By Steve Merrill, Founder of WRKNG Digital — October 17, 2026
How will holiday shoppers use AI to pick stores this year?
This holiday season, more shoppers will hand the first half of the decision to an assistant. They will describe what they want, let AI shortlist the stores, and only then start clicking. The store that is readable and trusted makes the list. Here are six ways that plays out.
1. They will ask an assistant to find the deals
Instead of scanning ten tabs, shoppers will ask ChatGPT or Perplexity to find the best price on a specific item. The store with readable price and Offer markup gets named. The rest never surface.
2. Gift shopping will move to description, not keywords
People describe gifts by situation, not product names. "A warm jacket for my dad who hikes" surfaces stores whose product data matches that description, not a keyword. Complete Product attributes are what let a model make that match.
3. Live inventory will decide who gets recommended
Assistants avoid sending shoppers to sold-out products during the rush. Fast, accurate stock data keeps you in the running when demand spikes.
4. Price transparency will get rewarded
Clear price and shipping in machine-readable markup lets an assistant compare you fairly. Hidden costs get you filtered before a human ever sees you.
5. Reviews and ratings will do more work
Machine-readable ratings give assistants something to rank on. Review structured data is how that signal reaches the model.
6. The decision will happen before the click
The assistant often shortlists stores against competitors before the shopper ever visits. Your structured data is what gets you on that list in the first place.
Here's the bottom line: the stores that win this holiday are the ones a machine can read, trust, and recommend before a human gets involved. That work has to be done before the rush, not during it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How will AI change holiday shopping this year?
More shoppers will describe what they want and let an assistant shortlist stores, so the store with readable price, stock, and attribute data gets named first.
What store data matters most for AI holiday visibility?
Live inventory, clear price and shipping in Offer markup, and machine-readable ratings, because assistants filter and rank on all of them during the rush.
Why does the holiday decision happen before the click?
Assistants often shortlist stores against competitors before the shopper visits, so structured data is what gets you on the list in the first place.
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