Observed Signal · Sep 16, 2026 · Research / Survey · Source: Hello Partner · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Negative
AI in Retail Market: 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.
Shows consumer skepticism towards AI in shopping, relevant for marketers, though it's based on a single survey.
Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Sinch surveyed 2,501 consumers across eight markets.
- 43% of shoppers believe AI will make holiday shopping easier, down from 48% in 2025.
- 53% trust advice from a real person more than AI, up from 51% in 2025.
- Data privacy is the top concern (43%) for the second consecutive year.
- 48% of consumers are willing to use AI for order tracking and shipping updates.
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mappedSinch
Business communications platform for messaging, email, voice and verification.
“new research from Sinch suggests that shoppers are still apprehensive about AI....”
Mastercard
Global payments network and enterprise financial infrastructure provider.
“one recent forecast from Mastercard sees one in 10 people tapping into the ecosystem to purchase products....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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