AI Is Everyone’s Luxury: Premium Brands Can’t Afford a Generational Blind Spot

The biggest mistake luxury brands can make in 2026 is assuming AI only matters to younger customers. In reality, AI is reshaping consumer behavior across all generations, though its influence varies by age group. Brands must therefore keep pace with these shifts to stay relevant.  

Since 2018, we have been exploring the impact of AI on luxury brands as part of our bi-annual “Premium and Luxury Study.” Each wave surveys a representative sample of 1,000 German consumers, from Gen Z to Baby Boomers who regularly or occasionally purchase premium and luxury products.  

Our goal is to track how generational values and attitudes influence high-end buying behavior and purchasing decisions across age groups. Here are some of our findings from this year’s study. 

How Generations Like to Search

Search habits differ sharply across generations. Google is still firmly Baby Boomer territory, regarded as very important or important for 67% of respondents in this group, compared to only 41% of Gen Z. In contrast, social media belongs to Gen Z with 54%, versus only 29% of Baby Boomers.  

Millennials (40%) are the strongest users of retail platforms, such as Mytheresa and Net-a-Porter, for purchase decisions, compared to Gen Z (34%) and Gen X (38%). 

AI-Powered Convenience

The uptake of AI is making shopping much simpler, driven by the need for speed, simplicity, and ease of use. 78% of the total survey base actively uses AI regularly or daily, up from 73% in 2024. About 52% of all generations agree that AI will positively enrich their lives in the future. 

64% of Gen X and 61% of Baby Boomers say they actively follow developments and educate themselves on AI, compared to only 51% of Gen Z. One reason behind this response may be that Gen Z uses AI more intuitively. In contrast older generations feel the need to study to keep up with the changing trends. 

Convenience is a huge factor across all generations, with rapid AI adoption rates notably among older generations, being used to simplify forms and processes. Surprisingly, Baby Boomers (49.5%) value it more than Gen Z (44.5%). 

AI-powered convenience also plays a major role across all stages of the buying cycle, from inspiration to search and decision-making, and it is catching up with traditional tools. While consumers still rely on familiar channels such as brand websites (54%), Google search (55%) and social media (45%), we found a growing adoption of AI: 44% regularly use Google AI and 45% turn to platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Given that search engines have dominated for over 15 years, this narrow 10% gap highlights the remarkable pace at which AI is gaining ground. 

Building Trust With Buyers

Trust plays a major role in consumer behavior. When asked which channels were most important for inspiration, research and comparison, and purchasing decisions, Baby Boomers showed the highest trust in official brand websites, with more than 60% considering them important. In contrast, Gen Z is more skeptical of official channels, with less than 50%, and prefers decentralized information on social platforms. 

When it comes to letting an AI agent make a purchase decision, there’s a noticeable split: Gen Z (41.5%) and Millennials (42%) are ready. Baby Boomers (32%) remain more resistant.  

Likewise, 43% of respondents trust AI in decision-making, such as using AI agents. A slight increase from 41% in 2024. Whereas, younger generations show 42% approval compared to Baby Boomers (27%).  

Both points signal reluctance but a growing interest among senior audiences, which has knock-on effects for brands.  

Since 2024, trust and data privacy concerns in AI have fallen from 51% to 45% across age groups. When asked about concerns regarding AI ethics, Millennials are the least concerned  (31%), followed by Gen Z (42%), Gen X (42%) and Baby Boomers (45%). 

One important lesson: Brands must harness AI for personalized inspiration without compromising privacy. It is also important to address ethical and data concerns proactively, as trust remains a key lever in brand leadership. 

Future-Proofing Luxury

Our analysis shows the real risk isn’t overlooking AI; it’s assuming its impact is limited to select customer segments, especially younger consumers. The implication for premium brands is that they can’t afford to dismiss AI’s universal impact. Likewise, they need to mitigate generational blind spots, as viewing AI adoption through a single generation’s lens creates a constrained understanding of how others think and engage with technology. 

With the rapid rise of AI-based search, generative engine optimization (GEO) is becoming a key driver of traffic and brand visibility. This will impact how luxury brands show up on platforms, differentiate themselves and resonate with audiences across generations.