A year ago, AI-powered shopping assistants were little more than curiosities. Now they are a standard feature across online retail as companies race to make holiday gift hunting faster and more personalized.
With Black Friday behind us and Christmas approaching, retailers and tech giants have rolled out a wave of new generative AI features designed to guide shoppers through crowded digital aisles.
Amazon pioneered the trend in early 2024 with Rufus, a conversational assistant that answers product questions and offers recommendations inside the Amazon app and website. Walmart followed with its Sparky chatbot, Target launched a seasonal gift-finder tool, and Ralph Lauren introduced “Ask Ralph” in partnership with Microsoft for style advice.
Early results are uneven — one tester found Rufus struggled with generic items such as a replacement rice-cooker pot or sink trivet — but branded searches often fare better, AP reported.
Beyond single-store chatbots, broader search tools have emerged. OpenAI last week added a dedicated shopping-research mode to ChatGPT that compares specifications and prices across the web, especially for electronics and appliances. Google updated its AI Mode search and Gemini app to deliver photo-rich summaries drawn from billions of product listings. Perplexity introduced its own tailored shopping assistant that remembers past queries.
Virtual try-on has also improved. Google now lets U.S., Canadian, Japanese, and Australian users upload a full-body photo and see how clothes or shoes would look on them — no professional model required. Accessories, swimwear, and lingerie are excluded.
Some services go further. Amazon and Google have begun testing “agentic” features that can monitor prices and complete purchases after user confirmation. Amazon’s “Buy For Me” button even lets its AI buy out-of-stock items directly from third-party brand sites using encrypted payment information.
For in-store shoppers, Google will telephone nearby U.S. retailers to check toy, electronics, or beauty-product availability when users add “near me” to a search and select the “Let Google Call” option.
Retailers large and small are jumping in. Walmart and Sam’s Club partnered with OpenAI so customers can shop their catalogs inside ChatGPT. Target is rolling out a custom app experience within the same platform. Home Depot released Blueprint Takeoffs, an AI tool that produces material lists for building projects in days instead of weeks, while Lowe’s Mylow assistant fields nearly a million monthly questions about DIY projects and product location.
The push appears to be paying off. Salesforce reported that AI agents influenced 20% of Cyber Week orders worldwide, contributing to $67 billion in global sales. Adobe Analytics said U.S. online Black Friday spending hit a record $11.8 billion, up 9.1% from the previous year, with shoppers arriving through AI chat services 38% more likely to complete a purchase.
As one retail analytics expert, Lori Niquette, told Business Insider, AI is not changing what people buy — it is changing how they decide.