“What should I get Dad for Christmas?” “Where are the best Black Friday deals on headphones?”
More and more people ask AI these questions. Since August, ChatGPT has shown ads in 31 European markets, including Finland. That means your product can appear as a card right under the answer – exactly when the buying decision is made.
Demand comes in three waves
November: Black Friday searches vs a normal month
December: gift searches vs a normal month
After Christmas: deal searches vs a normal month
In November, people don’t search for deals – they search for Black Friday.
November: Black Friday. In Finland, ordinary deal searches rise only about 13%, but Black Friday searches are around 185 times higher than in a normal month.
December: gifts. In December, people search for gifts about four times more than usual.
After Christmas: post-Christmas sales. Right after Christmas, people start hunting for discounts. Deal searches in December are almost twice a normal month, and searches for “ale” (sale) alone are about 2.5 times higher.
Each wave is short. Be ready before it starts.
Shoppers are already asking AI
traffic from AI to retail sites, holiday season 2025 (US)
better conversion for visitors arriving from AI (US)
weekly ChatGPT users
In the US, traffic from AI tools to retail sites grew 693% last holiday season compared with the year before, according to Adobe. And visitors arriving from AI converted 31% better than visitors from other channels. According to OpenAI’s head of ads, about one in five questions to ChatGPT shows direct buying intent (Digiday).
How ChatGPT ads work
- One card under the answer. The ad is never inside the answer, and it is clearly labelled as an ad.
- For Free and Go users. Users under 18 don’t see ads.
- Topic, not personal profile. In the EU, the ad is chosen by the topic of the conversation. You describe the moments where you want to appear, such as “a gift for a dad who loves fishing”.
Two campaigns for the season – plus a bonus
- Black Friday deals, 16–30 Nov. Black Friday is 27 November and Cyber Monday 30 November. One ad group per product category, each with its own offer page.
- Christmas gift guide, 9 Nov – 21 Dec. One ad group per gift moment: for him, for her, for mum, for kids, under €50 and last-minute gifts.
- Bonus: post-Christmas sales, 26–31 Dec. Keep going after Christmas with a campaign of its own, and be the answer when people ask where the best post-Christmas sales are.
Three tips for a good ad
- Describe the moment, not the keyword. Say who the product is for and when.
- One promise per ad. Keep the headline short, around 24 characters, so it shows in full on a phone.
- Only show a price if it holds. Black Friday prices belong in their own campaign.
A new channel with little competition
There are no public benchmarks for ChatGPT ads yet. That makes this season a good time to test: you learn what works and get your own baseline for next year – before your competitors catch up.
Check your other channels too
The season hits all your channels. Now is a good time to also review your Meta, Google Ads and TikTok campaigns, so they’re ready when deal and gift searches take off.
Need help getting started with ChatGPT ads or reviewing your other campaigns? Leave your details below and we’ll get in touch.
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Sources
- Search volumes: Aktio / Google Ads, Finland (Finnish), retrieved 28 October 2026. November or December 2025 compared with a normal month (January–August 2026 average). Black Friday = 22 Black Friday searches; deal searches = tarjoukset, tarjous, alennus, ale, alennuskoodi, tarjouskoodi; gift searches = lahja, lahjat, lahjaideat, lahjaidea, lahja miehelle, lahja naiselle.
- AI traffic +693%: Adobe: Holiday Shopping Season Drove a Record $257.8 Billion Online, US, 1 November – 31 December 2025.
- AI visitors converting 31% better: Adobe: AI-driven traffic surges across industries, January 2026.
- ChatGPT ads in 31 European markets: OpenAI: ChatGPT Ads expands across Europe, August 2026.
- 900 million weekly users and one in five questions with buying intent: OpenAI’s VP of ads Dave Dugan, quoted in Digiday: OpenAI takes ChatGPT ads into Europe, 19 August 2026.
About the author
Jonathan Björkskog
I am the Co-founder of Widetoes, a fast-growing multibrand e-commerce store selling wide shoes across the Nordics & EU. We help people find good-looking and healthy shoes that actually fit their feet, both online and in-store, and are now expanding internationally.
I’m also a founding partner at Genero, where I’ve spent 15+ years helping Enterprises, E-commerce, Media companies and B2B brands create and execute growth marketing plans. I’ve focused on helping them use marketing budgets as smart as possible, balancing Brand, Performance, and Distribution, to maximize growth or profitability.
Occasionally, I speak and share knowledge about ecommerce, marketing, growth, and entrepreneurship.