Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) released survey data, revealing AI’s influence and overall impact in commerce / shopping and spending, a generational shift in consumer spending behavior, and emerging payments trends this festive season.
Bruce Cundiff, vice president, Consumer Insights at Visa said:
“The data tells a fascinating story about the spending shift we’re witnessing: shoppers are embracing AI and digital tools at remarkable speed, with nearly half of Americans now using AI to enhance their shopping experience. From AI-powered gift discovery to cryptocurrency as a legitimate gift option, we’re seeing Gen Z and younger millennials lead a fundamental reimagining of commerce.”
This festive season marks a turning point in how Americans shop and gift:
- Consumers are increasingly weaving technologies like AI and digital currencies into their holiday traditions.
- Nearly half of US shoppers (47 percent) surveyed have used an AI tool for at least one shopping task, with “finding gift ideas” ranking as the top AI-assisted use.
- When it comes to agentic commerce, price comparison is the most compelling application.
- More than one in four shoppers (28 percent) would be excited to receive cryptocurrency as a gift. That number skyrockets to 45 percent for Gen Z.
- Approximately one in 10 shoppers believe stablecoins will take over by 2030, while 28 percent expect an increase in usage of stablecoins by 2035.
Gen Z continues to outpace other generations in adopting next-generation payment and shopping methods:
- Gen Z is more likely to use biometric authentication (71 percent), purchase gifts from overseas (60 percent globally), buy from social platforms (55 percent), and make purchases via cryptocurrency (44 percent) than other age groups.
- Globally, 41 percent say they plan to travel more this holiday season than last year.
Although one in five shoppers now “prefer their digital wallets, Gen Z is closing the gap.”
These younger consumers are just as likely “to prefer digital wallets compared to physical cards, 36 percent to 34 percent, respectively.”
As technology becomes central to the shopping journey, “consumers are calling for transparency, security,” and human connection:
- As shoppers integrate AI into their routines, 61 percent prefer human interaction for customer service, and 60 percent want to better understand how AI-powered shopping tools use their personal data, signaling that transparency and trust will be key to driving broader adoption.
- 66 percent of those surveyed worry friends or family could fall victim to an online scam this season, and 39 percent have encountered one in the past year.
Over a quarter of consumers surveyed reportedly “began holiday shopping before November.”
Visa forecasts 4.6% year-over-year growth in “total U.S. holiday spending, showing Americans’ determination to celebrate the season.”
As mentioned in the announcement, Visa commissioned Morning Consult to survey a sample of 1,000 U.S. adults “between Oct 14 and Oct 16, 2025.”
The interviews were conducted online, and “the data were weighted based on gender, education attainment, age, and race.”
As clarified in the update, results from the full survey reportedly have a “margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.”