Consumer trust in digital commerce is becoming increasingly tied to how people pay, who they believe should keep them safe, and how much control they expect to retain as AI begins to enter online shopping.

A new report from G2A Group and Juniper Research suggests that online marketplaces are gaining an advantage over direct brand purchases in several major markets, with consumers placing significant weight on security, payment choice and platform responsibility.

The report, Trust in Digital Commerce, is based on a survey of 9,000 respondents across nine countries: the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland and Brazil. It looks at how consumers assess trust when shopping online, including their attitudes towards marketplaces, digital wallets, fraud protection and agentic commerce.

Rather than treating trust as a background compliance or fraud issue, the research frames it as a commercial factor. For online platforms, the findings suggest that payment design, security signals and fraud accountability are becoming part of the customer proposition.

Marketplaces gain ground on trust

One of the report’s main findings is that consumers often prefer marketplaces over buying directly from brands. Third-party marketplaces performed ahead of direct brand purchases across every country surveyed.

The reasons were not limited to price. While cost and convenience remain important, respondents also pointed to product range, delivery options, reviews and reputation. In several markets, shoppers appeared to view established marketplaces as safer or more familiar environments than individual brand websites.

That finding is notable because marketplaces have often had to manage concerns around seller quality, counterfeit goods and customer disputes. The G2A and Juniper Research report suggests that, for many shoppers, larger platforms may now benefit from the perception that they have stronger systems in place to manage those risks.

The report calls this a ‘Trust Advantage’, arguing that marketplaces able to combine security, convenience and visible consumer protection could be better placed to convert browsing into purchases.

Digital wallets rank above other security signals

Payment choice is one of the clearest trust signals in the research. According to the report, 60% of respondents identified trusted digital wallets as the most important online security feature. That placed wallets above other measures such as multi-factor authentication, security certificates and transparent privacy policies.

Digital wallets were also the most commonly selected payment method, ahead of debit and credit cards. The report found that wallets are now the preferred payment method in Germany, Poland and Italy.

Security appears to be a major reason for that preference. Around 32% of respondents said they choose their payment method to avoid sharing financial details with merchants. That suggests wallets are being used not only for convenience, but also as a protective layer between the consumer and the seller.

For marketplaces, the finding points to the importance of offering payment methods that feel familiar and locally trusted. A checkout that lacks a preferred wallet option may now affect more than conversion; it may also weaken the user’s confidence in the platform.

Consumers expect platforms to carry more responsibility

The report also shows that consumers place much of the responsibility for online security on platforms rather than on themselves. Half of respondents said e-commerce platforms are most responsible for security when shopping online, while 30% pointed to banks and payment providers. Only 20% saw themselves as primarily responsible.

That creates a clear expectation for marketplaces, banks and payment providers. Consumers may still make choices around passwords, payment methods and data sharing, but many expect the wider system to protect them from fraud, scams and poor seller behaviour.

The research also found that 27% of respondents had experienced fraud when shopping online. Fraud experience varied by country, with Brazil showing the highest level among surveyed markets and the UK and Canada among the lowest.

The report suggests that consumers are more likely to share additional personal data where they trust the brand and believe proper safeguards are in place. That makes trust a condition for deeper digital engagement, particularly as platforms ask for more data to support personalisation, fraud prevention and smoother checkout experiences.

AI shopping still has a control problem

The report also explores consumer attitudes towards agentic commerce, where AI tools could help users search, compare and eventually buy products or services.

Trust in AI scored above average overall, but the research shows clear discomfort around AI agents making purchases on behalf of users. Respondents were most concerned about lack of human control, data privacy and security.

The report found that 39% of respondents were uncomfortable with agentic commerce for buying goods. The discomfort was lower for some service-based use cases, but the results suggest that adoption will vary by country, age group and purchase type.

That is an important distinction for marketplaces and payment providers. Consumers may be open to AI helping with search, comparison or customer service, while still resisting the idea of automated purchasing without clear consent and oversight.

The report points to trust, transparency and user control as the main conditions for wider adoption. Platforms that want to introduce AI-led commerce will need to show users what the agent can do, where the limits sit, and how payment approval works.

For now, the research suggests that the future of digital commerce may depend less on whether consumers use marketplaces and AI tools, and more on whether those platforms can make users feel safe enough to let them do more.