34% of shoppers are open to using AI to find gift ideas this holiday season: Gartner

Generative AI tools and chatbots may become popular gift recommendation tools heading into the holiday season this year, according to a new survey by market research firm Gartner.

This year, more than one-third (34%) of US consumers surveyed say they are “very or “extremely willing” to use AI tools or chatbots to find holiday gifts.

The results are part of a survey of 1,004 US consumers conducted in August 2026.

“The intent and deliberation that comes around getting the right product and also using AI, especially for price comparison sake, and for the starting point of inspiration’s sake, that’s where we’re seeing the big difference,” Emily Weiss, senior principal analyst at Gartner Marketing, told Retail Brew. “Not necessarily in the ‘I’m automating my purchases’ part of the journey.”

Still, Weiss added that AI is merely expanding, rather than replacing, traditional shopping discovery channels such as retailer websites, internet searches, and friends’ and family’s wishlists: 77% of consumers surveyed plan to shop in stores this holiday season, while 75% are planning to shop on Amazon.

Consumers using AI tools or chatbots for holiday shopping discovery and inspiration consult an average of 4.48 inspiration sources, according to the survey, compared to 3.24 sources among consumers who don’t use AI for holiday shopping ideas.