A deeper dive into Accenture’s holiday survey – inflation, AI loom
Accenture data shows that the holiday shopping season is shaping up to be centered around consumers using artificial intelligence and feeling financial pressure.
Chain Store Age recently interviewed Accenture global retail lead Kelly Askew about consumer attitudes toward inflation and next-gen AI, and how they will affect the upcoming holiday shopping season. In this article, we will examine the results of Accenture’s 20th Annual Holiday Shopping Survey more closely, starting with consumer spending expectations.
Consumer spending
Accenture predicts U.S. holiday budgets will $737, a nearly 12% increase year over year and a 9.6% three-year compound annual growth rate. That number jumps to an average of $829 for millennial respondents but goes down to $696 for Gen Z respondents.
However, financial pressure is impacting where consumers shop, with nearly half planning to buy gifts at mass merchants and warehouse clubs. Accenture’s Macro Foresight analysis shows that as of June, prices remained approximately 15% higher than they would have been absent from inflation shocks that began in 2020.
More than half (53%) of respondents who expect to spend more on the holidays this year say it is because “the cost of everything has gone up.” Holiday shopping dollars will be spread across traditional categories such as clothing and accessories (52%), food and beverage treats (49%) and gift cards or vouchers (49%).
Artificial intelligence
Nearly three-in-10 respondents trust AI agents more than themselves when making holiday purchases and on average, respondents expect generative AI to influence 45% of their holiday spending. While 73% are open to collaborating with an AI agent and 58% would let one complete tasks on their behalf, only 22% would allow an agent to decide what to buy and just 8% would let one make purchases independently.
Respondents are most willing to use AI agents to shop for friends (38%), then themselves (37%) and spouses (31%). Finding deals is the top respondent use case for AI at 39%, followed by comparing options at 31% and deciding where to buy at 30%.
Six-in-10 respondents prefer retailer-owned AI tools over cross-brand agents. Among those respondents favoring retailer agents, 34% believe the retailer is most likely to get them the best prices and deals, while 29% cite confidence that their personal and payment data will remain secure.
Nearly three-in-four respondents want AI agents to buy only from familiar brands and retailers. However, for advice and recommendations, respondents still prefer stores (19%) over generative tools (13%) and 44% visit stores to see, touch or try products before purchasing.
Timing
Nine-in-10 respondents plan to begin shopping before Black Friday / Cyber Monday and nearly one-in-five began their holiday shopping before August, almost double the share recorded in 2025. Two-thirds plans to participate in Black Friday / Cyber Monday shopping this season.
[READ MORE: The 10 busiest shopping days of 2026 holiday season will be...]
“For retailers, the priority is to ensure consumers and AI agents can easily access accurate product information, pricing, promotions, reviews and return policies wherever shopping decisions are made,” said Kelly Askew. “The focus should be on making products easier to discover, easier to evaluate and easier to buy by maintaining consistent information across channels and creating seamless connections between AI, digital and in-store experiences. Retailers that reduce friction and help shoppers make informed decisions will be better equipped to capture demand throughout the holiday season."
Accenture’s 20th Annual Holiday Shopping Survey involved 4,048 U.S. consumers and was conducted between Aug. 13- Sept. 1.
