AI Shopping During the Holidays and What It Means
The holiday shopping season is often the clearest indicator of how consumers are actually using new technology. In 2025, AI moved from novelty to a practical shopping assistant for many consumers. Shoppers increasingly use AI tools to research gift ideas, compare products, and narrow their purchasing decisions. At the same time, consumer trust in AI for shopping rose dramatically throughout the year, signaling that AI-assisted commerce may soon become part of everyday buying behavior rather than a niche experiment. This can also have a ripple effect on the brand-consumer relationship.
In my latest article for AIThority, I examine what holiday shopping behavior revealed about the growing role of AI in e-commerce and what it may signal for the year ahead. The trends raise several questions brands should begin thinking about now:
If shoppers increasingly rely on AI to research and recommend products, how will brands influence those recommendations?
Will AI shopping behavior shift more commerce back toward desktop environments rather than mobile?
What does the rise of AI-generated traffic mean for traditional discovery channels like search and social media?
How should marketers adapt if AI becomes a primary entry point into the shopping journey?
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