With all the focus in recent months about how AI is shaping consumer behavior, a recent Forbes article reported on why it believes retailers need to position themselves this holiday season to take advantage.
Black Friday has expanded into a multi-week cycle that now defines how retailers finish the year. With major chains launching promotions earlier than ever, shoppers are already making decisions — and retailers that delay risk missing their window. This shift has raised the stakes for store execution, inventory planning, and digital engagement, especially for brands evaluating new markets or adjusting their real estate strategy.
Holiday spending is heavily front-loaded, and consumers are more intentional than in previous years. Nearly half plan their shopping lists ahead of time, and more than three quarters will participate in Black Friday and Cyber Monday in some form. To capture their share, retailers need to ensure their must-win categories are visible, available, and priced competitively, not just during the long weekend, but throughout the entire promotional season. Location visibility, ease of access, and strong co-tenancy all become more important when shoppers are deciding early where and how they’ll spend.
The biggest shift, however, is how AI is influencing those decisions. Nearly half of U.S. shoppers expect to use conversational or Gen AI tools to research products, compare pricing, and narrow their purchase lists, double last year’s adoption rate. This means retailers must think beyond traditional promotions and begin positioning their products where AI tools can “find” them. Clear product data, structured content, strong reviews, and accurate inventory feeds are becoming just as important as in-store signage and endcap displays.
Retailers can also use AI internally to improve their holiday performance. AI-driven demand forecasting reduces stockouts, improves allocations by store, and helps retailers avoid excess inventory that erodes margins after the holidays. Customer-facing AI tools (from guided product finders to personalized deal recommendations) can boost conversion both online and in-store. Retailers using these systems gain a measurable edge in high-intent moments like Black Friday.
In a holiday season defined by early action and digitally influenced decisions, the retailers who win will be those who prepare early, lean into AI, and create a seamless path from online discovery to in-store purchase. For any brand assessing its store fleet, its expansion strategy, or even its upcoming lease decisions, this is the moment to connect real estate, merchandising, and AI adoption into a single, focused plan for capturing holiday spend.
