Consumer Behavior

Holiday shoppers embracing AI helpers

Adobe Stock

September 22, 2026

Summarize with

Holiday shoppers are embracing AI assistants while prioritizing value and trust, according to the Cordial research report, "Holiday 2026: Consumer Shopping Insights."

More than four in 10 consumers (42%) are at least somewhat likely to use AI tools such as ChatGPT or Claude during their holiday shopping this year. Millennials lead adoption, with 54% likely to use AI tools, compared with 19% of Boomers.

More than one-third of shoppers (34%) are comfortable allowing an AI agent to automatically complete holiday purchases based on their preferences and budget, including 13% who would trust AI to complete purchases without review. Younger generations lead this shift, with 49% of millennials and 44% of Gen Z expressing comfort with AI-assisted purchasing.

The research also revealed only 35% of shoppers expect to spend more this year and 23% expect to spend less, according to a press release.

"With the holiday season no longer defined by merely Black Friday and Cyber Monday, consumers will navigate a longer and more complex shopping journey where value, personalization and AI Assistants all play a role," Rob Garf, head of strategy at Cordial, said in the release.

Cordial is an enterprise marketing platform used by Levi's, Tapestry, L.L.Bean and Boot Barn.

Consumer Behavior