Forethought AI Agents by Zendesk today released the State of AI in CX 2026: Holiday Report, which finds shoppers are ready to let AI agents handle key parts of their holiday shopping. More than six in ten consumers (62%) are willing to let AI make some purchases directly, but that willingness comes with expectations. Shoppers want AI to save them time and money, resolve problems, deliver on its promises and proactively address issues.

Those emerging expectations are also drawing attention from policymakers. On October 20, New York City proposed a first-of-its-kind rule that would require businesses to disclose when customers are interacting with an automated customer service system, provide easy access to a human representative and prevent customers from getting stuck in repeated menus that fail to answer their questions.

“AI in customer service needs to do more than answer questions,” said Antoine Nasr, Head of AI at Forethought AI Agents by Zendesk. “It needs to understand the customer’s issue and take action to resolve it. During the holidays, that could mean proactively addressing a delivery delay or processing a refund. That’s how AI earns shoppers’ trust.”

Shoppers Want AI That Resolves Their Issues

Forethought’s data shows shoppers remain open to AI’s role in shopping, as long as it delivers real help when they need it. Difficulty reaching a human ranked as the No. 1 customer service frustration in Forethought’s 2024 and 2025 surveys, and this year’s findings show what’s at stake when AI can’t help:

  • 41% have abandoned an online cart because a chatbot couldn’t answer a basic question about shipping or inventory
  • 72% have been frustrated by a bot that couldn’t understand their issue

Shoppers Expect AI to Make Their Money and Time Go Further

Many shoppers welcome AI’s help with the legwork of gift hunting, and they expect a real return:

  • On average, shoppers expect AI to save them $192 this season, more than half expect to save at least $100, and 12% expect to save at least $500
  • 57% trust AI with price tracking, and 42% with finding coupon codes
  • 53% expect AI to shave at least an hour off their holiday shopping, and 24% expect to save at least three hours
  • Trust has a ceiling: only 18% would let AI make purchases over $500

Brands Have to Stand Behind What Their AI Promises

Shoppers are clear about accountability, and they expect AI to get it right:

  • 82% expect a brand to provide a refund or credit if its AI makes a promise it fails to keep
  • 15% say buying the wrong item based on a bad AI recommendation would ruin their holiday shopping experience more than anything else

That makes guardrails and accuracy checks on AI commitments essential to protecting trust and revenue.

“A promise is a promise, whether it was made by a person or by AI,” said Erica Clayton, Head of Partnerships and CX at Forethought AI Agents by Zendesk. “The goal shouldn’t be for AI to never make mistakes. That’s not realistic. AI should only commit to what a business can actually deliver. That means grounding answers in approved policies, checking live order data before quoting delivery dates and handing off to a human with full context when an issue falls outside the AI’s scope.”

Proactive AI Builds Loyalty

Winter storms and heavy carrier volume make some holiday delays unavoidable. How a brand handles them is where loyalty is won or lost:

  • 44% will wait less than 30 minutes for support during peak holiday shopping before canceling an order or shopping elsewhere
  • 50% say they’d be more loyal to a brand whose AI proactively flags a delivery delay and offers a fix, such as free expedited shipping

More Than Half of Shoppers Prefer AI-Guided Returns

Returns are another chance to earn shoppers’ loyalty, and AI can make the process easier:

  • 55% prefer an instant AI-guided return process online over a visit to a store or post office
  • 75% are at least somewhat likely to keep an item they’re unhappy with if the return process is too complicated

“During peak season, when shoppers are buying more and have less time, a convenient return option can provide the confidence to complete a purchase—while a costly or complicated policy can send them elsewhere,” said Tim Fehr, Chief Growth Officer of Happy Returns.

With shoppers ready to trust AI with parts of their holiday shopping and New York City proposing new rules for customer service chatbots, brands face a clear expectation this holiday season: AI needs to deliver on its promises.

Methodology

The State of AI in CX 2026: Holiday Report is based on an online survey of 1,039 U.S. adults aged 18 and up, fielded September 4–8, 2026. The data was weighted to the U.S. population by nine demographic questions. The credibility interval for questions answered by all respondents is ±4 percentage points.

The full report is available at https://forethought.ai/blog/2026-state-of-ai-in-cx-holiday-report.

About Forethought AI Agents by Zendesk

Founded in 2018, Forethought AI Agents by Zendesk delivers self-improving AI agents for customer service on any platform. Supporting billions of interactions for leading companies like Upwork, Grammarly, UPS, and WordPress, Forethought AI agents think, act, and improve over time, helping organizations deliver better customer experiences and realize more than $1 billion in ROI. G2 has officially recognized Forethought as a top-performing AI agent.

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