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 shopping assistant (if any) 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.

Before you start shopping

Take a moment to think about what matters most to you in a pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

In your own words, briefly describe what you would look for when choosing among the options — which features are most important to you, and why?

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%)

About the shopping task

Thinking about the shopping task you just completed…

How the task felt

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

About your chosen product

What is the maximum price you would be willing to pay for the product you chose?

$

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 three messages 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 3 messages to the assistant to continue (0/3 sent), then add a product to your cart — add one from the assistant's suggestions, or open any product and add it yourself.

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.

Your decision

Thinking about the product you added to your cart…

How sure are you about your choice?

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

How well does it fit your preferences?

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

How you decided

Thinking about how you chose between the products on offer…

Your decision process

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

What mattered most

Which product features were most important to you, and why?

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.

Your shopping experience

Please think back to the shopping task you just completed.

Which description best matches your shopping experience?

What matters to you?

Imagine you are buying headphones for yourself. You have 100 points. Distribute them across the qualities below according to how much each matters to you. Give more points to what matters more; 0 is fine.

0 / 100 points allocated · 100 remaining

Use whole numbers. Your points must add up to exactly 100.

Your shopping task

Imagine you are choosing headphones for yourself. Explore the available products and add the pair you would choose to your cart.

Take your time and approach the task as you would a real purchase. After choosing, you will answer a few questions about your decision and shopping experience.

Your product and how you will use it

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

What you learned while shopping

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

Your knowledge of headphones

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

Your confidence

✓

Thank you for participating!

This study examined how the framing of AI shopping assistants affects consumer trust and decision-making. Different participants saw different versions of the shopping experience. 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