PwC just released its Holiday Outlook 2026 (opens in a new tab). They asked 4,093 US shoppers how they plan to shop this season, about a thousand from each generation.
The part I care about for small businesses: every generation goes looking for you a little differently. So I built a tool that shows you what that looks like in your industry.
The quick numbers
- Gift spending is down 11%, to about $708 a person.
- 52% of shoppers still visit stores in person to decide what to buy.
- 42% use search engines, 29% use social media, and 14% use AI tools.
- 29% plan to use AI for holiday shopping, up from 22% last year.
- Gen Z wants the real thing: 78% want screen-free gifts and 81% want in-person plans.
- Boomers have more room to spend as big costs like mortgages wind down.
The stat that matters most
64% of people who use AI for gift ideas still open a new tab and go to a website to buy.
AI isn’t replacing your website. It’s sending people to it. When they land, your site needs to back up what the AI told them:
- Your prices
- Your hours
- What you actually sell or do
Miss those and they’re gone.
Try it for your business
How each generation might search for a business like yours
Pick your industry, drop in your town, then click through the generations.
What they ask AI
What they type into Google
Where they check first
What your site needs to show them
The searches and prompts are examples I wrote to show the patterns. The percentages come from PwC’s Holiday Outlook 2026 survey of 4,093 US shoppers.
Your pre-holiday checklist
No new website needed. This is an afternoon of cleanup.
- Match your holiday hours everywhere. Site, Google, Facebook, Instagram.
- Show real prices. Even a "starting at" number.
- Answer the common questions in plain words. Gift wrap? Walk-ins? Parking? That’s what AI tools repeat (more on that in SEO vs. AEO).
- Use real photos of your space and your people.
- Keep your phone number easy to find. Plenty of people still call.
The bottom line
Gen Z asks AI a long question, then comes to see you in person. Millennials compare. Gen X wants the answer fast. Boomers ask someone they trust.
They all end up on your website. Make sure it’s ready.
Not sure how yours holds up? That’s what my Website Teardown (opens in a new tab) is for. 45 minutes, I open your site while you watch, and you get a written punch list. It’s $149, and it comes off any project you book with me within 30 days.
Quick answers
How many shoppers will use AI for holiday shopping in 2026?
29%, up from 22% last year, according to PwC. Most use it to research products and compare prices.
Do people buy directly through AI tools?
Mostly no. 64% of people who use AI for gift ideas open a new tab and buy on a website.
Where do most shoppers decide what to buy?
In stores. 52% plan to visit in person to decide, then search engines (42%), social media (29%) and AI tools (14%).
Source: PwC, Holiday Outlook 2026 (opens in a new tab), September 8, 2026. Survey of 4,093 US consumers, June 15 to 26, 2026.