Struggling to Find the Perfect Gift? How AI Is Revolutionizing Holiday Shopping
With the holiday season fast approaching, many of us find ourselves grappling with the pressure of selecting the perfect gifts for friends and family. Whether it’s a thoughtful present for a loved one or a unique idea for someone who seems impossible to shop for, finding the right gift can be a stressful and time-consuming task.
However, a growing number of people are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to assist with their gift-giving dilemmas, offering a modern solution that may change how we approach holiday shopping.
AI: The New Gift-Giving Assistant
For many, shopping for a gift involves endless hours of scrolling through online stores or wandering aimlessly through crowded shopping malls. This year, however, some shoppers are using AI to streamline the process. Josie Hughes, a resident of Eastbourne, UK, found herself in the familiar holiday struggle of finding the perfect present for her nine-year-old brother. With her background in artificial intelligence, she decided to turn to AI for help, asking tools like ChatGPT for gift suggestions based on her brother's interests.
The result? AI recommended practical gifts like a slackline (a tightrope for outdoor fun), a fishing kit, and a survival kit—ideas Hughes had never considered. “I find it hard to trawl the internet; I don’t want the faff. This saves you a lot of time,” she explained. This experience highlights AI's potential to offer personalized, creative, and unexpected gift ideas, making it easier than ever to find the perfect present.
AI in Holiday Shopping: A Growing Trend
AI-powered tools are not just limited to ChatGPT. A variety of AI-driven services are emerging, designed specifically to assist shoppers in finding the best gifts. Platforms like GiftList, a US-based affiliate site, use AI to help users build personalized gift lists. By asking shoppers a few questions about the recipient's interests and preferences, the service generates tailored gift recommendations, complete with links to products from over 50,000 retailers.
Jon Jaklitsch, CEO of GiftList, explained that the service has evolved to become more conversational, allowing users to interact with the AI tool and refine their gift suggestions. This makes the AI experience more interactive and personal, helping shoppers navigate the often-overwhelming task of finding the perfect gift.
“We found people wanted a more personalized experience, where they could go back and forth with the tool,” Jaklitsch said. This marks a significant shift from traditional search engines, which often provide a more generic list of results.
Personalized Gifts with AI: The Key to Success
One of the key advantages of using AI for holiday shopping is its ability to provide highly personalized gift suggestions. Linda Ellett, UK head of consumer and retail at KPMG, believes AI is recreating the experience of shopping in a physical store. “It’s like going into a shop and asking for advice on a present,” she said. “The ability to get recommendations based on specific preferences brings a human touch to the online shopping experience.”
However, while AI tools are helpful, they aren’t perfect. Some users, like London-based Polly Arrowsmith, have found AI-generated suggestions to be vague or generic. Arrowsmith, a director of marketing, used ChatGPT to get gift ideas for her family, but found that the tool’s responses were too broad, especially when asked for suggestions for her father, who is 83 and enjoys walking and culture. “It assumed he might like a foot massage machine or a personalized walking stick, but he’s very fit and active,” Arrowsmith explained.
Nevertheless, Arrowsmith found the tool to be more effective when asked for specific gift ideas for her partner, particularly when it suggested a pair of noise-canceling headphones. The key takeaway? The more specific the input, the more relevant the recommendations will be.
How to Make the Most of AI for Holiday Shopping
If you want to make the most of AI during the holiday shopping season, experts recommend being as specific as possible when inputting your requests. Dimitry Shevelenko, chief business officer at Perplexity, an AI-powered “answer engine,” suggests asking questions that include details about the recipient, such as their interests, preferences, and even price ranges. For example, instead of asking for “the best coffee maker,” try “What’s the best espresso machine under £500 that also includes a coffee grinder?”
With the right input, AI can provide a wide range of personalized suggestions that cater to every interest and budget. And for those who may be overwhelmed by the shopping process, AI can serve as a valuable starting point for narrowing down the possibilities.
The Future of AI in Shopping
As more consumers embrace AI-powered tools for finding the perfect gift, it’s clear that AI is here to stay in the world of holiday shopping. With predictions that Brits will spend £28.6bn on Christmas gifts this year, AI-driven services are poised to play a significant role in how people shop for presents in the future.
The key takeaway is that AI can be a valuable resource in the gift-giving process, helping shoppers save time and find unique, personalized presents. Whether you're looking for something specific or need a little inspiration, AI tools are quickly becoming an essential part of the modern shopping experience, offering a more efficient and customized way to shop for the holidays.