Black Friday shaped by AI – where did you win (and lose)?

Hi there, it’s Chris here, co-founder at PPC Geeks.

I wanted to reach out directly during this peak season as I’ve been combing through data and it’s fascinating. I’ve been in this industry coming up 2 decades and it’s evolving faster than ever.

Specifically, I’ve been reviewing how AI influenced Black Friday this year. After talking to clients and leads, the trend is clear: cost of living pressure is still biting, brand loyalty keeps slipping, and people are using search to chase price more than ever. Add AI into the mix and shoppers start following direct recommendations rather than previous habits.

Google Search is still a behemoth compared to ChatGPT. It is roughly 210 times bigger in terms of search volume, based on analysis from Search Engine Land. This is why the real shift is happening inside Google itself.

What changed

(Data from Adthena)

• AI Overviews displaced ads across major sectors. Healthcare had almost two thirds of ads pushed below the AI box.
• Gaming was volatile, with visibility rising or falling depending on query type.
• Mobile was hit hardest. Automotive saw almost half of mobile ads pushed below the AI result.
• Longer, research focused queries performed far better. Short terms struggled. Long terms were far more likely to appear above the AI box.

How consumers behaved

(Data from Adobe Analytics, US)

• AI driven traffic surged 800 percent year on year.
• Visitors routed via AI converted 38 percent higher.
  Personally I find this mind blowing, and it’s a testament to the fact that people are just trusting AI to take all the fluff out for them. We all know that Google’s search results have become bloated with SEO optimised pages, so I find this particularly fascinating. Whether people trusting AI so blindly is good is a debate for another time (one I’m always happy to have if you want a chat)…
• Over 60 percent of Americans now use AI tools multiple times per week.
• More than half use AI to shop.

What this means for your results

• If clicks dropped but revenue held, you likely stayed visible where intent was strongest, or captured AI influenced users who convert better.
• If CPCs rose and CTR fell, AI was probably sitting above your ads on mobile or shorter terms.
• If upper funnel traffic grew, you may have benefited from long tail research terms that still sit above the AI summaries.

Checks worth running this week

• Compare mobile vs desktop CTR and impression share. Mobile reveals most AI displacement.
• Segment performance by query length. Push into the 4 word plus ranges that stay visible.
• Review your ad copy against AI summaries. Add urgency, clarity, benefits, trust signals.
• Track whether AI influenced assisted conversions and whether those users converted stronger.

Practical moves

• Tighten mobile bidding and split device strategies where needed.
• Build long tail and mid funnel ad groups that consistently win visibility.
• Test high intent hooks like deadlines, scarcity, fast fulfilment, guarantees, reviews.
• Monitor your ad vs AI placement weekly and adjust bids accordingly.

If you want a full account audit this month to see how AI shaped your Black Friday performance, reply audit and we’ll set it up.

Thanks as always for reading, let me know what you think.

Cheers, Chris

Co-Founder & Chief Geek

PPC Geeks ~ The UK’s leading specialist PPC Agency.

P.S. Need help? Start with an audit from our team – you’ll get simple, actionable insights fast.