More than a third of U.S. shoppers say they are ready to let AI help them find holiday gifts this year. In a Gartner survey of 1,004 U.S. consumers taken in August, 34% said they are “very” or “extremely” willing to use generative AI tools or chatbots for gift recommendations, the research firm said.
Shoppers want help getting started, not a robot doing the buying. Gartner analyst Emily Weiss told Retail Brew the biggest change is in using AI for inspiration and price comparisons, “not necessarily in the ‘I’m automating my purchases’ part of the journey.”
AI is adding to old habits rather than replacing them. Seventy-seven percent of shoppers still plan to buy in stores this season and 75% plan to shop on Amazon, while retailer websites, regular internet searches and friends’ and family’s wish lists remain top sources of ideas. People who use AI for gift ideas also cast a wider net, checking an average of 4.48 sources compared with 3.24 for those who do not.
For retailers, that means a chatbot answer is one more stop on a longer path to the checkout, the same shift that has companies like Southwest selling directly inside ChatGPT. For shoppers, it is a reminder to compare what an AI suggests with prices and reviews elsewhere before buying.