Manama: Overwhelming majority of consumers use artificial intelligence as part of their shopping journeys. Eighty-three percent 83% in Bahrain have used AI tools to assist with shopping, including comparing prices 51%, finding gift ideas 49%, and checking reviews or product ratings 47%.
This came as Visa, released the annual Stay Secure study in Bahrain, which assesses consumer awareness and behaviors around digital commerce and fraud. This year’s edition, conducted by Wakefield Research, highlights how AI‑enabled shopping and social commerce are changing consumer behavior even as expectations around trust and protection remain firmly in place.
However, consumers remain more cautious when it comes to AI handling transactions on their behalf. Today, only 28% would trust AI agents to complete checkout, reinforcing the importance of earning consumer trust in the age of agentic commerce.
As AI adoption grows, consumers increasingly view the technology as part of the solution to fraud. Fifty-nine percent (59%) feel AI has made scams easier to recognize today and 77% believe AI will play a critical role in protecting consumers from fraud in the future.
Shopping through social platforms has become mainstream, with 68% of consumers in Bahrain having purchased products directly through social media platforms. As commerce expands across new channels, fraud risks continue to follow consumers online. Forty-two percent (42%) have experienced a financial scam in the past 12 months. Among those who have experienced a scam, 43% report the incident occurred on social media, more than those who encounter scams on other platforms such as websites, online marketplaces, or shopping apps.
The study also highlights growing concern around how children encounter scams online, with 76% of consumers reporting that children in their lives struggle to recognize scams. A significant 71% have seen a child fall victim to a scam while gaming or shopping online.
That concern comes as children gain greater access to digital commerce. Thirty-one percent (31%) of parents in Bahrain have children who can access mobile payment apps or digital wallets.
When it comes to protecting against fraud while shopping online, consumers look first to institutions rather than themselves. Fifty-one percent (51%) believe government authorities or regulators should be primarily responsible, followed by banks or financial institutions (34%) and online marketplaces (25%). Only 13% believe consumers themselves should hold primary responsibility.
They also want more proactive reassurance. Fifty-eight percent (58%) would feel secure receiving real-time alerts from their bank or payment app when something looks suspicious, while 31% would feel more comfortable seeing a familiar, trusted logo at checkout.
“Visa’s Stay Secure study reveals that as online shopping and social commerce continue to accelerate, fraud and scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Consumers perceive fraud protection as a shared responsibility but expect banks, financial institutions and payment providers to take the lead, highlighting the importance of secure-by-design payment systems,” said Dibyajyoti Sen, Head of Risk, GCC, Visa.
“As commerce moves toward more AI-powered and agentic experiences, consumers are embracing the convenience AI can bring to shopping but remain sceptical about AI completing purchases on their behalf. With Visa Intelligent Commerce, we are enabling the next era of commerce built on trust, control and confidence.
