A new holiday shopping report from Narvar, a software platform that serves retailers, found that 65% of consumers plan to use artificial intelligence for at least one part of their holiday shopping this year. Only 8% of retailers said they felt very confident in their ability to use AI to improve the shopping experience.
Narvar surveyed 1,348 US consumers who plan to shop online during the holidays and 100 US retail decision makers for the 2026 Holiday Shopping Report, released August 24, 2026. Consumers named specific tasks for AI assistance: 43% plan to use it for gift discovery, 33% expect to use it to compare products or summarize reviews, and 29% said they would use it to build a budget or plan holiday spending. Another 15% plan to use AI after a purchase, such as tracking packages or return deadlines.
Nearly eight in ten consumers said they would use AI powered shopping tools if the tools made the experience feel more personalized. Retailers appeared to underestimate the shift. Only 14% of the retail executives surveyed said a rise in AI shopping assistants would be the biggest change in consumer behavior this season, with most still focused on shipping costs, discounts, and order fulfillment.
"Consumers aren't waiting for retailers to catch up," said Narvar chief executive Anisa Kumar. "They've already brought AI into how they discover gifts, compare prices, and decide what to buy."
The report also found that 63% of consumers expect to spend more this holiday season than they did in 2025, and 58% plan to start shopping earlier than last year.
Source: ConsumerAffairs - https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/consumers-are-turning-to-ai-for-holiday-shopping-but-retailers-may-not-be-ready-082526.html