AI assistants reshape Black Friday shopping choices

Go Up has warned retailers that AI assistants are becoming a key route into Black Friday shopping, creating a growing battle to appear in AI-generated product shortlists.

The agency pointed to a sharp rise in consumers using AI tools for product research, comparison and deal discovery, alongside higher volumes of traffic from AI platforms to UK retail websites during the holiday shopping period.

Its analysis of global search demand found searches for "AI shopping" rose 1,134% year on year, while demand for "AI shopping assistant" increased 872%. Go Up also cited Adobe research showing traffic from AI platforms to UK retail sites rose by more than 1,200% between August 2024 and June 2025, while AI-driven referrals during November and December 2025 were 329% higher than a year earlier.

Separate research cited by the agency found 67% of UK consumers had used an AI tool in the previous three months. Among European shoppers who used generative AI to support a purchase, about half used it to research products or discover brands, while about four in 10 used it to compare options.

Tom Skinner, co-founder and managing director at Go Up, said the change could alter how retailers approach Black Friday search strategy.

"Retailers have spent the past 20 years learning how to appear when someone searches on Google. They now need to understand what happens when the customer asks an AI assistant to do the searching for them."

He said the shift could leave retailers exposed even if they perform well in conventional search results.

"This Black Friday, retailers will not only be competing for rankings and clicks. They will be competing to appear in the shortlist an AI assistant produces before a shopper visits a single website."

He added: "That creates a different visibility challenge. A retailer might rank well for a product search and still be absent when someone asks an AI tool to compare the best options, explain the trade-offs or recommend the most suitable product for a particular need."

Changing discovery

The agency pointed to the launch of Shopping Research in ChatGPT shortly before Black Friday 2025 as a sign of how quickly AI-led shopping tools are moving into product discovery. According to Go Up, that left retailers little time last year to assess how such tools might affect traffic and customer acquisition.

Skinner said traditional SEO still matters because AI systems often draw on information from search engines and retail websites. But, he added, product pages now need to answer the practical questions shoppers ask when comparing products.

"Traditional SEO remains important because search engines and retail websites still provide much of the information AI tools rely on. But appearing in conventional search results is now only part of the job."

He continued: "AI assistants need enough information to understand what a product is, who it is for, where it performs well and how it compares with the alternatives. Thin product descriptions and generic Black Friday copy give them very little to work with."

He added that retailers should check whether their product pages answer the questions a shopper would naturally ask, including dimensions, compatibility, practical use cases, limitations, delivery, returns, reviews and meaningful comparisons.

"It is not about adding more copy for the sake of it. It is about making the product easier for both consumers and AI systems to evaluate."

Role of reputation

Olivia Bennett, senior digital PR account director at Go Up, said AI shopping tools can narrow a crowded field of offers before a consumer reaches a retailer's website.

"Black Friday can be exhausting for shoppers. There may be hundreds of offers, repeated promotional claims and very little obvious difference between one product and another.

"AI can reduce that noise. Instead of opening 15 tabs, shoppers can describe what they need, set a budget and ask for a manageable shortlist."

Bennett said that means retailers need to consider how they are represented beyond their own websites, including reviews, media coverage, buying guides and customer discussions.

"That does not mean they will blindly accept the first answer. It means the first stage of consideration is changing. By the time some shoppers reach a retailer's website, they may already have compared the alternatives and decided which brands feel credible."

Adobe research cited by the agency found visitors arriving through AI-powered platforms spent 23% longer on retail sites than those coming through traditional sources.

Bennett said wider brand signals may shape whether a retailer appears in AI-generated recommendations.

"Retailers cannot shape these recommendations through product pages alone. AI tools may encounter a brand through reviews, media coverage, buying guides, customer discussions, LinkedIn profiles and independent comparisons."

She added: "This is where digital PR has a much broader role than link building. The coverage surrounding a backlink helps explain what a brand is known for, which subjects its spokespeople understand and why it should be trusted."

"Digital PR was largely left out of the early conversation around AI search, but that is changing. Brands now need to identify the discussions they should genuinely be part of and build a consistent presence across credible media coverage, expert commentary, reviews, owned content and visible spokespeople."

She added: "If those sources say very little, contradict one another or fail to explain what makes the brand different, a Black Friday campaign cannot fix that overnight."

What retailers should test

Skinner said retailers should review how their products and brands appear when consumers ask AI tools questions about key categories, use cases and budgets. They should check whether they are recommended, merely mentioned or omitted, and whether the information shown is accurate.

"Retailers should be recording whether they are recommended, merely mentioned or missing from the answer altogether. They also need to check whether the descriptions, prices and product details being presented are accurate."

He added: "Where competitors are appearing more prominently, the useful question is why. It may be stronger product information, clearer comparisons, better reviews or more credible third-party coverage. That gives retailers something practical to work on rather than simply trying to 'optimise for AI' in the abstract."

"Product pages should clearly explain specifications, compatibility, use cases and limitations, while feeds and structured data need to present that information consistently. Retailers should also look beyond their own websites to whether reviews, expert coverage and independent mentions support the claims they are making."

Skinner said the work should begin well before Black Friday campaigns go live because AI recommendations are shaped by a broader pool of information than a retailer's own listings and adverts.

"AI recommendations are shaped by the wider information available about a brand and its products. Improving that picture may involve content, product data, reviews, digital PR and third-party authority. It takes time, so the work needs to begin while Black Friday campaigns are still being planned, not once the offers are live."

Bennett said more shoppers will understand what AI tools can do this year and expect quicker, more personalised answers.

"Last year showed that consumers were willing to use AI during the holiday shopping period. This year, more shoppers will understand what these tools can do and expect quicker, more personalised answers."

She added: "Retailers should not assume the customer journey begins with their advert, email or even a Google search. It may begin with a conversation in which the retailer is not present at all."

Skinner said Google would remain hugely important this Black Friday, but no longer the only gateway retailers need to consider.

"Brands that act now have an opportunity to influence how their products are understood and recommended. Those that wait may find the customer has already made a shortlist before ever reaching them."