New data suggests consumers using AI to shop are spending significantly more per order, as ecommerce expert Thomas Phillips warns retailers still optimising solely for Google search could miss out this Black Friday
Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a new gateway to online shopping, with new data suggesting consumers who use AI to help make purchasing decisions are spending 30% to 40% more per order.
Data reported from the latest back-to-school shopping season found 61% of shoppers used generative AI tools to find prices or deals, while around 70% used AI to compare products and summarise reviews.
But with Black Friday and the Christmas shopping period approaching, ecommerce expert Thomas Phillips, CEO of DTC SEO Agency, warns many online retailers are still building their digital strategies around one assumption: that shoppers will find them through a traditional Google search.
Phillips says the rise of AI-assisted shopping means businesses now need to consider an entirely different question: would an AI shopping assistant actually recommend their product?
"Ranking first on Google doesn't automatically mean AI will recommend you"
Thomas Phillips, CEO and SEO expert at DTC SEO Agency, said:
"Retailers have spent years fighting for the first few positions on Google, but we're moving into a world where a customer might not visit a search results page at all.
They could ask an AI assistant to find the best running shoes under £100, compare three coffee machines, find a skincare product for a particular concern or choose a Christmas present within a specific budget.
The important part for businesses is what happens next. The AI is effectively creating the shortlist for the customer.
That means being visible isn't enough anymore. Your products need to be easy for these systems to understand, compare and trust.
The fact we're seeing AI-assisted shoppers spending as much as 30% to 40% more per order should get the attention of every ecommerce business heading into Black Friday. This isn't just another marketing trend. We're potentially seeing a new type of high-value customer emerge."
Five things retailers should check before Black Friday
Phillips says ecommerce businesses should use the weeks ahead of Black Friday to check whether their product information can be easily interpreted by both search engines and AI shopping tools.
1. Make product information specific
Generic product descriptions give AI systems very little to work with. Retailers should clearly state materials, dimensions, compatibility, use cases, specifications and the type of customer the product is designed for.
"If somebody asks AI for a very specific product recommendation, vague copy makes it harder for your product to become the answer," Phillips explains.
2. Keep prices and availability accurate
Pricing, stock availability and product information should be consistent across the retailer's website and shopping feeds.
An AI assistant recommending an unavailable product or showing an outdated price creates a poor customer experience and can remove a retailer from consideration altogether.
3. Don't overlook structured product data
Structured data helps search engines and other systems understand information including price, availability, ratings and product details.
Phillips says this increasingly needs to be treated as commercial infrastructure rather than a technical SEO task buried on a development list.
4. Give customers useful comparison information
AI shopping tools are particularly suited to comparison queries.
Retailers should make it easy to understand why one model, size or product is different from another rather than forcing customers to piece the information together themselves.
5. Build evidence that exists beyond your own website
Thomas Phillips, CEO of DTC SEO Agency says AI visibility also makes third-party authority increasingly important.
Reviews, independent coverage, reputable mentions and useful discussions about a brand or product can all contribute to the wider information available when AI systems attempt to understand which brands and products are credible.
Black Friday could be the first major test
The shift comes at an important point in the retail calendar.
Black Friday 2026 falls on 27 November, followed by Cyber Monday on 30 November, giving retailers less than three months to prepare for one of the biggest online shopping periods of the year.
Phillips believes businesses should resist treating AI shopping optimisation as something to revisit in 2027.
He added:
"The biggest mistake would be waiting until AI shopping becomes completely mainstream before doing anything about it.
Black Friday gives retailers a very obvious deadline. Look at your best-selling products now and ask whether an AI system has enough clear, reliable information to confidently recommend them against a competitor.
SEO isn't disappearing, but the journey between a customer having a question and making a purchase is changing.
For ecommerce businesses, the next battle isn't simply getting customers to click your website. It's getting your products onto the shortlist before that click even happens."
