How AI Is Changing Holiday Shopping in 2026 — what shoppers should know

From chatbots to coupon plug-ins, AI is making the shopping experience faster, easier, and more budget-friendly than ever.

Key Takeaways

• 53% of U.S. shoppers have used or plan to use AI tools or services for holiday shopping this year.

• Nearly 7 in 10 U.S. shoppers (69%) believe AI is more useful for shopping compared to traditional methods, like flyers and loyalty emails.

• 35% of U.S. shoppers claim AI tools have assisted them in finding promotion codes.

• Spending less is the top reason why U.S. shoppers use or plan to use AI tools this holiday season. On average, they estimate AI tools have helped them save $513 so far this season.

• 53% of U.S. shoppers have used or plan to use AI tools or services for holiday shopping this year, with Gen Z being the most likely to do so (60%).

• Top 3 uses for AI tools or services this holiday season:

• ChatGPT or another chatbot for gift ideas (52%)
• Personalized recommendations from shopping platforms (43%)
• Coupon plug-ins (41%)

• 50% of Gen Z plans to use coupon plug-ins for holiday shopping.

• Spending less is the top reason U.S. shoppers use or plan to use AI tools this holiday season. On average, U.S. shoppers estimate that AI tools have helped them save $513 so far this season.

• Top categories shopped for applying AI:

• Tech/gadgets (60%)
• Apparel and accessories (51%)
• Food (44%)

• Nearly 7 in 10 U.S. shoppers (69%) believe AI is more useful for shopping compared to traditional methods, like flyers and loyalty emails.

• 35% of U.S. shoppers claim AI tools have assisted them in finding promotion codes.

Methodology

For this study, we surveyed 1,005 U.S. shoppers about how AI assists their shopping experience. Among the respondents, 50% identified as female, 48% identified as male, and 2% identified as nonbinary or gender nonconforming. Generationally, 52% were millennials, 23% were Gen X, 19% were Gen Z, and 7% were baby boomers.

Topics Promo codesGifts