Survey: Shoppers to use AI for holiday season — including autonomous purchases
Artificial intelligence tools are being quickly adopted by consumers – especially with the holidays around the corner.
The majority (67%) of consumers say they plan to use AI to help with holiday shopping this year, according to a new survey from e-commerce platform Forter. More than a third (37%) of holiday shoppers expect to use it more than last year.
Notably, 43% of those surveyed said they have already discovered or purchased from a retailer they had never shopped with before because of an AI recommendation.
[READ MORE: Survey: Consumers leverage AI tools to compare prices, find discounts]
More than three-quarters (78%) of respondents said they are comfortable letting AI handle at least one part of their holiday shopping journey. More than half (53%) would be comfortable letting AI purchase a holiday gift autonomously, depending on the purchase amount.
When asked what would make them more comfortable with autonomous transactions for holiday gifts, holiday shoppers cited the need for greater control and protection. Requiring final approval before purchase (26%) and setting spending limits (24%) were the two most popular responses, followed by guaranteeing a refund if AI buys the wrong item (23%) or completes a fraudulent transaction (22%). Controlling what personal data AI can access (22%) was also an important qualifier for consumers.
Among 18- to 34-years-olds, 83% plan to use AI for holiday shopping this year, compared with 40% of Americans 65 and older. More than two-thirds (68%) have already discovered or purchased from a new retailer because of an AI recommendation, compared with just 13% of those above the age of 65.
"Many shoppers are ready to hand AI the keys, but not without guardrails,” said Jen Howard, chief merchant at Forter. “They want final approval, spending limits and a guarantee they'll be made whole if something goes wrong. Retailers that design for that now will be the ones AI agents, and the shoppers behind them, choose to buy from."
Forter’s survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll from Sept. 15-16 among 2,017 adults, among whom 1,927 planned to shop for holiday gifts.
