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This holiday season, more shoppers are using AI, whether they’re using the technology intentionally or not.
As technology continues to advance and people’s comfort level with AI increases, the use of AI to help find gifts and track prices has skyrocketed this holiday season.
“Consumers are doing research and comparing prices,” Kathryn Black, partner and head of food, drug and mass merchandise retail at global management consulting firm Kearney, told USA TODAY. “They’re getting ideas for presents.”
She said the main growth in AI is as a referral channel, directing consumers to retailer links to purchase products.
AI options include ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and AI built into retailers’ own websites.
AI usage increases
More than half, or 53%, of shoppers recently surveyed by CouponFollow said they have used or plan to use AI tools and services for their holiday shopping this year. Nearly 7 in 10, or 69%, said they believe AI is more helpful when shopping compared to traditional methods like flyers and loyalty emails. USA TODAY exclusively investigated CouponFollow’s research.
Samelweb’s State of Generative AI report released in November reported that Generative AI platforms saw a 76% year-over-year increase in web visits and a 319% jump in app downloads.
According to SimilarWeb, in the five days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, the number of AI-powered referrals to top retailers was 9.3 million, an increase of 274% from last November, and total converted visits (resulting in purchases) increased by 14.7% from last November.
Trade seekers are using AI to shop
David Schweidel, a marketing professor at Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business in Georgia, said AI tools are getting better at providing gift ideas, especially when users are already using them and the technology can build on previous interactions. His research focuses on marketing technology and AI.
One of the easiest ways to leverage AI is to trade and find the lowest prices, Schweidel told USA TODAY. AI can check coupon codes to see which ones are actively working, he said.
“Previously, you had to go back and forth between browser windows or browsing tabs to test this code,” Schweidel says. “Now we can outsource that activity to (AI) agents.”
Black said both the systems underlying AI and people’s comfort level with AI are increasing. The main reason is that people are getting used to AI being part of many aspects of their lives. “Shopping is part of it, and what they’re doing now is mainly research, idea generation and price comparison,” she said.
Black also said there is a wide range of users, from those who are very comfortable using AI technology to those who are using it to track product prices or set price alerts, but are unaware that they are using AI.
How is AI different from a search engine?
Using AI is different from typing some term into a search engine, Schweidel says.
“AI is going to be very different, because the more you keep trying, the better you’ll get. So the first reaction you get is likely not going to be great, but what you need to do is counteract the feeling of, ‘Okay, let’s just stop,'” he said.
“Really, this is a dialogue,” he said.
AI may raise privacy concerns
However, privacy can be a concern for AI users.
“If you’re the type of person who wants to have as much privacy as possible, you shouldn’t use social media, you shouldn’t use Google, and you definitely shouldn’t use AI,” Schweidel said. “What most people end up with is that they’re willing to sacrifice some privacy for the convenience that these types of tools provide.”
But Black says it’s a good idea to keep personal information, such as a person’s address and name, away from AI tools.
The growth and use of AI will continue
Black said the growth and use of AI among consumers will continue to expand.
“We’re looking broadly, and the first adopters who are using it for almost every use are very tech-savvy. But the next group of shoppers who are really starting to adopt this technology are not necessarily the big tech players,” Black said. They are people who want to save money and feel like they got the best deal. ”
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her at @blinfisher on X, Facebook and Instagram and @blinfisher.bsky.social on Bluesky.. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, breaking down complex consumer and financial news. Subscribe here.
