Deck the Carts: How AI is Shaping Holiday Shopping in 2025

Generative AI is becoming a core part of how US consumers shop, especially during the holidays, when people want faster decisions, better deals, and personalized inspiration. Apparel has quickly become one of the categories where AI plays the biggest role.

For brands and retailers, this shift makes AI Search visibility essential. When shoppers start with an assistant instead of a search bar, showing up in AI-generated results becomes the new competitive advantage. Here’s how shoppers are using AI today, and why Product Agent can help retailers stay discoverable this holiday season.

The rise of AI-assisted shopping

Generative AI is now a mainstream shopping tool. Research shows:

39% of US consumers use generative AI to shop online (Adobe for Business).
Apparel is among the top categories where shoppers expect to use AI, with ≈41% saying they’re likely to use AI for clothing (Adobe for Business).
A 2025 apparel-focused study by Provoke Insights found 56% of apparel shoppers are interested in using AI tools, especially for:
- Price tracking (56%)
- Personalized discounts (45%)
- Back-in-stock alerts (39%)
- Style suggestions (29%)
- Virtual try-ons (25%)

Consumers aren’t waiting for brands to catch up. They’re already depending on AI for guidance.

What shoppers actually do with AI in apparel

Inspiration and outfit planning

AI is becoming the go-to stylist for holiday events, gift-giving, and trend exploration. Users ask for ultra-specific looks like “a green flowy dress for a garden party” (Gemini, via The Verge) or pieces inspired by TV characters like “a dress like the one Carrie Bradshaw wore in season 6, episode 12… (size 0–2)” (Encore, via WIRED). This matches broader research showing a surge in event-based and aesthetic-based queries (Adobe for Business).

Shortlisting and comparisons

According to Provoke Insights, shoppers use AI to:

Identify top items under a price point
Compare materials or value
Check brand alternatives
Summarize reviews

This speeds up holiday decision-making, especially when shoppers feel overwhelmed by options.

Finding deals and checking availability

Given tight budgets and gifting lists, holiday shoppers rely on AI for price drops, promo opportunities, and stock updates (Provoke Insights).

Fit and sizing help

Sizing remains a major pain point. Shoppers ask AI for fit translations, body-type guidance, and fabric behavior—topics that strongly influence apparel returns (Vogue Business).

Discovering new brands

AI often introduces shoppers to brands they haven’t heard of before. Many say AI increases confidence and reduces time spent researching (Provoke Insights).

Where this activity is happening

AI assistants are quickly becoming high-performing traffic sources:

Traffic to retail sites from AI assistants grew 10–12× between mid-2024 and early-2025 (Adobe for Business).
Mobile’s share of AI referral traffic jumped from 18% in Jan 2025 to 26% in Jul 2025—a big deal for apparel shoppers who browse on the go (Comscore + GlobeNewswire).
AI-referred visits show lower bounce rates, more page views, and improved conversion rates as shoppers become more comfortable buying through assistants (Adobe for Business).
During Holiday ’24, AI-driven referrals spiked ~1,300% (Adobe, via Reuters).

This year, even more shoppers will start their journey in AI-driven environments, not traditional search.

Are shoppers clicking through and buying via AI?

Yes, and quickly.

Adobe reports AI-referred visits are now 12× higher than July 2024, with conversion rates narrowing the gap with non-AI traffic. Some categories already outperform; apparel still lags due to fit uncertainty, but shoppers often convert later through click-outs or direct visits.

The buying experience is also shifting:

Perplexity’s “Buy with Pro” enables one-click purchasing for select products.
ChatGPT’s Walmart partnership supports browsing and buying directly inside ChatGPT.

As assistants become shopping interfaces, brands must be ready wherever the journey begins.

What apparel shoppers research most during the holidays

Across Adobe, Provoke Insights, and Vogue Business reporting, the top AI-driven research topics include:

Outfit ideas for events and gifting
Budget-friendly “best under $X” lists
Price history, promos, and stock alerts
Fit, sizing, and fabric quality
Returns and policies

These mirror core holiday motivations: find the right gift, secure the right size, and get the best deal before items sell out.

What this means for apparel brands and retailers

1. Give AI assistants richer product data

Structured data, complete attributes, and high-quality images help products surface in AI-generated recommendations. Programs like Perplexity’s Merchant Program also expand visibility.

2. Match content to real AI shopper intent

Shoppers ask assistants about events, fabrics, fit, value, and availability. PDPs and guides should clearly address these topics to help AI tools answer confidently.

3. Reduce friction around fit

Virtual try-ons, precise size charts, and flexible return policies build confidence and shrink the research loop that slows apparel conversion.

4. Prepare for transactional AI

As checkout moves inside assistants, brands need infrastructure that supports seamless purchasing from wherever shoppers start.

Where Product Agent fits in

This holiday season, winning visibility inside AI assistants can determine whether your products are discovered or overlooked. fabric’s Product Agent ensures your catalog is clean, enriched, complete, and ready for AI Search so assistants can understand and recommend your products accurately.

Unwrapping your AI shopping advantage

Holiday shoppers are moving faster than ever, leaning on generative AI for inspiration, comparisons, deals, and even checkout. Brands that optimize for AI Search will meet customers at the exact moment they’re making decisions and capture demand competitors miss.

Want to know how ready your brand is? Take our AI Search Assessment now!

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