KPMG in Canada says Canadians are eager to use AI to stretch their holiday budgets, but reluctant to hand over full control to autonomous shopping agents. In a new Holiday Shopping Agentic AI Survey, the firm finds that while 78% of Canadians plan to use AI tools to guide their shopping this season, 76% feel hesitant about relying entirely on agentic AI to do the job.
Canadians embrace AI for deals but not full automation
According to the survey of 1,200 adults aged 18 to 85, most consumers already use AI‑powered tools such as personalized recommendations, product reviews and price comparison features on retailer sites and apps, along with conversational platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini. In total, 78% say they are likely to use AI before choosing where to shop, with 32% “very likely” and 46% “somewhat likely.”
However, KPMG finds that 72% say agentic AI‑powered shopping feels impersonal and…
60% feel it takes away the personal touch of holiday shopping. Around 86% want to approve every step before an AI agent acts, half of them strongly agreeing, underscoring a strong desire to keep humans in the loop. Younger shoppers are curious, older ones are cautious Interest in agentic AI is highest among younger Canadians.
The survey shows that 31% of respondents overall are excited or curious about AI shopping agents, rising to 54% among those 18–24, 42% for ages 25–34 and 39% for 35–44. Curiosity drops to 22% among those 55–64 and 19% for 65–84, reflecting a clear age divide.
When asked what tasks they would feel comfortable handing to AI, 44% pick comparing prices or applying coupons, 31% choose checking store inventory and 30% cite finding gift ideas or personalized recommendations.
Still, 33% say they would not feel comfortable using any kind of agentic AI agent, and 60% would not be comfortable letting a fully autonomous system make purchases on their behalf. What shoppers want AI agents to do Even with their caution, Canadians see clear benefits in well‑designed shopping agents…
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