Use AI chatbots for ideas and product comparisons, then confirm live prices on Yahoo Shopping, Google Shopping, or DealSeek
On Amazon, pair Rufus (gift ideas + specs) with DealSeek (coupons + low-price alerts) before you check out
Protect yourself by running sketchy links through scam checkers, typing retailer URLs in yourself, and avoiding any “deal” that wants gift cards or wire transfers
AI has officially gone from a tech buzzword to a holiday shopping sidekick.
According to Intuit’s 2025 Holiday Shopping Report, nearly 4 in 10 shoppers (39%) plan to use AI tools for gift buying this year, a 70% jump from last year. The top reasons include finding better prices and discounts (64%), discovering new products (51%), and getting more personalized recommendations (47%).
I spoke with smart shopping expert Trae Bodge, founder of TrueTrae.com, about the best ways to use AI tools for your Black Friday and Christmas shopping this year. And perhaps more importantly, how to avoid the inherent risks that come with them.
What AI is actually good for on Black Friday (and what it’s not)
Bodge says AI chatbots are great for the “idea” part of shopping, but are still a work in progress for the live deal-hunting piece.
“I find AI chatbots to be helpful in finding deals and providing product recommendations, but I haven’t seen that chatbots can source the most current deals,” she explains.
Use chatbots (like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.) to:
- Brainstorm gift ideas for hard-to-shop-for people
- Narrow down options (for example, comparing features of similar TVs, headphones, or kitchen gadgets)
- Get a quick list of retailer policies or return rules to sanity-check before you buy
But when you need up-to-the-minute prices or doorbuster deals, Bodge recommends going to tools built specifically for that, such as Yahoo Shopping or Google Shopping.
These platforms use AI on the backend to surface and compare current prices, but they’re wired into real-time product feeds rather than just pulling from older web pages.
The bottom line is to use chatbots for strategy and product research, then use shopping engines and deal sites for live prices and promos.
Using Amazon’s Rufus to spot real deals (and good gifts)
If you’re an Amazon shopper, Bodge is a fan of Rufus, Amazon’s built-in AI shopping assistant in the app and on desktop.
“I do love Rufus,” she says. “I use it to ask in-depth questions about products, and it’s also helpful for gift suggestions if you don’t know what to give someone – you can tell Rufus about your recipient and ask for suggestions within a specified budget.”
Here’s how to put Rufus to work for holiday shopping:
Ask for tailored gift ideas
- Example: “Gift ideas under $40 for a co-worker who loves coffee and travel.”
- Example: “Stocking stuffers under $15 for a 10-year-old who loves LEGOs and drawing.”
Use it for deal scouting inside Amazon
- You can ask for “top deals in [category]” like “top toy deals for kids ages 10–12” or “best TV deals under $500 with at least 4-star ratings.”
- Rufus can surface daily deals and promotions and help you compare options based on features, reviews and price.
Ask follow-up questions before you buy
- “Is this a good TV for a bright room?”
- “Which of these has the best battery life?”
Rufus can even tie into Amazon’s newer AI features, like visual tools (Lens Live) and “Help me decide,” which help you compare similar products and get a “best overall,” “budget pick,” and “upgrade” option.
You’ll still want to quickly compare against at least one other retailer or price-comparison tool, but Rufus can dramatically cut down the time you spend clicking through pages of listings.
Other AI tools that can quietly save you money
Travel planning and deals
Bodge says she doesn’t personally use ChatGPT for travel prices because she usually has a specific destination and dates in mind.
But if your plans are flexible, chatbots can be super helpful for the following:
- Generating sample itineraries that are very helpful when researching a destination (for example, ask something like “Create a 5-day Barcelona itinerary for 2 adults and a teen who loves art and food off the beaten path”).
- I’ve found that AI is also good at spotting off-peak travel dates and alternate airports that can knock a big chunk off the final price. Give this prompt a shot, “Find the cheapest off-peak dates to fly from [HOME AIRPORT] to [DESTINATION] around [MONTH/RANGE], plus any cheaper nearby airports.”
- Creating pre-travel checklists so you don’t waste money on forgotten items or last-minute purchases.
Use the chatbot to sketch the trip, then price it out on actual travel sites. Try not to rely on the bot for final travel costs or availability.
Amazon-specific deal finder: DealSeek
If most of your holiday shopping happens on Amazon, Bodge calls out a newer tool called DealSeek.
DealSeek is an AI-powered site and app that scans Amazon for promo codes, coupons, and flash sales, and highlights what it says are some of the best deals at any given time, updated hourly.
Some users also rely on it to flag items that are at or near their lowest price in recent months, similar to what traditional price-tracking tools do.
How to use it smartly:
- Before you checkout on Amazon, search that item or category on DealSeek.
- Look for any hidden coupons or lower-than-normal price notes.
- Still double-check reviews and return policies back on Amazon before you buy, especially when buying from 3rd parties.
AI can save you money — but scammers are using it too
Bodge stresses that while AI can help you find deals, it’s also supercharging scams, especially around Black Friday.
Tools like McAfee’s Scam Detector, now part of McAfee’s core security plans, use machine learning to scan links, texts, emails, and even videos for signs of phishing, fraud, and deepfake manipulation.
According to Bodge, here’s how a scam detector can protect you when doing your holiday shopping:
Check links from chatbots - If a popular AI chatbot like ChatGPT, Grok, or Gemini suggests a site you’ve never heard of, be sure to copy the URL and paste it into a scam-checking tool like McAfee’s Scam Detector to see if it looks suspicious before you click.
Scan sketchy texts and emails – If you ever get a message telling you about a “delivery problem”, or a surprise “account alert”, don’t blindly believe it. Run it through a scam-detection tools and it’ll analyze the full message and flag likely scams before you click on anything.
Spot deepfake ads and videos – One of the newest AI scams is the use of fake celebrity or “expert” videos to push bogus shopping links. They look amazingly real, but if something seems a little off about them, you should trust your gut and investigate. Most Scam Detector (and similar tools) are built to catch these before you compromise your credit card information.
Quick safety rules to pair with your AI tools:
- Type in retailer URLs yourself instead of clicking links in messages.
- Be wary of any “deal” that requires payment via gift cards, wire transfer, or crypto.
- When in doubt, go directly to the retailer’s official site or app and look for the promotion there.
The takeaway: Let AI be your co-pilot, not your autopilot
This holiday season, AI can absolutely help you shop smarter:
- Use chatbots to brainstorm gifts, compare products and plan trips.
- Use AI-powered shopping engines and tools (Yahoo Shopping, Google Shopping, DealSeek) to surface real-time deals.
- Use security tools like McAfee’s Scam Detector to sanity-check links, messages and ads before you click.
But the basics still apply: compare prices, read reviews on trusted sites, and slow down before you enter payment info anywhere new.