More UK shoppers than ever plan to use AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini during Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2026. According to YouGov's Great Britain Black Friday report, published on 8 October 2026, 34% of likely Black Friday shoppers expect to use an AI tool to navigate the sales, up from 19% a year ago. Their main job for it is simple: checking whether a discount is genuine and finding the best price.
Black Friday falls on 27 November 2026, with Cyber Monday on 30 November. If you run any kind of offer, from a product sale to a discounted service package, there is a growing chance a shopper will ask an AI assistant about it before they ask you. That makes clear, honest and up-to-date information on your website more valuable than a bigger percentage off.
What YouGov found about Black Friday 2026
YouGov surveyed more than 2,000 British adults between 13 July and 11 August 2026. The headline findings for UK businesses:
- 23% of British adults say they are likely to shop Black Friday or Cyber Monday. That rises to 31% among Gen Z and Millennials.
- 34% of likely shoppers expect to use AI to help them through the sales, compared with 19% in last year's survey. YouGov notes the question wording changed slightly between years.
- 47% say working out whether a discount is genuine is the hardest part of the sales. That rises to 58% among Gen X and Baby Boomers.
- 40% would happily let AI find them the best price. Only 5% would let it complete the purchase.
- 82% are confident that checking retailer websites or apps themselves will find them the best deal. Confidence in AI tools sits at 47%.
The full picture is in YouGov's downloadable report, which compares Britain with 18 other markets.
Shoppers want proof, not just a big percentage
The most striking finding is that UK shoppers are not overwhelmed by choice. They are sceptical. Nearly half of likely Black Friday shoppers struggle to tell a real saving from an inflated "was" price, and that scepticism is the main reason many are turning to AI.
Budgets are tighter too. Omnisend's 2026 Black Friday survey of more than 1,000 UK consumers found Brits plan to spend an average of £267, down from £390 last year. When people have less to spend, they check harder before they buy.
UK regulators are watching the same issue. On 8 October 2026 the Advertising Standards Authority's CAP team published Black Friday guidance on savings claims. It reminds businesses that claims like "50% off" must be genuine, that "up to" claims must fairly reflect what most shoppers will find, and that you should keep pricing history and sales records in case a claim is challenged. Since April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act has also banned "drip pricing", where extra mandatory charges appear late in checkout.
So shoppers, AI tools and regulators are all asking the same question: is this offer real?
Which AI tools UK shoppers plan to use
Among likely Black Friday shoppers, YouGov found the most popular choices are:
- ChatGPT: 38%
- Google Gemini: 26%
- Microsoft Copilot: 10%
- Claude: 9%
- Meta AI: 8%
Over a third say they will not use any AI tool at all, so this is a growing habit rather than a universal one.
Shoppers who use AI also have clear worries about it. The top concern is biased or sponsored recommendations (48% of AI shoppers), followed by inaccurate or outdated information (42%). That second point matters to any business. If an AI assistant describes your offer using an old price or a deal that ended last year, the shopper loses trust in the answer and possibly in you.
Why your website is still the deciding step
Here is the reassuring part. AI is being used to *find* deals, not to *close* them. With 82% of likely shoppers trusting their own checks of retailer websites, your site remains the place where the decision is made.
People increasingly ask AI first and then check your website before they get in touch or buy. An AI answer can put you on a shortlist. Your website has to confirm the offer is real, the price is clear and you are a business worth trusting.
It also means AI tools need to be able to read your pages. If your site blocks the crawlers these assistants rely on, you may be left out of their answers entirely. Our guide on whether your website is blocking AI agents explains how to check.
What this means for your business
You do not need a big retail operation for this to matter. Trades, salons, gyms, clinics and local shops all run seasonal offers. A few practical steps go a long way.
- Show the real price, all of it, up front. Include booking fees and any other mandatory charges in the headline price. Hidden extras are exactly what AI summaries and sceptical shoppers pick up on.
- Only use a "was" price you genuinely charged. If you show a saving, make sure the earlier price was real and recent, and keep a record of it. If you cannot prove it, do not use it.
- Put offer dates and conditions in plain text. State when the offer starts and ends, what is included and any stock limits. Text on the page is easier for search engines and AI tools to read than words baked into a banner image.
- Take expired offers down. Last year's Black Friday page with an old price is a gift to an AI tool looking for "outdated information". Remove it, update it or redirect it.
- Make product and service details machine-readable. For online shops, Google's product structured data helps search engines read your price, availability and offer details correctly. Keep it consistent with what the page actually shows.
- Back your offer with real reviews. Genuine customer reviews reassure a sceptical shopper. Fake reviews are now explicitly banned under the same UK consumer law.
If you sell products online, our earlier posts on getting your website ready for holiday shoppers and AI shopping agents cover the wider picture. If you plan to advertise your offer, remember that Google is bringing ads into AI Mode in the UK this quarter, so your landing pages need the same clarity.
A quick Black Friday website checklist
- Does your offer page show the full price, dates and conditions in text?
- Can you prove any "was" price or "save £X" claim?
- Have you removed or updated last year's offer pages?
- Do your product or service pages match your adverts and social posts?
- Can AI crawlers and search engines reach your key pages?
FAQ
How many UK shoppers will use AI for Black Friday 2026?
YouGov found that 34% of likely UK Black Friday shoppers expect to use an AI tool to help them through the sales, up from 19% last year. Across all British adults, 15% have used AI to shop at some point.
What do shoppers use AI for during Black Friday?
Mainly finding the best price, comparing offers and checking whether a discount is genuine. Very few shoppers (5%) would let AI complete a purchase for them.
Which AI tools are UK Black Friday shoppers using?
ChatGPT is the most popular at 38% of likely shoppers, followed by Google Gemini at 26%, Microsoft Copilot at 10%, Claude at 9% and Meta AI at 8%.
How can a small business make its Black Friday offer more trustworthy?
Show the full price up front, only use genuine "was" prices, state dates and conditions clearly in text and remove old offers.
What to do next
Black Friday is four weeks away, which is enough time to tidy up your offer pages calmly. This year, the offers that are easiest to check and believe will beat the ones with the biggest percentage.
If you would like help making your website clearer for shoppers and AI tools, our SEO and GEO services and website design and development teams can help. If your site needs a refresh first, start with our free website offer. We will tell you plainly what is worth fixing before the sales and what can wait until January.
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