There may well be a Secret Sant-AI behind your presents this year, as a growing number of consumers turn to artificial intelligence to handle the heavy lifting of the festive season. New research published by Visa reveals that 41% of Americans would not actively disclose that AI helped them choose a gift, highlighting a trend where shoppers are quietly handing artificial intelligence the task of finding presents and tracking down elusive deals.
The data indicates that more than half of U.S. adults, standing at 54%, have already utilized AI for at least one shopping task this season. This represents a notable climb from the 47% who reported doing so last year, demonstrating a steady, year-over-year acceleration in consumer adoption of automated tools for everyday commerce.
These findings stem from Visa’s 2026 Holiday Spending Shift Survey, which polled more than 1,000 U.S. adults in late September. Commissioned by Visa and conducted via Morning Consult, the survey paints a comprehensive picture of modern consumers who are continually juggling persistent cost pressures, rapidly evolving technology, and heightened concerns regarding fraud, all while striving to check every single item off their holiday gift lists.
"Consumers are approaching the holidays with both value and security in mind," said Michael Brown, principal U.S. economist at Visa, commenting on the broader economic and behavioral trends captured by the research. "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."
AI Becomes a Holiday Helper
When examining how consumers are interacting with artificial intelligence, the survey reveals that shoppers feel most comfortable delegating practical, analytical tasks to automated systems. Leading the category are comparing prices, with 61% of respondents utilizing AI for this purpose, followed closely by checking product availability at 59%, finding discounts at 57%, and suggesting gift ideas at 54%. Furthermore, nearly a quarter of respondents note that they feel significantly more comfortable using AI for shopping than they did during the previous holiday season.
Demographic breakdowns within the study show that younger generations are driving this technological shift. More than eight in ten Gen Z consumers express openness to receiving AI assistance during their shopping journeys, and an impressive 73% are willing to let the technology suggest gift ideas—a figure that sits 19 points higher than the overall average for adults.
Despite this enthusiasm for discovery and research, a distinct gap remains between browsing and actual purchasing. While consumers are increasingly comfortable relying on AI assistants to navigate the initial stages of shopping, trusting an algorithm to complete a financial transaction independently remains a much larger leap. According to the Visa Trust Index, only 23% of U.S. consumers trust generative AI to handle payment transactions entirely on their behalf.
Industry analysts note that this hesitation follows a familiar pattern seen in previous technological transitions. The technology itself invariably arrives and gains popularity long before consumers fully trust the transactional experience, a phenomenon that mirrors the early days of moving payments online and, subsequently, the transition of commerce to mobile platforms.
What ultimately shifts the equation for hesitant consumers is the involvement of familiar, trusted brands. The Visa Trust Index revealed that 61% of consumers trust Visa to secure an AI-powered payment. This confidence climbs even higher among specific segments, reaching 68% among adults aged 18 to 34 and 71% among frequent users of artificial intelligence. As agentic commerce continues to grow and evolve, this institutional confidence may serve as the critical bridge that transforms AI from a mere shopping assistant into an active shopping agent.
Shoppers Stretch Budgets as Costs Stay Top of Mind
While technology offers new ways to navigate the season, macroeconomic pressures remain a dominant factor for households. Cost-conscious shopping habits are deeply entrenched, with 84% of consumers reporting that they have taken at least one deliberate action to manage higher everyday costs over the past year.
Among the most common measures taken by shoppers are actively hunting for discounts, cited by 47% of respondents, cutting back on discretionary spending at 35%, and trading down to lower-cost brands at 33%. These strategies underline the persistent financial caution that continues to shape consumer behavior as the holiday season gets underway.
Experiences Top Wish Lists, But Physical Gifts Win Wallets
When individuals contemplate what they would most like to give or receive—aside from cash—their aspirations lean heavily toward memorable experiences. Travel leads the preferences with 60% of people expressing excitement for it, closely followed by live-event tickets at 55%.
However, the reality of actual purchasing tells a distinctly different story. When wallets open, only 15% of respondents prioritize experiences, while 27% focus their spending on tangible, physical items. Gen Z once again demonstrates a unique pattern that comes closest to aligning their purchasing power with their personal wishes, with 39% splitting their spending evenly between experiences and physical goods, compared to just 26% of adults overall.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Fever Shapes Gift-Giving
The upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 is also leaving an unmistakable mark on seasonal gift lists across the country. Nearly a third of Americans report that the major international tournament has noticeably boosted their interest in purchasing sports-related gifts for friends and family. This enthusiasm is even more pronounced among higher-income households earning $100,000 or more, as well as among adults under the age of 35, where about half indicate that the soccer showcase is influencing their holiday shopping choices.
Cross-Border Shopping Goes Mainstream
Digital connectivity is further expanding the geographical boundaries of holiday shopping, with three in 10 Americans expecting to buy at least one gift from an overseas seller this season. Among Gen Z shoppers, that figure climbs to more than half, signaling a generational shift toward global e-commerce.
For these shoppers, the primary draw is not necessarily lower prices. Quality, cited by 32% of respondents, and uniqueness, noted by 31%, rank as the top reasons for looking beyond domestic borders, easily outpacing the search for better deals, which was cited by 25% of shoppers.
Gen Z and Cross-Border Senders Warm to Stablecoins and Crypto
As cross-border shopping expands, digital assets are finding a receptive audience among specific consumer groups. While stablecoins remain a novel concept to many Americans, more than half of the population, or 56%, see tangible benefits in them, a sentiment that surges to 77% among Gen Z. Furthermore, among Americans who regularly send money abroad, 51% state that after recognizing the inherent benefits, they are likely to utilize stablecoins within the coming year.
Cryptocurrency resonates similarly with these tech-forward demographics. Half of all respondents who send money abroad call cryptocurrency a useful mechanism for international transfers, compared to just 26% of adults overall. Additionally, Gen Z demonstrates a higher degree of comfort shopping with retailers that accept crypto, standing at 34% compared to 25% for the broader adult population.
Fraud Concerns Drive Behavior Change
The expanding convenience of digital shopping and cross-border transactions comes hand-in-hand with a heightened unease regarding scams and online security threats. Nearly three in 10 shoppers report that they were personally targeted by fraud during the previous holiday season, a statistic that escalates to 39% among Gen Z consumers.
In response to these persistent risks, three-quarters of Americans have actively altered how they shop and manage their accounts. To protect themselves, consumers are taking precautions such as enabling two-factor authentication, reported by 34% of respondents, changing their passwords more frequently at 34%, declining to save payment details on merchant websites at 25%, switching from debit cards to credit cards for added protection at 24%, and increasing their reliance on secure digital wallets at 21%.
"Consumers are navigating a lot this season, from higher costs, new technology, and real concerns about fraud," Brown added, summarizing the complex landscape of modern consumer behavior. "But they’re adapting. They’re hunting for deals, shopping smarter, and staying alert. That resilience is the real story."
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