Bread Financial says ChatGPT is officially part of the holiday shopping mix in 2025, with 13% of shoppers planning to use the AI tool for gift inspiration this season. While AI still trails traditional channels like search and social, the study suggests it is becoming a meaningful first step in shopping journeys that begin and end online.

How shoppers are finding gift ideas

In Bread Financial’s Holiday Look Ahead survey, just 13% of respondents say they will lean on ChatGPT for holiday gift inspiration this year. That puts AI behind more established sources such as online search at 40%, social media at 37%, TV at 27% and retailer gift guides at 19%.

Even so, AI‑assisted search is “almost certain to grow” in future holidays as more consumers test conversational tools for idea generation, price checking and product comparison. For retailers, that means optimizing only for traditional channels will increasingly miss a cohort of early AI adopters.

Who is using ChatGPT for holiday shopping