AI reshapes Australian retail ahead of Black Friday

Research from Shopify reveals that nearly half of Australians now use AI for at least some shopping tasks, with that figure rising to 70 per cent among 25–34-year-olds.

As Black Friday approaches, Australian consumers plan to spend an average of $346 over the sales weekend—up from last year.

Retailers are adapting through Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), enriching product data, and building brand trust via social media and online mentions to remain discoverable by AI-driven search tools like ChatGPT and Gemini.

Experts note that smaller retailers can now compete with larger ones by getting their AI content strategy right.

The upcoming sales season is expected to see deeper AI integration, including seamless Google AI Mode checkout experiences, as retailers race to meet shifting consumer behaviour.

In partnership with Shopify.