Anyone turning to ChatGPT for toy inspiration this Christmas can expect to see a haul of LEGO and Smyths Toys picks, according to new research.
The AI Christmas Nice List, by digital marketing and PR agency Tank, reveals which UK retailers AI favours for Christmas gifting by analysing hundreds of ChatGPT responses across 10 retail sectors, awarding a mention score based on how early products are recommended.
The high-street favourites, LEGO and Smyths Toys, are ‘sleighing’ Christmas, both achieving the highest mention score (15) in the toy sector out of over 140 websites.
Following LEGO and Smyths Toys, shoppers are more likely to see toy picks from Tronex and Tonies, with mention scores of 13 and 9, respectively.
AI’s Christmas Nice List also revealed John Lewis & Partners shows up the most overall in ChatGPT, with 31 mentions across eight out of 10 sectors.
The research comes as ChatGPT launches a shopping research function that offers personalised product recommendations, which could influence Christmas shopper’s behaviour and cause less visible brands to miss out on sales.
Top toy retailers recommended by AI for Christmas gifting
| Rank | Top retailer | Total mention score |
| 1 | LEGO | 15 |
| 1 | Smyths Toys | 15 |
| 3 | Tronex | 13 |
| 4 | Tonies | 9 |
| 5 | Bitzee Magicals | 8 |
| 5 | VTech | 8 |
| 7 | Currys | 7 |
| 8 | Bluey | 6 |
| 8 | Galt | 6 |
| 8 | Hot Wheels | 6 |
Retailer Tronex is AI’s second favourite website for Christmas gifting with a mention score of 13 – while it received the same number of total mentions as LEGO and Smyths, these were later in AI’s response and scored lower overall, although still beating its competitors Tonies and Bitzee Magicals.
Retailers with the highest visibility per sector
Other popular Christmas categories include fashion, with M&S mentioned more than any other clothing brand.
When buying new electricals and technology, Christmas shoppers are more likely to be recommended Samsung, which has a high mention score of 25. Whereas John Lewis & Partners reins across food and drink, and homeware categories.
Karl McKeever, founder at Futurview Retail Consultants, has helped to revive fortunes for major retailers like Adidas, John Lewis & Partners and Sainsbury’s, and believes shoppers are now using AI tools to find the best prices online.
Commenting on the research, he said: “Shoppers want to maximise their time and budget to create the perfect Christmas. In the past, this meant spending hours on the high street, visiting multiple stores for inspiration and to check stock. Now they’re getting smarter, using online search and AI tools to remove the guesswork and drudge from festive shopping.
“These tools offer inspiration, help people find what they want at the best price, and pinpoint purchases from specific retailers. Ultimately AI tools are changing how people shop, offering them a less stressful shopping experience and fewer miles travelled. When the tools introduce in-app checkouts in the UK, AI could be a key income channel but it’s important to remember that its use does vary across age groups.”
Martin Harris, head of digital at Tank, commented on the research:
“ChatGPT is used everyday for personal and commercial queries such as Christmas gift ideas, so if toy brands aren’t appearing for the relevant results, they could be missing out on sales. AI search is important for retailers and while there is hesitancy around it, it is essential brands are discoverable where shoppers are searching for information.
“While some small retailers could struggle with being found in AI during peak seasons like Christmas, it presents an opportunity to improve visibility in their niche. Consumers can also use AI to find niche brands and products. That’s why it’s even more important retailers know what their customers want and have a strategy to appear in the relevant results.”
To read the full research, visit: https://tank.co.uk/christmas-nice-list-which-uk-retailers-are-showing-up-in-ai-search
Methodology
Tank analysed ChatGPT-4 search results for 200 general Christmas gifting prompts, including 20 sector specific questions for 10 online retail sectors. A mention score was assigned based on how early the brand appeared in each response, with first mention scoring five points and the fifth mentioned scoring one point. Brands were then ranked by: total mention score within each set of sector prompts, overall mention score in all sectors, and the number of sectors they were mentioned in.
