Shopify’s 2026 Global Holiday Retail Report, based on surveys of 18,000 shoppers and 7,500 business leaders across nine markets, says 65% of shoppers expect to use AI for at least one shopping task this season. In Canada, Shopify’s country fact sheet puts the figure at 63%.
Shopify frames the 2026 holiday season as the first mainstream test for agentic shopping, a model where AI tools can answer gift queries, compare options, and, in some cases, route shoppers toward checkout. The company says shoppers are using AI for tasks such as finding deals, getting inspiration, and discovering products that match specific needs.
The research also suggests AI-assisted shopping may widen the set of brands shoppers consider. Shopify says 71% of regular AI users are more likely to choose an independent brand this year than last, and 81% of regular AI users are choosing more products because they feel personal, intentional, or considered.
Checkout is where trust drops
Shopify’s global article says only one-third of shoppers trusted an AI agent to buy on their behalf.
Shopify’s Canadian fact sheet says 49% of shoppers are comfortable letting AI recommend the right product, and 35% are comfortable letting AI build a cart as long as they complete the purchase themselves. Only 26% said they trust AI to make a purchase on their behalf.
Outside Shopify’s own research, Gartner and Forrester have reported similar caution around autonomous purchases, though their surveys used different populations and wording. Gartner’s January 2026 survey of 322 U.S. consumers found willingness to let AI make purchase decisions topped out at 11% in lower-stakes categories such as personal care and household supplies. Forrester reported in June 2026 that, based on an April survey of online adults in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, three-quarters were uncomfortable allowing an AI agent to complete a purchase and pay autonomously, even with spending limits and rules.
Those figures should not be stacked as direct equivalents. They do, however, point in the same direction: AI assistance is easier for shoppers to accept than AI authority at payment.
Canadian shoppers are researching more before spending
The Canadian holiday data gives that trust gap more context. Shopify’s country fact sheet says 56% of Canadian consumers have felt negative economic impacts in the past year, while planned Black Friday weekend spending dipped to CAD $259 from CAD $282 in 2025.
That caution is changing how shoppers make decisions. Shopify says 85% of Canadian shoppers feel more in control after researching, and 27% put items in their online cart and wait for the price to drop. Among those cart watchers, the leading trigger is a price drop or sale at 37%, followed by a promotion, sale, or shipping deadline ending at 29%, and a discount code, voucher, or special offer becoming available at 28%.
AI does not replace the normal sales job for retailers. Comparison, research, and product evaluation are moving earlier in the journey, often before the shopper lands on a store.
Product data now carries more of the sales argument
Shopify’s Help Center says Agentic Storefronts are active by default for eligible stores, making products available to AI channels such as ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Meta through Shopify Catalog or connected sales channels. Shopify also says merchants can manage which AI channels they want to sell through in the Shopify admin.
The mechanics differ by channel. Shopify says ChatGPT acts as a discovery-focused referrer, with shoppers completing purchases through the merchant’s online store checkout in an in-app browser or a new tab. For Google AI Mode, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Meta surfaces, Shopify says customers can complete purchases inside the AI channel if direct checkout is activated.
Being available in AI channels is not the same as being persuasive inside them. AI shopping tools need details that are also useful to human buyers: current prices, accurate discounts, product variants, inventory, reviews, shipping costs, delivery timing, return terms, and a clear reason the product is worth choosing.
That makes product content, structured data, and policy information part of the sales argument. If an AI system cannot understand the product, compare it fairly, or explain why it fits a shopper’s request, the product may lose before the retailer ever sees the visit.
Merchants deciding whether Shopify’s growing AI commerce stack is worth building around can compare the broader platform trade-offs in Tech Help Canada’s Shopify review.
The research shows intent, not final holiday sales
Shopify’s holiday report is based on stated survey responses, so it should not be treated as proof of actual 2026 holiday purchases through AI agents. It shows intent, comfort levels, and reported attitudes ahead of the season.
Shopify’s own commerce data from earlier in 2026 adds a separate behavioural signal. In a May analysis, the company said AI-referred orders on Shopify grew nearly 13 times year over year in Q1 2026, while referral sessions from AI chatbots grew more than eight times. Shopify also said that, for sessions beginning on product detail pages, AI-referred visitors converted at nearly 50% higher rates than organic search visitors and had 14% higher average order values.
That same analysis also said organic search still referred more sessions to Shopify merchants than all tracked AI platforms combined. AI is growing quickly as a discovery and research channel, but it has not replaced search, product pages, checkout, or trust-building.
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