Consumer Behavior

Most online shoppers want a human, not a chatbot when needing help

Adobe Stock

November 6, 2026

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Two-thirds of online shoppers want a human, not a chatbot, when an order goes wrong.

While shoppers prefer AI when it comes to product research, 69% want a real human when dealing with a damage or wrong item.

Those are findings from Baymard's AI Engagement study that surveyed 2,273 U.S. online shoppers in June 2026, according to a press release. Baymard is an independent e-commerce user experience research organization.

"Shoppers see AI as a research assistant, not a problem-solver," Christian Holst, co-founder of Baymard, said in the release. "When a package is late or the wrong item shows up, people want someone with the authority to fix it. A chatbot that can't hand over to a human at that point doesn't save money. It turns a fixable problem into a lost customer."