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Dive Brief:
A third of shoppers plan to use AI to assist with their holiday shopping this year, according to a UserTesting survey of 4,000 consumers in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia released Wednesday.
Shoppers plan to use AI for gift ideas, price comparison, product links and determining the value of deals, the research found. Younger generations are more open to integrating AI compared to others, with 56% of Gen Z and 50% of millennials signaling plans to adopt the tools.
Still, some respondents expressed skepticism about using AI for holiday shopping, citing concerns over data privacy, scams and a lack of a human touch, the survey found.
Dive Insight:
Despite concerns about AI, consumers perceive them as useful tools that will inevitably change their shopping habits in the future, the research found.
The survey found that 81% of Gen Z consumers, 70% of Millennials and 56% of Gen Xers believe AI will change how they shop over the next three years. More than half of the respondents also said using AI “reduces stress and fatigue during holiday shopping.”
Other reports suggest that consumers are integrating AI into their shopping journey. A Coveo survey found that 7 in 10 respondents are open to using generative AI to guide their holiday shopping decisions. And research from Klaviyo found that more than half of holiday shoppers will use AI to compare prices, receive personalized recommendations and find products over the Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend.
Research on how widespread the use of AI will be is mixed. A survey from GroundTruth and Experian suggests the true adoption rate is much lower as only 12% of shoppers anticipate using AI for their holiday purchases.
Retailers are also leveraging AI to guide their buying decisions ahead of the holiday season. A Deloitte survey found that almost three-quarters said they are using AI to navigate the changing trade policies.