Archive photo. (Photo: iStock)
You take a self-portrait with your mobile phone, upload it to the store’s app so you can see how the garment looks on you in the virtual fitting room; you test dozens of lipstick colors without ever setting foot in the store, or you ask ChatGPT what the ideal outfit for a themed party is and where you can buy it.
A few years ago this sounded like science fiction, but today it is part of how consumers harness artificial intelligence (AI) when shopping.
According to Visa’s latest “Stay Secure 2026” study, 77% of South African consumers are already using AI to help with their shopping decisions. More than 65% use it to compare prices, 60% for product reviews and ratings and more than half ask AI for original gift ideas or personalized recommendations.
International consumer data company Nielsen IQ estimates that companies’ global spending on AI will reach $1.5 trillion this year.
Use AI, but…
Irene Auma, Visa’s regional manager for fraud risk in sub-Saharan Africa, says the wide use of AI is understandable, because 92% of consumers believe new technology makes online shopping faster and easier than before. Additionally, some 73% of consumers discover new brands or retailers when they use AI.
Furthermore, AI as a shopping assistant is also happy to help with questions such as which washing machine is the most energy-efficient model, or whether it compares different vehicle models in terms of price, reliability, comfort and safety.
According to Auma, however, consumers are wary of having an AI agent handle the payment of their online purchases. Only 23% trust AI for this last step of the purchase.
“This shows how important it is to gain consumer trust in an era where autonomous AI agents can act on behalf of consumers.”
Counterfeit for fraud
Visa, the world leader in digital payments, says that with the wider adoption of AI, consumers see this type of technology as part of anti-fraud solutions. A total of 44% of consumers believe that AI makes it easier to recognize a scam and 72% believe that it will protect consumers even more against fraud in the future.
The Stay Secure study assesses consumer awareness and behavior when it comes to digital commerce and fraud. The 2026 survey, by Wakefield Research, involved 5,800 adults in 17 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. These include South Africa, Bahrain, Egypt, the Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
(Foto: StockSnap/Pixabay)
Scammers operate online
The study also found that trading on social media platforms is now part of South Africans’ everyday purchases, with 60% of consumers in the local market buying products directly through these platforms. With that comes the risk of fraud.
Auma says 37% of consumers have encountered a financial scam in the past 12 months. From this group, most incidents were on social media, although there are also incidents of scams on websites or shopping apps.
Consumers are also increasingly concerned about children falling into fraudsters’ traps online. More than 70% said their children have difficulty recognizing a scam. This is significantly higher than a previous survey in which 36% of respondents had concerns about children’s vulnerability, but the question was phrased differently.
In 2026, a whopping 52% indicated they knew children who had been scammed while shopping online or playing games.
Auma says this concern goes hand in hand with children who already have more access to digital commerce: 19% of South African parents have children who have access to online payment apps or digital wallets.
FinanceAll institutions must protect against fraud
According to Visa, by far the majority of consumers believe that it is primarily the responsibility of financial institutions to protect them from fraud. Only 13% believe they as consumers are primarily responsible for protecting themselves.
In the survey, 52% of respondents said banks or financial institutions bear the greatest responsibility for protecting them, followed by 35% who say the onus lies with providers who enable payment and 28% feel it is the responsibility of the online store or retailer.
Consumers want proactive insurance:
- 76% would feel safer if they received real-time messages from their bank or payment app when something looks suspicious; and
- 33% would feel more comfortable if there was a familiar, trusted logo at the digital checkout.
Auma says the latest Visa study shows that although online purchases and commerce on social media platforms are growing strongly, scammers and fraudsters are also getting smarter. “Consumers see protection against fraud as a shared responsibility, but they expect financial institutions, governments and payment service providers to take the lead. This again shows the importance of designing secure payment systems and methods.”