Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly prominent part of everyday life with consumers becoming more open to using AI tools to navigate shopping.
According to YouGov’s AI's role in Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) 2026 report, 34% of BFCM shoppers in 2026 say they are either ‘very likely’ or ‘somewhat likely’ to use an AI tool to help them navigate this year’s mega sales events. This is more than double the 16% recorded in 2025, representing an increase of 18 percentage points year on year.
The findings point to growing consumer interest in AI as a potential shopping companion, as shoppers look for ways to simplify the process of navigating major retail sales events.
ChatGPT and Google Gemini lead the AI shopping race
Among shoppers likely to use AI during major sales events, ChatGPT and Google Gemini emerge as the most popular choices, with 29% of BFCM shoppers selecting each platform.
Microsoft Copilot follows at 14%, while Meta AI and Grok are tied at 10%. Claude is selected by 9% of shoppers, followed by Perplexity at 3% and DeepSeek at 1%.
The findings suggest that established generative AI platforms are leading consumer consideration when it comes to shopping-related use cases.
However, AI adoption is far from universal. Four in ten (40%) BFCM shoppers say they will not be using any AI tools to make major sales events easier to navigate. This suggests that while interest in AI-assisted shopping is growing, a significant proportion of consumers are still not incorporating the technology into their shopping journey.
As the BFCM landscape becomes increasingly competitive, ensuring that a brand’s deals are visible to AI tools could prove just as important as the discounts themselves.
Methodology: This study was conducted online between July 13 – August 11, 2026, with a nationally representative sample of 1,495 adults (aged 18+ years) in the U.S., using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age, race, gender, education, and region to be representative of all adults in the U.S. (18 years or older). BFCM shoppers are respondents who answered “Somewhat likely” or “Very likely” when asked how likely they are to make purchases during Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
Image: Getty Images
