Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing holiday
strategies this year, with the technology influencing every process across campaigns -- from content creation to media buys and consumer purchases.
"Advertisers need to think of their media
strategies in terms of where intent shows up," said Tristan Barnum, CMO and head of AI innovation at Wildfire, a financial technology company. "Our survey found that a growing share of consumers are
discovering products through AI-powered interfaces, and many won't look like traditional media at all."
Barnum suggests performance budgets should align with the growing influence of AI and agentic advertising by focusing investments on
embedded, contextual commerce. This involves making purchasing opportunities seamlessly
available within a user's current activity or content, such as buying products directly from a social media post or an online article. advertisement
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She also proposes evolving
omnichannel strategies into "omnicontact," a concept that extends the idea of
omnichannel marketing, which focuses on creating a consistent and integrated customer experience across all channels. It would encompass new interfaces and interaction points that AI and automation
enable.
Will agentic commerce make consumers feel comfortable enough to spend more? Wildfire explored this question and others through a commissioned survey of 1,000 U.S.
consumers ages 18 and older. Big Village conducted the survey in July 2025.
The survey analyzed shifts in consumer spending habits, tools and
tactics used by consumers to save on purchases, and consumer adoption of agentic commerce. The data found 61% of respondents this year, compared with 22% in 2024, have used an AI tool such as ChatGPT,
Perplexity and others.
Among the respondents who have used chatbots, 13% reported using the tools frequently, while 23% said they use them occasionally and 21% use them rarely.
Twenty-six percent of all respondents said they have never used AI and don’t plan to do so.
The data also found 44% of Gen Z said they use generative AI (GAI) chatbots to help them shop,
followed by 45% of Millennials, but only 13% of Baby Boomers. Of the 15% of all AI users who reported never using AI tools for online shopping, 55% said they never thought of using them that way.
While 54% use AI tools to compare prices, 41% use the tools to get a summary of online reviews, it is clear that respondents have different comfort levels when it comes to AI agents shopping for
them, and transaction size is important.
When asked to cite at what price they would be willing to trust an AI agent to buy for them, 61% said the cutoff would be purchases under $20, compared
to 39% for purchases of between $100 and $150, and a low of only 19% for purchases over $500.
The study also found generational differences in the use of more simplistic tools, with
three-quarters of Gen Z respondents saying they have tried tools like ChatGPT, compared with 42% of Baby Boomers. Forty percent of Boomers said the AI gender gap is more pronounced -- with 33% of
females saying they have never used AI and don’t plan to, compared to only 20% of males.
The holiday season will reveal how consumers feel about agentic agents that carry out tasks such
as discovering and paying for products.
The study found that people prefer to complete tasks and hobbies, with 46% saying the agents save time and are more efficient in general and 39% saying
they like to use them because of the clear answers they provide, as long as the answers are correct.
When respondents to the survey were asked how they will change their spending habits this
year vs. last year across all surveyed categories, 66% said they have reduced spending for clothing and accessories, followed closely by 64% for electronics and appliances and 63% for entertainment
and media.
Fewer respondents reported reducing the amount spent on travel and leisure -- at 59%, while 56% reduced the amount spent on luxury items. The report found consumers are opting into
“little luxuries” that offer emotional satisfaction and a sense of value.
Not surprisingly, the percentage of respondents who reported greater interest in coupons rose by 5 points
since 2023, while respondents interested in cashback has increased by 3 points since 2023.