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Holiday shopping

November 10, 2026

   

Gen Z and millennials will let AI pick the gifts, but they still want the final say

Mastercard's second annual Shopper Snapshot survey finds younger shoppers handing AI more of the holiday to-do list, while value, community and memories shape the rest of the season.

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Sarah Levitsky

Senior Specialist, Global Communications, Mastercard

Younger shoppers are ready to let AI take over the gift list.  

Four in 10 Gen Z and millennial consumers report that AI knows them so well that they trust it to pick gifts for their loved ones more than they trust themselves, compared to just over a quarter of all shoppers. And the holiday card? Also written by AI for roughly four in 10 younger shoppers. 

That’s just one sign of how AI is reshaping the holiday experience, according to Mastercard’s second annual Shopper Snapshot, conducted with The Harris Poll. Across the survey, the same story keeps surfacing: AI may be influencing how people shop, but it’s not changing what they care about. Value, community and shared experiences are still shaping the season, but technology is making it a little easier to pull it all together.

The poll surveyed 9,034 adults 18 and older globally. Results are nationally representative of the general population.

Across ages, 29% of consumers say AI has increased their ability to stay within budget, and 28% agree that it helps them make more confident decisions.  

Even so, shoppers aren’t handing over the keys without setting a few ground rules first. Two-thirds of respondents (66%) would want to approve a transaction before an AI agent uses their loyalty points or card rewards, and 65% want an agent to weigh price against quality, trust and their preferences instead of just chasing the lowest price. Shoppers can also be skeptical of the output – 58% believe that links shared by AI chatbots are likely to be phony, while 42% believe AI would only send them verified information.

That isn’t stopping younger shoppers from leaning in. For those consumers, AI is less a novelty than a way to get some time and sanity back: 53% of Gen Z and 59% of millennials say it will lighten the load this year. In fact, 40% of Gen Z and 43% of millennials would let it handle all their gift buying if it meant avoiding the stress.

 

4 in 10

Number of younger shoppers who say they use AI to write holiday cards

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Looking at holiday shopping more broadly, here are more insights from the survey:

Value with a personal touch: At the end of the day, people still want their money to go further. Eighty-four percent are prioritizing low-cost, high-impact gifts, 83% plan to cash in loyalty points and rewards to offset their purchases, and 78% plan to do the bulk of their buying on major sales days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Resale is growing too, especially with younger shoppers. Seventy-two percent of Gen Z and millennials plan to increase or maintain their secondhand gift purchases (vs. 60% of all shoppers). 

Community first: Consumers aren't only hunting for the lowest price. For many, where they shop matters just as much as what they buy. Eighty-five percent plan to spend the same amount or more with small or local businesses this season, and 49% will do so specifically to support their local community or economy – that includes 59% of baby boomers or older shoppers. And they'll keep shopping local even without the extras: 32% would go to a small business without a loyalty program, 27% without sales or discounts, and 24% would even pay a little more. A lack of free shipping, though, is still a sticking point: just 15% would accept higher shipping costs to buy from a small or local business. 

Memories over things: Consumers are continuing to seek gifts that create a shared experience instead of adding another box under the tree. Nearly three quarters (73%) plan to increase or maintain their giving of experiences over material gifts, including 78% of Gen Z and 81% of millennials. Dining experiences top the list (51%), followed by concerts, theater or live shows (37%). 

AI is even helping get them on the calendar: A third of Gen Z and 36% of Millennials say using AI makes them more likely to book a dining or entertainment experience, versus 24% of all shoppers.

 

The bigger picture

Taken together, this year’s holiday shopper wants help without giving up control. With shoppers excited about the holidays (36%) and stressed about money (30%) in almost equal measure, they welcome AI to ease the stress and keep them on budget, they’re hunting for value, and they want their money to go where it feels personal.

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A family looks at a store window with a Christmas display.