Sinch AB Survey Reveals Shoppers Cautious About AI in Holiday Shopping
News related to:Sinch AB · 3 min read
STOCKHOLM, Sept. 15, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Sinch AB, a global communications company, has released new research showing a nuanced view of consumers' attitudes towards artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of holiday shopping. The findings, based on a survey of 2,501 consumers across eight markets, reveal that while shoppers remain cautious about the broader implications of AI, they are confident in its ability to handle specific tasks.
According to the research, only 43% of consumers believe AI will make their holiday shopping easier this year, a slight decrease from 48% in 2025. Privacy concerns remain the top reservation, cited by 43% of respondents, with just 7% expressing no concerns at all. However, when the task is specific, confidence in AI is high. Eighty-one percent of shoppers are confident that an AI assistant can handle order tracking and shipping updates, while 74% are confident it can assist with pre-purchase questions.
The survey also found that shoppers are open to interacting with AI. Only one out of the 2,501 respondents said they would never want to interact with an AI chatbot. The most popular use cases for AI included order tracking (48%), researching a product before buying (47%), and getting customer service (36%).
Robert Gerstmann, Chief Evangelist and Co-Founder of Sinch, commented, "AI for AI's sake doesn't land with shoppers, but AI attached to a job they actually want done does. Order tracking and pre-purchase questions are the easy wins, where confidence is already high. Payment, billing, and account changes are different: shoppers still want a human close by, and brands need to make that handoff easy and obvious."
Trust in AI also varies depending on the task. While 53% of shoppers trust a real person's product recommendation over AI's, 47% trust AI just as much or more. For voice interactions, 48% trust a human phone agent over an AI voice agent, while 37% trust the AI equally or more. Additionally, 15% of respondents want the option to transfer to a human if needed.
The research highlights significant differences in consumer attitudes towards AI across different markets. The United States is the most AI-skeptical market, with only 26% of shoppers expecting AI to make their holiday shopping easier, compared to 43% who think it won't. In contrast, Brazil is the most optimistic, with 78% of consumers expecting AI to enhance their shopping experience.
Other key findings include: - 43% of shoppers think AI will make their holiday shopping easier this year, down from 48% in 2025. - Privacy or data use is shoppers' top AI concern, cited by 43%; only 7% say they have no concerns at all. - 81% are confident an AI assistant can handle order tracking and shipping updates; confidence falls to 62% for payment or billing changes. - Only 1 of 2,501 respondents said they would never want to interact with an AI chatbot. - 53% trust a real person's product recommendation over AI's; 47% trust AI just as much or more. - 48% trust a human phone agent more than an AI voice agent, while 37% trust both equally and 15% want the option to transfer to a human if needed.
The survey, conducted by Sinch in 2026, included consumers from the United States, Australia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Mexico, and Spain. The findings provide valuable insights for businesses looking to integrate AI into their holiday shopping experiences, emphasizing the importance of clear communication and the need for human oversight in certain areas.