Artificial Intelligence Is Taking Over This Black Friday, Here’s How

Almost half of UK adults already use AI tools in daily life, according to research from PSE Consulting. It said 49% use AI regularly and 22% plan to use AI to help with Black Friday and Christmas shopping this year. The study said interest comes up to 42% among people aged 18 to 34, many of whom live in cities and have higher incomes.

PSE Consulting said 85% of people who expect to use AI for festive shopping would trust it to order items and pay for them. The group said this shows a new way that people are comfortable letting AI handle money and online buying. It goes beyond recommendations and allows AI to complete the entire process.

The payments consultancy said shoppers are not all ready to take that leap. Nearly half have privacy concerns about how their information is handled. It said 46% worry about fraud and 41% fear that an AI agent could pick the wrong item. Only 9% said they had no concerns at all. The research said these worries hold back full confidence in what PSE Consulting calls agentic AI.

The group said there is a clear difference in how people use AI. Younger shoppers use AI tools more often and are far more likely to rely on them this Black Friday. PSE Consulting found that people aged 55 and over are much less likely to try AI for shopping. Over half of them never use AI tools and 80% will not use them during the festive season.

What Do Companies Say Agentic Shopping Means For Black Friday And Beyond?

McKinsey research said agentic commerce could change how retail works in the coming years. It describes agentic commerce as shopping that lets AI take action on the shopper’s behalf. It said these AI systems can find products, compare choices and complete orders with speed. McKinsey calls it a change in how people get what they want online.

According to McKinsey, people are now used to AI tools that answer queries and help with search. The company said half of users who tried AI powered search now choose it as their main way to browse the internet. It noted that this has happened earlier than many retail changes of the past because billions of people are already online.

McKinsey said this could change the way shops are designed on the internet. It described a future where people tell an agent what they want to buy and the AI travels across many sites to get it done. It said that a person who wants something will not need to click through long menus or compare many sites as much. Instead, their own AI agent could take over and talk to other agents that run checkout and shipping.

The consultancy said the US retail market could see up to $1 trillion in what it calls orchestrated revenue from agentic commerce by 2030. It also said global figures may go up to $3 trillion to $5 trillion. It said this does not even cover services yet, only goods. McKinsey said that companies who move fast will have a better chance of staying in the game than those who delay.

The group said that many shops and payment firms are already developing systems that can handle agent traffic. It gave the example of OpenAI working with Stripe and shopping functions at Shopify, Amazon and other large payment brands.

Will AI Change How We Shop During Black Friday?

PSE Consulting said people are already using AI for Black Friday decisions and that 22% plan to do so now. It also said doubts about data and fraud mean AI tools must prove they can act correctly.

McKinsey said companies will have to think about how to let agents take care of orders. It said this could happen fast because the tools work on top of websites and apps that people already use for shopping.

Both PSE Consulting and McKinsey said this is the start of a new way to buy things online. As people gain confidence, their own AI could complete more of the shopping work for them during Black Friday and the festive season.

Chris Jones, Managing Director at PSE Consulting, said: “What’s remarkable is how quickly AI has moved from novelty to an integral part of shopping.

“AI is now becoming an active participant in the payment process. Systems designed for human-paced transactions are now under pressure to support high-frequency, autonomous agent-initiated flows. This has major implications for fintechs, merchants, and payment processors, especially around real-time authorisations, fraud detection, and liability management.”

He added: “The emerging ‘AI confidence divide’ is quietly reshaping shopping behaviour. Early adopters are already turning to AI daily to hunt for deals and select gifts, while more traditional shoppers are taking a wait-and-see approach. Businesses that want to stay relevant will need to rethink how they engage customers, whether through integrated AI tools, personalised assistants, or new ways of presenting products that appeal to both early adopters and more hesitant consumers.”