Shopify: AI-Powered Agentic Shopping to Dominate Holiday Season Trends This Year

Ebrun Original: Shopify recently released its '2026 Global Holiday Retail Report,' which deciphers consumer shopping characteristics during the holiday season (starting late November, a period dense with Western holidays and high consumption demand, marking the peak shopping period overseas) through three lenses: consumer information and spending, AI and agentic commerce, and prioritizing value and research. The report notes that in the agent era, consumers adopt a value-maximizing consumption strategy. Brands that clearly and legibly showcase their core identity and product value are more likely to stand out this holiday season compared to those relying solely on discounts. Survey data reveals that under economic pressure, consumers and businesses hold differing attitudes toward this year's holiday season. Recent economic conditions have negatively impacted the shopping plans of 54% of consumers, who will slightly reduce their Black Friday weekend budgets and exercise greater caution in budget planning. However, younger demographics remain highly enthusiastic about Black Friday shopping, with 80%+ participation intent among those aged 18-44, peaking at 88% among the 25-34 age group. While consumer spending weakens, businesses stay optimistic. Despite rising operational costs and intensified market competition, business confidence in holiday sales growth has actually increased from 72% in 2025 to 76%. Behind this positive outlook likely lies an AI-driven incremental boost. This holiday shopping season, agentic shopping has become a mainstream trend for the first time. According to the report, 65% of consumers will use AI-assisted shopping during the holiday season, primarily to find discounts, seek inspiration, and discover new products. Consumers are willing to let AI recommend and add items to their carts, but their willingness to delegate checkout authority remains low: only 29% trust AI agents to handle payments, with the vast majority retaining final purchase control. Insights from existing data show that AI shopping behavior strongly correlates with age and income—the younger and higher-income the household, the more frequent the AI shopping. These consumers also tend to prefer independent niche brands, and products with more personality and thoughtful design will be highly favored. Addressing the current state of AI shopping, the report suggests that businesses can adopt strategies to enhance consumer willingness to use AI, such as providing clearer price discount information, comprehensive user reviews, easy price-comparison data, and delivery details, using granular information to build trust. The increased openness among AI shoppers to niche brands also presents a fair competition opportunity for SMBs. Beyond offering accurate, structured, AI-readable product data to boost discoverability, businesses must emphasize differentiated brand traits to give consumers more reasons to choose them. Overall, even during the peak holiday shopping season, impulse purchases are declining, and purchase decisions are becoming more deliberate. Consumers spend time researching information before buying, leveraging AI tools for due diligence, and adding items to carts while continuing to compare—all core demands aimed at ensuring value for money. Quality and value will be critical factors shaping purchase decisions this season. Notably, 35% of consumers say they would choose a product that best meets their needs even if it isn't the lowest-priced. Balancing price and quality, tactics such as discounts, new product launches, and flexible payment options will still help drive sales during the holiday season. Additionally, amid rising customer acquisition challenges, business growth targets are shifting toward retaining existing customers and fostering repeat purchases. Reportedly, Shopify's report data spans nine global markets, surveying 18,000 consumers and 7,500 business decision-makers in July and August this year. This article was first published on Ebrun's official website.