A new report by Alipay+ in partnership with S&P Global, reveals a growing “commerce digitalisation gap”, with people increasingly expecting seamless mobile payments and intelligent digital assistance, yet friction – from inconsistent payment acceptance to trust in AI – still define their experience.

The study, which surveyed 6000 consumers across nine markets in Asia, Europe and the US on their cross-border spending habits, points to a major shift underway in global commerce – one where e-wallets, AI and interoperable digital ecosystems are becoming foundational to how consumers discover, transact and engage across borders.

“The world has already become mobile-first and borderless, and the challenge now is whether commerce infrastructure can evolve quickly enough to keep pace with consumer expectations,” said Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International.

“The next phase of global commerce will not be defined by whether payments are digital, but whether ecosystems are intelligent, interoperable and globally connected.”

Interoperability foundational to cross-border commerce

Consumers are moving fluidly between e-wallets, cards, QR codes and NFC-based payment ecosystems across borders. Yet the travel journey remains fragmented across local payment environments, creating growing friction between rising consumer expectations and existing commerce infrastructure.

Mobile payments are now the preferred method for everyday, in-destination spending for food, shopping and local attractions, while cards continue to dominate pre-trip bookings, particularly for those in Germany and the United States.

Mobile payments, across both QR NFC, are also rapidly gaining traction, with 63% of consumers already using them for most transactions while travelling. Preferences, however, diverge across markets, with consumers from China, Malaysia and Thailand preferring QR payments, while those from the US, UK and Germany favour NFC-based, card-linked wallets.

Respondents who do not use digital payments express a clear intent to adopt them, saying they are either “very likely” (49%) or “somewhat likely” (51%) to use these methods on future trips.

AI is trusted for advice, but not yet for action

AI adoption is accelerating rapidly, with 81.3% of consumers already using AI-powered tools to explore destinations and experiences. However, adoption becomes more selective as AI moves from exploration to action.

The gap between AI discovery and execution ultimately comes down to trust and control. Privacy concerns remain high globally (43%), while two in five consumers (43%) say they hesitate to use AI assistants because they prefer planning travel themselves, and a third (32%) citing a preference for human advice.

“The opportunity lies in embedding AI securely within trusted ecosystems, allowing consumers to act on intent more seamlessly while retaining trust and user control across the commerce journey,” said Mr Feagin.