Published on 2024-12-02 14:11
AI changed my Black Friday shopping in 5 minutes. B2B buying isn’t far behind.
Swipe through the slides to see how AI helped me shop smarter at Target.
I had no plans to shop on Black Friday. But my 12-year-old just HAD to have those light-up reindeer slippers. So there we were.
While my son looked for the slippers, I wandered over to the game aisle. We had neighbors coming for game night and the Black Friday deals were tempting.
With so many unfamiliar games, I pulled out my phone, took photos, uploaded the images, and asked Perplexity Pro (AI search assistant) some questions.
In just 5 minutes, I found:
Which games were best for teens based on top reviews
Where to get the lowest prices
How to buy online with options like Shop Pay or Perplexity’s “Buy with Pro” feature (available with Perplexity’s $20/month subscription in the US, with one-click buying and free shipping)
I’m sure I was the only one using AI while others read boxes, scrolled through Amazon reviews, or phoned friends. But with my “AI buddy”, I knew more in 5 mins. 😉 Hard to believe that someday, most people will be doing the same.
Although I didn’t have time to double-check AI’s work and ended up not buying, this quick experience showed me how our buying habits are about to change:
We’ll make smarter choices with more info at our fingertips.
Buying cycles will shrink as AI advances and trust grows.
Customer reviews and trusted influencers will become more valuable.
We’ll need to see how both AI and buyers handle sponsored vs organic content.
AI isn’t perfect but it will keep getting better.
Trust will matter more than how capable the tech is.
I also realized that I could’ve done this from my kitchen! Soon, it’ll be even simpler:
“Hey AI, please find a fun group game for teens under $30, offered for the best price (including tax and shipping) and has the best reviews. Deliver before our game night at 7 pm MT today. Skip Taboo and Poetry for Neanderthals because we already have those.”
Researched, bought, and delivered, all while I’m making snacks.
The tech isn’t the hard part. It’s trust. Companies need to earn it bit by bit, just like we learned to trust Uber with rides and Airbnb with our vacations. And they need to be careful not to lose trust as it’s hard to earn back.
For go-to-market leaders, this isn’t just about retail, it’s a wake-up call.
Our B2B buyers are these same consumers who are getting used to AI-powered shopping assistants and friction-free purchases.
If a mom can use AI to find the perfect board game in minutes, imagine what a Marketing Ops Director will expect when researching martech software.
The companies that understand this shift and build trust in their AI-enhanced experiences across the customer lifecycle will win.
What was your most recent AI shopping experience? And as buyer behavior evolves with AI, how is your GTM strategy adapting?
#AIAgents #Ecommerce #B2B #CustomerExperience #GTM GrowthPath Partners