Holiday shopping sees retailers push AI. Shoppers are checking it twice.

According to our 2026 AI Holiday Shopping Survey, 89% of retail leaders say their companies have optimized for AI agents that complete purchases on shoppers’ behalf, or are actively planning or testing those capabilities. Yet just 15% of U.S. consumers would allow an AI agent to make purchases using their payment information, even with the opportunity to review its actions first.

That doesn’t mean shoppers are rejecting AI. More than half (54%) of U.S. shoppers said AI is helpful when researching gift ideas, and 42% said it would be helpful while shopping online. Consumers are comfortable letting AI help them decide what to buy, but letting an AI agent actually spend their money is another matter.

The question heading into the 2026 holiday season isn’t whether AI will transform shopping. It’s whether retailers are moving faster than consumer trust can keep up.

We commissioned Centiment to survey 1,048 U.S. consumers and 312 U.S. retail leaders using AI to see where the two sides agree on AI’s role this season and where shoppers are still holding on to control.

Key takeaways.

• AI-deploying retailers are getting ready for AI agents that shop (89% are optimizing or planning for them), but only 15% of shoppers would let an agent make purchases with their credit card or bank information, even with a chance to review first.

• AI assistants can help brands win new customers: Almost half (49%) of shoppers are likely to consider buying from a brand or retailer they’ve never purchased from if an AI assistant recommends it.

• Nearly 1 in 3 retailers using AI say AI has made errors in the past 12 months. These included taking actions it shouldn’t have, such as issuing an incorrect refund.

• Shoppers are wary of how AI shapes what they see and how much they pay. Among those who want stronger rules for retail AI, 41% worry about paid product placement, and 41% are concerned about being charged a different price than another shopper.

• Retailers are preparing seasonal workers to work alongside AI: While 9 out of 10 (89%) plan to upskill or reskill workers, just a fifth (19%) expect to reduce seasonal hiring because of AI.

AI assistants can steer shoppers toward new brands.

AI assistants can shape more than what shoppers research. Whether they are conversational assistants on a retailer’s website or standalone tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity, these assistants answer questions, suggest products, or write text when prompted. That makes their recommendations a powerful force. If an AI assistant recommended a product from a brand or retailer they’d never purchased from before, 1 out of 2 (49%) shoppers say they’d be likely to consider buying it. By contrast, 19% say they’d be unlikely to.

That makes AI assistant recommendations a potential customer acquisition channel and can level the playing field between established and emerging retailers. In my view, brands that nail answer engine optimization (AEO), personalization, and recommendations will have an advantage over those whose catalogs are not optimized for AI assistants to find.

Of course, personalization depends on what shoppers will share. For more personalized recommendations or a more convenient shopping experience, 61% of consumers would be comfortable letting an AI assistant access their product or style preferences. Financial information is another story: three-quarters of shoppers would be uncomfortable sharing their bank account or payment card details with an AI assistant. Just 17% say they’d be comfortable doing so.

Few shoppers will let an AI agent pay for them.

AI agents go a step further than AI assistants. Instead of simply making suggestions, they can independently work through several steps toward a goal and take action, like applying a discount code or completing a purchase. Retailers are building for them, and 41% have already optimized their catalogs and checkout for AI agents, while another 48% are actively planning or testing.

Given how quickly shoppers are turning to AI for product discovery, I expected more retailers to have optimized their catalogs by now. If a brand’s catalog and product details are invisible to AI agents and large language models, it will struggle to compete this holiday season.

The findings show that shopper comfort with AI agents depends on what they’re being asked to do. With a chance to review an agent’s actions first, less than half (44%) would let it choose discount codes or sales, and as stated earlier, only 15% would let one make purchases using their card or bank information. Without a review step, those percentages fall to 26% and 10%.