Forty senior executives weigh in on AI’s role in holiday shopping
PYMNTS published a report based on a closed-door roundtable at Mastercard’s New York technology hub that gathered 40 senior executives to assess AI’s impact on this holiday season’s shopping. The report finds that while shoppers accept AI help for product discovery and price comparison, they remain reluctant to let software choose sellers, payment methods or finalize purchases without approval. Retailers must therefore plan for multiple tiers of AI assistance, balancing automation in routine purchases with human oversight for higher‑consideration items.
The roundtable drew leaders from retail, payments, financial services, technology and AI firms, and supplemented its discussion with PYMNTS Intelligence research on consumer and merchant attitudes.
What we know
40 senior executives participated in the roundtable.
The roundtable was held at Mastercard’s New York technology hub.
The report draws on PYMNTS Intelligence research on consumers and merchants.
AI is already changing how people discover products and narrow their choices.
Consumers are much less willing to let software choose the seller, select the payment method or complete the purchase without their approval.