Observed Signal · Aug 3, 2026 · Report Publication · Source: https://martech.org/feed/ · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Four holiday reports reveal split on AI adoption
Four vendor reports (Basis, Salesforce, Attentive, Alchemer) agree that holiday shoppers are starting earlier, spending more deliberately, and expecting more relevant experiences. They diverge sharply on AI: Attentive reports high usage (around 70%) across the shopping journey, Basis finds only 17% expect to use AI while shopping, Alchemer measures trust in AI recommendations at 35.4%, and Salesforce frames AI agents as an emerging product-discovery channel. The differences largely reflect varying questions and measurement approaches (usage, intent, trust, or future channel readiness). The reports imply marketers should prepare product information and fundamentals (accurate product data, reviews, personalized offers) for AI-driven discovery even as consumer adoption and trust remain uneven.
Aggregated vendor reports highlight changing holiday shopping behavior and uneven AI adoption/trust—useful for marketers but not industry-shifting platform or policy news.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Attentive found 71% of consumers plan to start holiday shopping before Black Friday (a 12 percentage-point increase from last year) and reports ~70% of consumers use AI somewhere in their holiday shopping journey.
- Basis reports 68% of shoppers buy early to avoid shipping delays and finds only 17% of consumers expect to use AI during holiday shopping (with 23% undecided).
- Alchemer reports that only 35.4% of shoppers mostly or completely trust AI-generated recommendations.
- Salesforce reports consumer pessimism rose 16% year over year, 13% more shoppers say their financial situation is getting worse, and argues AI agents are becoming an additional product-discovery channel alongside search, marketplaces, and social platforms.
- All four reports agree shoppers are starting earlier, watching spending more carefully, and expecting more relevant experiences across a longer holiday season.
Connected Companies & Entities
5 Entities mapped“Salesforce examines a different stage altogether. Rather than measuring current consumer behavior, it argues AI agents are becoming another ...”
“Attentive says 70% of consumers now use AI somewhere in their holiday shopping journey....”
“Alchemer shifts the conversation again by measuring trust instead of adoption. Only 35.4% of shoppers mostly or completely trust AI-generate...”
“Basis reports only 17% of consumers expect to use AI during holiday shopping, while another 23% remain undecided....”
“MarTech is owned by Semrush. We remain committed to providing high-quality coverage of marketing topics....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Shoppers Cautious About AI Holiday Shopping, Sinch Study Finds
A new study by Sinch across eight markets with 2,501 consumers reveals that fewer shoppers believe AI will make holiday shopping easier, dropping from 48% in 2025 to 43% in 2026. Trust in human advice over AI increased to 53%. Data privacy remains the top concern (43%). Consumers are most willing to delegate order tracking and shipping updates (48%), product research (47%), and customer service (36%). Despite consumer caution, 63% of retailers have deployed AI customer communication agents. The findings suggest that AI gimmicks risk alienating shoppers, while high-quality authentic content remains crucial for affiliates.
Two‑thirds of Holiday Shoppers Use AI
A survey by marketing firm Attentive of 600 U.S. consumers found that 67% of shoppers used AI tools in the past three months to help manage purchases this holiday season, with usage rising to 80% among Gen Z. The report also found that 71% plan to start holiday shopping before Black Friday and 84% expect Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals to begin ahead of the day. Shoppers use AI to ask about products, compare options, get recommendations and find deals. Respondents prioritized incentives such as free shipping, gifts with purchase, price-match guarantees and loyalty perks when making buying decisions.
AI Shopping Adoption Grows, But Trust Limits Transactions
New data reported by MarTech from Exploding Topics (May 1, 2026) shows widespread consumer use of AI in shopping—77.6% used AI for shopping in the past six months and over 43% used it weekly—but a clear trust ceiling prevents AI from completing purchases. About 68.64% of users say AI influenced a purchase they otherwise would not have made, yet more than half of consumers are uncomfortable with AI storing payment card details and most would allow AI to spend $0 autonomously (frequent users typically cap autonomous spend at $50 or less). The findings imply AI is established as a decision-layer for research and consideration, while transactions remain under human control, increasing the importance of visibility in AI-generated recommendations and generative engine optimization for marketers.
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