AI influencers and have purchased or considered purchasing products based on recommendations from creators or AI. At the same time, price comparison sites, retailer information, and customer reviews remain important sources of guidance. Transparency is a key factor in building trust: Consumers want to know where recommendations come from and what interests are behind them. Despite new digital channels, purchases often take place in familiar settings. Online marketplaces dominate in Germany, while social commerce accounts for only a small share of transactions.
Consumers are open to recommendations from artificial intelligence, but only under certain conditions. A recent study by the global affiliate marketing platform Awin shows that 54 percent of Gen Z and Millennial consumers worldwide would be willing to trust an AI influencer. Overall, 42 percent of consumers worldwide can imagine trusting recommendations from an AI influencer. In Germany, too, a clear generational divide is evident: 51 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds and 41 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds are generally open to AI influencers, even though many would place slightly less trust in them than in human influencers. Among those over 65, this percentage drops to 22 percent. This shows that trust in digital recommendations is changing, though not at the same pace across all age groups. These differences are also evident in purchasing behavior. Nearly half of German consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 have already purchased a product immediately after a recommendation from a creator, without conducting further research. Among those over 65, this figure is only six percent.
Purchasing decisions are based on a variety of sources
Today, consumers use numerous sources of information before making a purchase. These include creators, customer reviews, brand information, and, increasingly, AI-powered recommendations. Globally, price comparison sites are among the most influential sources for purchasing decisions, at 30 percent. In Germany, they are also among the most important sources of guidance, at 33 percent. They are followed by brand and retailer information (32 percent), customer reviews and online forums (24 percent), and AI tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini (22 percent). The results make it clear that consumers are increasingly basing their purchasing decisions on a variety of information sources rather than relying on a single channel.
Transparency Remains the Most Important Trust Factor
The more AI is integrated into purchasing decisions, the more important transparency becomes. Globally, 33 percent of consumers cite transparency as the most important reason for trusting a creator. This factor ranks ahead of professional expertise or alignment with specific brand values. This trend is also evident in Germany, where transparency is the most frequently cited factor in building trust in creators and influencers, at 26 percent. Consumers want to be able to understand why products are recommended to them and whether commercial interests or AI systems are driving a recommendation.
“The growing influence of AI shows, above all, that trust is becoming increasingly important”
says Adam Ross, CEO of Awin. “Whether recommendations come from creators, customer reviews, or AI systems; consumers want to understand where these recommendations come from and why they can trust them. Successful brands create exactly this kind of transparency throughout the entire customer journey.”
Nearly two-thirds of young Germans have already taken AI recommendations into account
AI is already a factor in many purchasing decisions today. Globally, 38 percent of consumers have purchased or considered purchasing a product they were not previously familiar with that was recommended by an AI tool. In Germany, this figure stands at 38 percent, which is nearly in line with the global average. The use of AI is particularly pronounced among younger consumers. 63 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds and 60 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds have already purchased or considered purchasing a product that was recommended to them by an AI tool and that they hadn’t previously considered. However, this openness toward AI does not automatically translate into trust. For AI-powered recommendations to be accepted in the long term, consumers expect transparency about when they are interacting with AI and how these recommendations are generated.
Younger and older consumers share the same goal, but pursue it in different ways
The study reveals two distinct behavioral patterns in purchasing decisions. Younger consumers are more likely to rely on recommendations from creators or AI-powered platforms, which help them reach a decision more quickly. They trust that relevant information has already been vetted and evaluated in advance. In contrast, older consumers are more likely to conduct their own research and check multiple sources of information before making a purchase decision. Despite these differences, both groups want to be as certain as possible that they are making the right purchase decision. Globally, 82 percent of consumers have changed their purchasing behavior due to rising living costs. In Germany, this figure stands at 81 percent, which is nearly the same. At the same time, 42 percent of Germans say they now spend more time researching and comparing prices before making a purchase.
Trust continues to determine where purchases are made
Regardless of how consumers arrive at a purchasing decision, the actual purchase usually takes place in familiar environments. Globally, 33 percent of all purchases are made through online marketplaces. Social commerce accounts for only eight percent. In Germany, this trend is even more pronounced. Forty-three percent of purchases are completed via online marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay, while social networks account for just six percent of completed purchases. Brick-and-mortar stores also remain an important sales channel, accounting for 21 percent. For Stefan Binkowski, Vice President of Retail & Wholesale Advisory, Middle & Eastern Europe (MEE) at SAP Deutschland SE & Co.KG and Chairman of the Retail Working Group at Bitkom, this reflects a trend that many retail companies are already observing: “Brick-and-mortar retail remains an important part of the shopping experience, but it is constantly evolving. Technology today influences nearly every retail sector, whether through digital services, new platforms, or changing customer expectations. What matters most is not so much the channel as the question of what needs the respective target group has and how retailers can best meet them.” This clearly shows that while new forms of product recommendations are increasingly influencing purchasing decisions, consumers still prefer to make their actual purchases where they feel secure. Consumers are open to new forms of guidance and product recommendations. However, their expectations regarding credibility, transparency, and traceability remain as high as ever. The brands that succeed will be those that manage to continuously build and maintain this trust.
