More than a third of consumers are willing to use generative AI tools for Christmas gift recommendations, but traditional shopping channels continue to dominate purchasing decisions, according to new research from Gartner.
A survey of 1,004 US consumers conducted in August 2026 found that 34% were very or extremely willing to use GenAI-powered tools or chatbots for gift recommendations during the holiday shopping season.
However, the findings suggest AI is adding another dimension to the customer journey rather than replacing established methods of product discovery.
Retailer websites, traditional internet searches and wishlists shared by friends and family remain the most popular sources of shopping inspiration.
Physical stores and Amazon are also expected to retain their leading positions as purchasing channels, with 77% of respondents planning to shop in-store and 75% intending to make purchases through Amazon.
Gartner found that consumers already using AI tools for holiday shopping inspiration consult an average of 4.48 different sources when researching gifts, compared with 3.24 among those who do not use AI.
This suggests that AI adoption is creating more complex, fragmented shopping journeys, with consumers moving between multiple platforms before making a purchase.
Emily Weiss, Senior Principal Analyst in Gartner’s Marketing practice, said: “AI is beginning to establish a role in the holiday shopping journey, but it is not replacing the channels consumers already use.”
She added that marketers should prepare for increasingly fragmented discovery journeys as shoppers incorporate AI recommendations alongside existing research methods.
For ecommerce retailers, the findings highlight the importance of maintaining visibility across multiple discovery channels rather than prioritising AI-powered shopping tools at the expense of established platforms.
Product information, availability and content that help shoppers evaluate potential purchases will remain important across retailer websites, search engines, marketplaces and emerging AI interfaces.
Weiss advised marketers against treating AI shopping tools as standalone channels, arguing that businesses need to make products easy to discover and assess wherever consumers choose to research them.
The research suggests that, as retailers prepare for the Christmas trading period, an effective multichannel discovery strategy will remain important even as AI becomes a more established part of the shopping experience.
