Americans quietly use AI for holiday shopping

Visa research indicates that 41% of Americans would not disclose that AI assisted in selecting a gift. This occurs as more consumers quietly hand AI the job of finding gifts and tracking down deals. Two-thirds of U.S. shoppers are open to using AI this holiday season, a trend driven primarily by Gen Z.

According to the Visa 2026 Holiday Spending Shift Survey, which polled over 1,000 U.S. adults, more than half of U.S. adults (54%) have already used AI for at least one shopping task, up from 47% last year. The data paints a picture of consumers juggling persistent cost pressures, evolving technology, and heightened fraud concerns, while still finding ways to check every box on their gift lists.

AI Assistance and Consumer Behavior

Shoppers are most comfortable handing AI practical tasks such as comparing prices (61%), checking availability (59%), finding discounts (57%), and suggesting gift ideas (54%). Nearly a quarter say they’re more comfortable using AI for shopping than they were last year.

Gen Z is leading the shift, with more than eight in 10 young consumers open to AI assistance, and 73% willing to let it suggest gift ideas — 19 points higher than adults overall. However, there’s a gap between browsing and buying, with only 23% of U.S. consumers trusting GenAI to handle payment transactions on their behalf.

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The Visa Trust Index found that 61% of consumers trust Visa to secure an AI-powered payment, rising to 68% among 18–34-year-olds and 71% among frequent AI users. Familiar brands may be what bridges the gap between AI as a shopping assistant and AI as a shopping agent.

Cost-Conscious Shopping and Gift-Giving

Cost-conscious shopping isn’t going anywhere. Eighty-four percent of consumers say they’ve taken at least one action to manage higher everyday costs in the past year — most commonly hunting for discounts (47%), cutting discretionary spending (35%), and trading down to lower-cost brands (33%).

When it comes to gifts, Americans are dreaming of experiences, with travel (60%) and live-event tickets (55%) topping the list. However, actually buying gifts tells a different story, with only 15% of respondents prioritizing experiences and 27% focused on physical items.

Gen Z comes closest to aligning their wallets with their wishes, with 39% splitting spending evenly between experiences and physical items, compared to 26% of all adults.

Cross-Border Shopping and Digital Payments

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is leaving its mark on holiday lists. Nearly a third of Americans say the tournament has boosted their interest in sports-related gifts, a figure that climbs to about half among households earning $100,000 or more and adults under 35.

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Three in 10 Americans expect to buy at least one gift from an overseas seller this season, with Gen Z leading the way. The draw isn’t just price, with quality (32%) and uniqueness (31%) being the top reasons shoppers are looking beyond U.S. borders.

Stablecoins are still new to many Americans, but more than half (56%) see a benefit, rising to 77% of Gen Z. Among Americans who send money abroad, 51% say they are likely to use stablecoins in the next year. Crypto also resonates with the same groups, with half of those who send money abroad calling it a useful way to do so.

Fraud Concerns and Consumer Resilience

Fraud concerns are driving behavior change, with nearly three in 10 shoppers saying they were targeted by fraud during last year’s holiday season. In response, three-quarters of Americans have changed how they shop to safeguard themselves from losses.

Michael Brown, principal U.S. economist at Visa, states, “Consumers are approaching the holidays with both value and security in mind. They’re looking for deals, experimenting with tools like AI and changing how they shop in response to fraud concerns. It’s a consumer who is adapting as the shopping experience itself continues to change.”