With the holiday season approaching — and many Americans still paying off last year’s gifts — shoppers are looking for ways to stretch their budgets. A WalletHub study shows nearly 1 in 4 Americans are carrying debt from the 2024 holiday season. Now, with artificial intelligence tools widely available, many are wondering: Can AI actually help find better prices and smarter gift ideas?
We tested several AI shopping assistants to see how well they perform — including ChatGPT by OpenAI and Amazon‘s AI assistant Rufus.
AI Gift Tools: What They Can Do
Shopping experts say AI can help consumers discover gift ideas tailored to age, interests and budget.
Trae Bodge of TrueTrae.com explained that tools like Amazon’s Rufus can:
- Suggest gift ideas based on age and hobbies
- Sort options by price range
- Recommend alternatives at lower cost
A survey from marketing platform Klaviyo found 54% of consumers plan to use AI this holiday season to compare prices and get product recommendations.
Testing ChatGPT for Gift Planning
We gave ChatGPT:
Three kids’ ages
Their interests
A $250 budget per child
It returned a complete list of gift ideas with price estimates and links. After a few adjustments, it offered a useful, cost-conscious plan — especially for shoppers who want to stay within budget and avoid impulse spending.
Where Rufus Helps — and Struggles
Rufus stands out when asking:
“Can I get this gift for less?”
It can:
- Recommend lower-cost alternatives
- Track prices (with some limitations)
- Alert users in the Amazon mobile app when prices drop
However, price tracking didn’t work consistently on desktop, and setup required extra steps.
Is AI Good for Last-Minute Shopping?
We also asked AI to find the same items in stock for same-day pickup at local stores.
Results were hit or miss:
- ChatGPT listed items in stores where they were not available
- Some in-store availability suggestions were outdated or inaccurate
In short: AI is much better for planning ahead, not emergency shopping the night before Christmas.
Bottom Line
AI tools can help:
- Stay within budget
- Track and compare prices
- Generate personalized gift ideas
But:
- They work best when you start early
- They are less reliable for same-day store availability
- Manual price checking still matters
With more retailers using AI to automate work — and even reducing staff, as seen in Amazon’s recent layoffs — these tools are likely only becoming more common.
