American shoppers are turning away from screens when choosing holiday gifts this year, even as they lean on artificial intelligence more than ever to plan their purchases.
A new industry survey finds sixty-four percent of consumers say they’re prioritizing screen-free gifts this year, and that number climbs to 78% among Gen Z , according to PwC’s Holiday Outlook 2026.
A nostalgic shift among the youngest shoppers
The finding stands out because Gen Z, the generation raised on smartphones and social apps, is leading the pullback from tech-enabled gifts rather than following it.
As PwC put it, “even as people embrace new technology, they want something more old-fashioned under the wrapping paper this year: screen-free gifts, in-person experiences, and a season that feels nostalgic.”
The preference extends well beyond gifts for children. Nearly eight in 10 Gen Z consumers are drawn to nostalgic, screen-free gifts (compared to 64% of all consumers) and 81% are prioritizing offline activities.
For shoppers buying presents for kids specifically, the pattern is just as clear. Among those shopping for children, 41% are leaning toward screen-free, hands-on gifts like board games and art supplies, compared with 27% who plan to buy tech devices or tech-enabled entertainment.
Physical stores hold their ground
The appetite for tactile, unplugged experiences is also reshaping where people shop, not just what they buy. Fifty-two percent of consumers plan to browse stores for gift ideas, and 60% expect to buy gifts in person.
Seventy-one percent of Gen Z shoppers say they enjoy browsing in person, compared with 60% of consumers overall.
That in-store pull comes even as overall consumer confidence has weakened. Holiday gift spending is expected to decline just 2% year over year to an average of $708 per consumer, even as consumer confidence remains low.
The bigger pullback shows up in travel and discretionary experiences. The bigger pullback is showing up in travel and discretionary experiences. The pattern echoes other recent spending pullbacks on extras that households have reported this year, even as they protect gift budgets.
AI enters the research phase, not the checkout
The same survey captures a second trend running in parallel with the screen-free pivot: a steady rise in AI use during the shopping process itself.
AI is becoming a more common shopping assistant, according to CNBC’s coverage of the PwC report: 29% of consumers plan to use AI somewhere in their holiday shopping this year. That’s up from 22% last year.
Among shoppers who do turn to AI tools, the use case remains narrow. The way consumers are using AI for shopping is diverse: 75% of shoppers use it to research products, and 55% use it to compare prices.
Most people are still not buying products directly through AI platforms. “For now, AI is the modern equivalent of a knowledgeable friend at the mall, not the cash register,” the PwC report read.
Why the split matters for retailers
Taken together, the two trends point to a holiday season where digital tools shape the search for gifts but rarely the final decision, and where the gifts themselves increasingly skip screens altogether.
That combination mirrors how younger shoppers have embraced nostalgia in other corners of retail this year, from secondhand racks to analog hobbies.
PwC surveyed 4,093 consumers in the US between June 15 and June 26, 2026, for its newly released Holiday Outlook 2026, suggesting retailers that lean too heavily into AI-driven checkout experiences risk missing where Gen Z’s wallet is actually headed this winter.
That wallet is headed into board games, art supplies and other tangible items picked out, at least in part, during an in-person store visit.
