Some 55.8% of German teenagers believe that AI will fundamentally change how their generation shops in the future, with 29.8% expecting AI to become one of their most important shopping methods within the next five years.
That’s according to a new Mastercard study examining how artificial intelligence could change purchasing and payments by 2030.
The study, A Short History of the Future of Shopping and Payments, surveyed 26,000 parents and teenagers aged 13 to 18 across 13 countries, including Germany, with fieldwork conducted in June and July 2026.
It found that four fifths (79.9%) of German teenagers had used AI for product research at least once in the previous 12 months.
In addition, more than a quarter (27%) of German teenagers trust purchases made through AI more than other purchasing methods.
Using AI for shopping
“AI is already supporting people in their purchasing decisions,” commented Nikolaus Trzeschan, general manager Germany at Mastercard. “The survey shows that German teenagers already use AI for shopping about twice as often as their parents.
“This trend is irreversible, and therefore a new question will become important for consumers in the future: Whom do I trust to make decisions on my behalf? This is precisely where security, transparency, and control become the decisive success factor. Technologies like Mastercard Agent Pay create the foundation for AI agents to be able to carry out transactions securely and transparently in the future.”
Purchasing habits
Mastercard said the findings point towards a shift in which AI moves beyond supporting product searches and recommendations to carrying out purchases on consumers’ behalf. It forecasts that more than one in ten online shoppers in Europe will routinely use AI agents for purchases by 2030.
Other findings from the study include that 86.1% of German parents consider AI competence important for their children’s future, while 92.3% of young people and 94.2% of parents consider digital competence and online safety to be important.
“Every major shift in commerce has been, at its core, a shift in trust,” added Magnus Lindkvist, lead futurist of the report. “From the marketplace to the shopping mall, from the catalog to clicking a button – every historical development in commerce has led people to trust new forms of commerce.” Read more here.
