As the year-end shopping season approaches, AI is reshaping product discovery while major promotional events create new opportunities for brands to connect with shoppers. Yet relevance, value, and confidence remain central to purchase decisions.
Drawing on a global survey of 10,500 consumers, Criteo’s latest Consumer Sentiment Insights reveal four shopping trends marketers should know.
1. Shopper journeys span channels and discovery points
Today’s shoppers rarely stick to a single destination. Nearly 9 in 10 shoppers switch between channels at least sometimes before completing a purchase.
During a typical shopping journey, how often do you switch between websites, apps, devices, or other channels before making a purchase?
Shoppers are also discovering products across a wide range of channels. Online retailers and marketplaces lead at 51%, followed by search engines (41%) and social media or community forums (39%).
How do you usually discover new products?
Advertising plays an important role in helping shoppers find relevant products. Globally, 81% say they discover relevant products through online ads at least sometimes.
2. AI is becoming part of everyday shopping
AI is becoming a useful resource for everyday shopping decisions. Globally, 59% of consumers find AI-powered chatbots helpful when shopping online, while 51% are comfortable with AI personalizing their shopping experiences.
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about AI-driven tools and features in online shopping.
ChatGPT (51%) and Google Gemini (43%) lead among AI tools used for shopping, highlighting how consumers are incorporating conversational interfaces into their research and decision-making.
But consumers still have reservations about AI. While 46% trust AI-driven product recommendations, shoppers continue to express concerns about privacy (50%) and misleading information (48%).
3. Shoppers are planning with purpose
Globally, 79% of consumers typically purchase gifts during the holidays and festive season. Among gift shoppers, 76% plan to seek discounts and promotions, while 75% expect to shop for presents online.
How likely are you to do the following during the holidays and festive season?
Still, shoppers aren’t relying solely on digital channels for gift inspiration. Search engines and physical stores are tied as the most common starting points for gift discovery (37% each), while 27% plan to turn to generative AI tools.
AI could play an even greater role in helping shoppers narrow their choices. Some 42% say they would use an AI assistant to help select a gift, with another 40% open to the idea.
Would you use an AI assistant to help choose a gift?
4. Peak shopping events create opportunities to win new customers
Nearly one-third of consumers (31%) start thinking about Black Friday deals one to two weeks in advance, while another 21% begin two to four weeks ahead.
Black Friday also encourages shoppers to break from familiar purchasing habits. Three in four Black Friday shoppers try new online stores at least sometimes, with great deals (52%) and free shipping (41%) among the leading motivations.
On Black Friday, do you sometimes purchase from online stores that you usually don’t purchase from during the rest of the year?
Beyond Black Friday, regional shopping moments create additional opportunities. In Singapore, 86% of Singles’ Day shoppers purchase from online stores they don’t usually purchase from during the rest of the year.
How to win more holiday and festive season shoppers
- Connect the shopper journey across channels. Use a coordinated, full-funnel approach to reach consumers wherever they discover and shop. Understand where year-end shoppers are buying and how to reach them to keep your brand in consideration across retailers, devices, and channels.
- Make AI part of your discovery strategy. As shoppers increasingly turn to AI for product research and recommendations, explore how AI is changing product discovery and how your brand can gain visibility in this emerging channel.
- Give gift shoppers more reasons to choose your brand. Help consumers discover relevant products and shop with confidence through personalized holiday-festive season creative that highlights timely offers and products tailored to their interests.
- Get ahead of peak shopping moments. Build awareness before major promotional events and tailor campaigns to local shopping calendars. As competition intensifies, focus on smarter bidding and cross-channel optimization to make every year-end advertising dollar count.
Talk to an expert to discover how Criteo helps brands connect with consumers across the shopping journey and make the most of every commerce opportunity.
