University of St.Gallen · Institute of Behavioral Science and Technology

Consumer Decision Making with AI Shopping Assistants

Duration6–8 minutes
CompensationPer Prolific arrangement
BonusAmazon gift card for one selected participant

Please read the following information carefully before participating in this research study.

Purpose: This study examines how people make decisions with AI shopping assistants. It is conducted by researchers at the University of St.Gallen (Prof. Dr. Christian Hildebrand) and the University of Melbourne (Prof. Greg Nyilasy).
Anonymity: Your data will be anonymized and stored securely. No personally identifiable information will be retained beyond your Prolific ID, which is used solely for compensation.
Voluntary participation: Participation is entirely voluntary. You may withdraw at any time by closing this window without penalty, though you will forfeit compensation if you do not complete the study.
Data use: Collected data will be used for academic research and may be published in aggregate, anonymized form. Data will be deleted within 5 years of study completion.
Contact: For questions about this study, contact the research team at: christian.hildebrand@unisg.ch

Background Questions

Please answer the following questions honestly. There are no right or wrong answers.

Your experience with AI

I have made a purchase based on an AI recommendation.
Thinking back to the shopping task, the assistant you used was provided by…

Your views on AI

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Technology and autonomy

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

About you

Your responses are saved automatically.

Almost done — one last question

How likely do you think this Assistant is to recommend products that prioritize someone else's interests (the company's, the platform's, advertisers') over your own?

Click the scale below to choose
Not at all likely (0%)
Extremely likely (100%)

Shopping Task

Browse the catalogue and chat with your assistant — you decide which product to add to your cart. You must send the assistant at least one message before you can add a product to your cart.

One participant will be selected to receive an Amazon gift card
0
AI
Shopping Assistant
Online
Send at least one message to the assistant to get started. Then add a product to your cart to continue — accept the assistant's recommendation, or open any product and add your own.

Added to your cart

This is the product you selected. One participant will be selected to receive an Amazon gift card.

Have questions about your choice? The assistant is still available — tap it in the bottom corner. When you're ready, continue.

Rate your experience

Thinking about your overall shopping experience…

Overall rating

How would you rate your overall shopping experience?

Your review

In a few sentences, describe your overall shopping experience.

Service quality

Still thinking about the Assistant you just used…

The service you received

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

AI shopping assistants in general

Thinking now about AI shopping assistants like this one in general — not only the one you just used…

Why companies use these assistants

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Future Purchases

Imagine you needed to buy a similar product in the future. How much would you let an Assistant like this one handle for you?

Click the scale below to choose
I'd want to see all options and decide myself
Agent filters, I browse & choose
Agent recommends, I decide
Agent purchases, I confirm
Agent purchases autonomously

A few final questions

Thinking about your experience with the Assistant just now…

Trust in the Assistant

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Recommendation Quality

Perceived Bias

Just a few more questions to go. Thank you for your patience.

✓

Thank you for participating!

This study examined how the framing of AI shopping assistants affects consumer trust and decision-making. All participants interacted with the same recommendation. Your data will be analyzed in aggregate and is completely anonymous.

Your Prolific ID has been recorded and you will be contacted if you are selected to receive an Amazon gift card.

You must click the link below to complete the study and register your submission on Prolific.

Complete study on Prolific

If the button does not work, copy this link into your browser:
https://app.prolific.com/submissions/complete?cc=39CC63E8

Questions? Contact: christian.hildebrand@unisg.ch