I read some astounding stats on Linkedin recently about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) around Black Friday.
According to various reports:
- Chatbot interactions increased by 1800% year-on-year on Black Friday (Adobe Analytics)
- 44% of consumers intended to use AI-powered shopping assistants for Black Friday (Attest)
- 48% said they’d consult AI chatbots like ChatGPT to learn about products and gift ideas (Attest)
Now, I’m no stranger to generative AI (GenAI) but my use has been strictly business. I have no idea why this tool hasn’t seeped into my personal life but perhaps it should.
I am a horrible, terrible procrastinator of a shopper. I stay in research mode way past the deadline, paralysed by a huge burden to get people the perfect gift.
Could GenAI be my saviour? There’s only one way to find out...
Thursday 5 December
I started with Perplexity AI and being a newbie to this I respectfully said to my lovely assistant:
‘I’d like you to help me do my Christmas shopping. What are the best prompts to use so you can do this brilliantly?’
I was presented with a video to watch called AI prompts (no thanks) and then some sort-of helpful sentences to get me started.
So confident was I that AI was going to save the day, I decided to put it off for a few more days.
Monday 16 December
Today felt like a ChatGPT day. So, armed with new knowledge on perfect prompting, I started by looking for a gift for my forever-young sister fifty-something sister who loves indie music, mid-century design, and fashion – especially leopard print.
‘I am looking for a small add on gift for £30 or under’ I told ChatGPT.
I did not anticipate how literal and inside the box the ideas would be and got 8 ideas that pretty much just played back my prompt:
- Leopard print scarf or accessories
- Vinyl record or limited edition indie music
- Mid-century design home accessories
- Leopard print notebook
Me: “Can you think a little more creatively, outside the box.”
ChatGPT: “Sure! Let’s get creative with some unique and outside-the box ideas that align with her love for indie music, mid-century design and leopard print.”
I began to feel bad at having distilled my sister’s complex personality down to those three simple things.
Here’s what ChatGPT came back with:
- DIY Leopard Print personalised record
- Vintage mid-century vinyl record storage box
- Indie band candle
- Mid-century modern puzzle
Indie band candle? Is that a thing?
Me: “Indie band candle. Tell me more. And provide links.”
ChatGPT: “Several indie bands collaborate with candle brands to release limited edition candles tied to their music.”
Wow, do they? Well, apparently not, because the bands it suggested were (a) too modern for my sister and (b) not indie by my (perhaps slightly grumpy) definition.
But this was also my learning moment. I can report that, after much research, indie band candles are not a thing at all. That’s AI ‘hallucinations’ for you. I gave up.
Tuesday 17 December
Back to Perplexity and decided to give my mid-century, leopard print, indie loving sister a break and move onto another family member – my brother’s partner.
Their parting words to me about Christmas gifts were that they love vodka and skulls.
Perplexity: “Based on your brother's partner's interesting, I have some excellent gift ideas that combine their love for vodka, skulls, and steampunk fashion..."
The results were better and I did love that they included images and links.
But honestly, I think if I plugged “vodka + skulls" into Google I would have got the same results.
I clicked around and eventually found some pretty cool vodka. Smugly, I messaged my husband but alas he responded “Ah, sorry, forgot to say don’t worry, I’ve sorted it.”
Friday 20 December
Was AI my saviour from my Christmas procrastination? In short no.
Was it my poor prompts? Was it not up to the job? Was it just me? Probably all of the above. You know who was my saviour? As always, it was my husband.
The important thing, though, is that the stats at the top of this post – and my desperate attempts to get help from ChatGPT – reveal:
1. A ‘pain point’ around ideas.
2. A willingness to use AI to solve human problems.
An AI trained on the right data, with the right guardrails, properly integrated into customer journeys, could be a gamechanger for Christmas 2025.
