Holiday shoppers want AI help, not purchase control

By Amara Osei

One-third of consumers are very or extremely willing to use generative-AI-backed tools (software that creates content and recommendations) or chatbots (automated conversational assistants) for holiday gift recommendations, according to Gartner’s 2026 Holiday Advertising and Consumer Trends report.

Only 13% of shoppers currently use AI tools or chatbots to inspire holiday shopping, according to the same Gartner data. Gartner reports that consumer interest and experience with AI have improved since last year, but adoption across the shopping journey still has a way to go.

The gap separates expressed willingness from observed use. Neither figure measures how many shoppers would give AI authority to make the final purchase.

Where will shoppers use AI?

Gartner Senior Principal Analyst Emily told Retail Dive that discovery, the early stage when shoppers look for ideas, is changing this year as consumers grow more comfortable with AI. She said: “people are using AI tools at the beginning of their shopping journey as a source of inspiration.”

That research points to an opening-stage role rather than AI-led purchasing. Weiss said consumers do not want AI to take over the final stages of purchasing, especially holiday shopping, because they want to maintain autonomy over choice. Weiss also described gifting as a deep human and anthropological act, with satisfaction in making the final selection.

Retailers such as Walmart are investing in agentic commerce (AI systems that can act across the buying journey), both on-site and externally. Gartner’s findings point to a slower path, with broad consumer use of those tools to finalize purchases likely to take time.

Trust limits that rollout. William Blair’s survey results, released in October, found that a majority of respondents would not let AI make a purchase without review. A majority also said they would not share bank and credit card data with the technology. Respondents’ main concerns were potential data breaches and unauthorized purchases.

Katie Thomas, who leads the Kearney Consumer Institute, told Retail Dive that shoppers do not want to outsource all their decisions to agentic commerce yet.

Takeaway: Shoppers will use AI to narrow options, but trust and control still limit its role at checkout.

Can AI improve price comparison?

Almost two-thirds of consumers have used AI occasionally or frequently to compare prices across products, according to William Blair’s survey. The survey also found that use rose in a nearly straight-line pattern as household income increased.

The most common reason consumers would use AI for the holidays is to compare prices or deals, according to Bank of America’s 2026 report on holiday spending. Thomas linked that demand to growing anxiety about dynamic pricing (prices that vary over time) and personalized pricing (prices tailored to an individual).

Thomas said:

“I think people are going to use it to price shop for them. There’s been a lot in the press lately about dynamic pricing, personalized pricing. That’s stressing people out.”

Thomas also said higher-income, tech-savvy consumers are building their own agents (automated tools that perform tasks or run searches for them) to act on their behalf. She expects advanced AI to make the tool especially useful this holiday season.

Pricing has moved beyond a consumer preference into federal scrutiny. Over the past month, Walmart repeatedly defended itself against public allegations that it has or could personalize prices. The allegations do not establish that it does so. Some of the concern stems from anxiety about the retailer’s use of digital shelf labels (electronic price tags).

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ordered Walmart, Target, several airlines, ride-sharing companies and food-delivery entities to provide information for a study of how personal data sets prices. The orders seek information; they do not amount to a finding that the named companies personalized prices.

A few days later, the FTC joined 20 U.S. states in suing Dollar General for alleged deceptive pricing practices.

Takeaway: AI can help shoppers compare prices, but automated pricing now faces regulatory scrutiny that could slow retailer adoption.

Will better models push AI further into shopping?

William Blair’s survey found that 88% of respondents used an AI tool in the past six months. The survey reported broad use across age groups and income levels. More than 80% said they use AI at least occasionally before a purchase, while 30% use it every time.

Keanu Taylor, head researcher at The Martech Weekly, told Retail Dive that the underlying models used by AI tools improved dramatically compared with last year. He said those gains may make consumer benefits more tangible and have given retailers more confidence to place generative AI before shoppers.

Taylor expects consumers to feel agentic commerce and AI in their shopping experience during this year’s holidays. He cited no adoption metric for that improvement, so his consumer forecast remains an expectation rather than a measured outcome.

Takeaway: Better models may push AI deeper into shopping, but current evidence points to assistance rather than autonomous buying.

The coming holiday will test whether those gains can turn broad experimentation into trusted pre-purchase help without turning shoppers into passive recipients of automated pricing and purchase decisions.