Seventy-eight percent of Canadians are tapping artificial intelligence to help them do their holiday shopping as Black Friday and Cyber Monday loom, according to the “Holiday Shopping Agentic AI Survey” published by KPMG in Canada.
AI is already being used to provide custom recommendations, share product reviews, and compare retailer prices. ChatGPT and Gemini have also been engaged to find deals.
Users can utilize agentic AI to load their shopping carts and schedule deliveries as well, although they must provide confirmation for certain steps to be carried out.
“Canadians want the best deals and are turning to AI tools to help, especially as many households are feeling the pinch of rising costs. Whether browsing for deals, checking store stock or reading reviews, consumers are using technology to plan before they buy,” said Elliot Marer, KPMG in Canada’s national leader for consumer and retail, in a statement.
Among Canadians interested in using agentic AI to shop, 54 percent were in the 18-24 age range; 42 percent were aged 25-34, and 39 percent were 35-44 years old. Just 19 percent of adults over 65 were curious about AI shopping agents.
Fifty-seven of respondents wanted AI to immediately apply the best discounts and offers during checkout, while 52 percent expected agents to make preference-based recommendations. Fifty-one percent wanted AI to notify them when items they liked were on sale or in stock; 38 percent indicated that they would likely use an AI agent that maximized loyalty and frequent-customer programs.
Forty-four percent of respondents said they were comfortable using AI in price comparison or coupon application, while 31 percent said they were OK with using AI to check stores’ inventory. Thirty percent were comfortable with having AI suggest gift ideas or provide customized recommendations.
Nonetheless, 72 percent of respondents indicated that they felt using agentic AI to shop for them would take away the personal touch from holiday shopping. Marer noted that 86 percent of Canadians wanted to retain control of the activity by approving all steps taken by an AI agent.
Moreover, 60 percent said they were not comfortable with an autonomous end-to-end AI agent shopping for them.
“Overall, we are seeing a more tech-savvy yet cautious consumer, one who embraces digital convenience but demands transparency and choice. Canadians are ready to use these tools but not to surrender control,” Marer said.
Retaining privacy and security was key to AI adoption, with 78 percent of respondents saying they were concerned about personal data privacy if they engaged agentic AI. Eighty-five percent were uncomfortable providing financial information to AI.
“Consumers demand convenience, but trust has become equally important to them. Retailers and AI developers need to communicate clearly about data use, security and consent if they want to build confidence in agentic AI tools,” said Katie Bolla, KPMG in Canada’s partner, customer and retail solutions.
Fifty-eight percent of Canadians planned to do a combination of online and in-person shopping; 14 percent intended to do all shopping in person; and just 9 percent would only shop online. Marer noted that older customers were less willing to shop online due to the proliferation of online scams and cyberattacks.
“For retailers, building trust will be critical through transparency, easy opt-ins, and human-in-the-loop options, so that technology enhances rather than replaces the personal touch at the heart of holiday shopping,” Marer said.
KPMG in Canada’s “Holiday Shopping Agentic AI Survey” obtained responses from 1,200 Canadians between November 7 and 14.