AI Tools Are Now Ready to Shop on Our Behalf. But Are We Ready to Let Them?

Shopping season is here, and artificial intelligence tools are ready and willing to help Canadians with their shopping.

But is that what consumers want?

As Black Friday and Cyber Monday sweep across the internet, nearly 80% of Canadians say they plan to leverage artificial intelligence to help with seasonal shopping, according to a recent survey from KPMG.

“Canadians want the best deals and are turning to AI tools to help,” says Elliot Marer, “especially as many households are feeling the pinch of rising costs.”

Yet a similar number expressed worry around relying too much on AI to shop, noting a lack of sentimentality.

Current AI-powered tools for shopping include personalized recommendations, product reviews, price comparisons, and conversational platforms like Grok or ChatGPT.

But a next wave is already emerging: A more “agentic” form of AI that quite literally does the shopping for you. And the more agentic AI is, the more concern Canadians seem to have around the tech.

Marer, who serves KPMG as Canadian head of retail, notes how “consumers are using technology to plan before they buy.”

However, “when it comes to agentic AI shopping agents, Canadians remain hesitant, with most [86%] wanting to remain in control.”

For retailers, Marer says that “building trust will be critical through transparency, easy opt-ins, and human-in-the-loop options, so that technology enhances rather than replaces the personal touch at the heart of holiday shopping.”

Among Canadians, younger shoppers appear more likely to utilize AI tools. For example, 54% of those aged 18 to 24 plan to shop with AI, compared with just 19% of those aged 65 and older.

Tasks that Canadian consumers are interested in AI handling include automatically applying discounts at checkout, offering truly personalized recommendations, providing alerts when items go on sale or return to stock, and managing loyalty programs.

But many draw the line of being comfortable at allowing an autonomous end-to-end AI agent to make purchases entirely on their behalf.

“Overall, we are seeing a more tech-savvy yet cautious consumer, one who embraces digital convenience but demands transparency and choice,” commented Marer. “Canadians are ready to use these tools but not to surrender control.”

And while tech has undoubtedly transformed commerce forever, a complete takeover of brick-and-mortar shopping still appears far away.

While most Canadians intend to combine online and in-person shopping, more consumers still plan to shop exclusively in-store versus exclusively online, according to KPMG—although this, too, is an age-driven trend that may continue to fade as younger consumers lean toward digital-first options.

“Baby boomers tend to like brick-and-mortar shopping, preferring to see, touch and try products,” Marer said. “In-store shopping is also a social activity that can be meaningful.”