Next year’s festive spend will be decided by AI chat
Christmas shopping is changing and savvy Scottish businesses are preparing for 2026 now, writes Stuart Chalmers
AI is about to rewrite how Scotland does its Christmas shopping. The shift will not be dramatic this year, but the groundwork is already visible in how people are browsing, budgeting and buying.
Accenture’s latest holiday shopping research shows that Scottish consumers have settled into a holding pattern. Fifty-five per cent expect to spend the same as last year. A quarter plan to cut back. It is a picture of households keeping a close eye on value rather than chasing volume. Retailers may take comfort from the stability, but the deeper story is about how shoppers are trying to make every pound work harder.
That instinct is opening the door to new digital habits. As platforms such as ChatGPT begin to host third-party shopping tools, people will no longer need to trawl websites for ideas or sift through endless product lists. Gift searches, price checks and budgeting could sit inside a single AI chat. For time-pressed households, that is a compelling proposition during the most stressful shopping period of the year.
The shift is already under way. A third of UK consumers say they use or would consider using AI to manage practical festive tasks. These early signals matter. When buying can happen directly within an AI environment, behaviour will move quickly. The friction between inspiration, comparison and purchase shrinks. Convenience rises. The platforms that guide our conversations will also guide our spending.
This Christmas reveals the mindset that will fuel that transition. People want to shop smarter rather than shop more. They want clarity on what represents value and where the best options sit. Traditional retail channels have struggled to deliver that level of tailored support, especially when customers are juggling tight budgets and limited time. AI can organise information in a way that feels personal, structured and responsive to individual priorities.
For Scottish retailers, the implications are significant. The market is stable for now, but the channels that influence demand are shifting. Next year’s Christmas choices are likely to be shaped in digital environments that look nothing like today’s online storefronts. Retailers that wait risk becoming less visible as consumers move to more intelligent tools to plan their spending.
The call to action is clear. Use this Christmas to prepare for the next. That means investing in modern data systems that can produce accurate, structured information about products, availability and price. It means strengthening privacy safeguards so customers trust how their data is used when they interact with AI platforms. And it means ensuring that product information, reviews and recommendations can be surfaced cleanly in the places where future decisions will be made.
Scotland’s retail sector has shown resilience through uncertainty. The next test is adaptability. AI will not replace the importance of local knowledge, service and brand. But it will change where and how those strengths must be presented. The retailers that act now will be the ones who remain visible when Christmas shopping moves into its next chapter.
Stuart Chalmers, Retail Lead and Scotland co-lead for Accenture in the UK
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