Holiday shopping 2026: Americans are switching up where and how they shop

This holiday season, Americans are rethinking where they buy gifts and which tools help them decide. Our survey of 4,363 people in the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia found that Amazon’s 14-point lead over Walmart as Americans’ go-to gift destination has disappeared. Google’s Gemini has overtaken ChatGPT as the AI assistant American shoppers use most. And TikTok Shop has become a gift stop for almost a quarter of younger Americans.

Although AI chatbots are emerging as key shopping assistants and young people are trying out new gift-buying platforms, shoppers themselves haven’t changed much. Gift cards and clothing remain the most popular choices, and consumers are buying gifts for themselves as well as for friends and relatives.

AI use holds steady, but Gemini takes the lead

AI is already part of how many people shop. In fact, more than half of consumers (58% to 60%) say that they have used AI for at least one shopping task in the past six months. In the US, that’s essentially unchanged from last year (59%), while in the UK, Canada, and Australia, AI use rose slightly. Between a quarter and a third of shoppers in each market say they use AI for this purpose several times a week. Outside the US, that share grew compared with last year. 

Holiday plans follow the same pattern. A third of Americans (34%) plan to use AI during the upcoming holiday shopping season, the lowest share of the four markets. In the UK, the figure is 36%, in Canada 39%, and in Australia 40%.

On the other hand, many Americans are still hesitant about using AI. The main source of their concern is privacy and data security (41%). People also worry about being able to distinguish between genuine and sponsored recommendations (33%) and trusting AI to correctly interpret their preferences (31%).

While ChatGPT used to dominate, that’s no longer the case in the US. Last year, ChatGPT led Gemini among American AI shoppers by 65% to 51%. This year, Gemini has taken the lead: 53% of Americans who use AI tools for shopping use Gemini, compared with 46% who use ChatGPT. Nevertheless, the US is currently something of an outlier. In the UK, Canada, and Australia, ChatGPT remains the preferred choice, used by 62%, 65%, and 70% of AI shoppers, respectively.

Gift cards catch up with clothing, and a third of Americans buy for themselves

By its very design, gift-giving is a social ritual. When asked whom they are buying gifts for, most Americans name their immediate family members and closest friends first. The most common responses were children (48%), partners (42%), parents (32%), friends (31%), and siblings (28%). 

Interestingly, a third of American shoppers (34%) are also buying presents for themselves. This is especially common among young people: half of those under 35 (53%) will buy themselves a gift this holiday season. Pets are popular recipients too, with 16% of Americans planning to buy something for theirs.

Methodology 

This report compares two surveys commissioned by Omnisend and conducted by Cint, one in August 2025 and one in August 2026. Both covered four countries: the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia. The 2026 survey included 1,123 respondents from the US, 1,076 from the UK, 1,075 from Canada, and 1,089 from Australia. Quotas were placed on age, gender, income, and place of residence to achieve a nationally representative sample among users. The margin of error is +/-3 percent. Percentages are based on respondents who answered each question and are rounded to the nearest whole number.

Self-reported survey data reflect stated intentions and perceptions, not observed behavior. Results are subject to recall and social desirability bias. Findings are representative of the sampled population and may not reflect all adult consumers.