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Black Friday isn’t what it once was. Less than 15 years ago, it was fairly common for people to wake up at ridiculously early hours to drive to a store, where they would stand in line, waiting for the doors to open in order to grab the best deals. Those people still exist, but not in the numbers they used to, thanks to the convenience of online shopping (and the early start to holiday deals). But as artificial intelligence becomes more entrenched in people’s habits, it could have an increasingly large role in Black Friday (and Cyber Monday). And 2025 could be something of a test case for the technology. The average consumer is expected to spend $1,595 on holiday gifts this year, according to Deloitte. That’s 10% less than 2024, a figure that highlights the importance shoppers will be placing on bargains this year. And a growing number of consumers will be relying on AI to help them find those deals. Some 33% of the people Deloitte spoke with in its 2025 Holiday Retail Survey said they plan to use AI as part of their holiday shoppingdouble the number who did last year. Many say the tech could assist them with inspiration and product discovery. That could benefit retailers who have already embraced AI in their recommendation engines, as well as those planning to roll it out. “Consumer adoption of gen AI shows that expectations are shifting toward personalization and efficiency,” Deloitte wrote. “Shoppers now expect instant recommendations tailored to their preferences, budgets, and recipients, raising the bar for retailers digital experiences. To meet holiday shoppers expectations, retailers could consider embedding AI-powered gift finders, style assistants, or deal copilots directly into their sites or apps.” A separate study from marketing automation platform Klaviyo found that 56% of consumers say theyll use AI tools during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. AI can do a lot more than help people think of creative gifts, of course. Gen AI models like ChatGPT can research prices and recommend the best deal, in some cases even making the purchase for you. And a growing number of people are taking advantage of that. Traffic from AI platforms to retail sites during Prime Days and other sales in July was up by 4,700%, according to Adobe Analytics. And the company is predicting an increase in AI usage of between 515% and 550% this holiday season, compared to 2024. Thinking of enlisting a GenAI to help you find deals? Here’s how you’ll want to go about it. Make your list. Check it twice Chatbots aren’t a lot of good without specifics. You’ll need to know exactly what you’re looking to buy if you’re planning to use AI for price comparisons. Using the broadest example, telling ChatGPT you’re looking for the best price on, say, a Barbie or a blender is akin to calling a Best Buy or GameStop and saying you want to know their best price for a game console. The $60 no-name brand that has a Tetris clone might technically be the correct answer, but that does you no good if you really wanted a PlayStation 5. Set the AI loose Ask your chatbot to find the best deals for your specific product. Again, details matter, so be sure to offer as much granularity as you can about the product. (To go back to the PS5 example, do you want the PS5 with a disc drive? What amount of internal storage do you want? Do you want a PS5 Slim or Pro or some other model?) It’s also worth asking the chatbot to suggest additional ways to save, such as applicable cash-back apps (like Rakuten), promo codes, or coupons. Fact check the results Prices change all the time during the holiday season, so just because ChatGPT says Store X is the best deal, you’ll still want to check that site’s website to verify the amount your AI assistant quoted is still valid. At the very least, using AI to help you shop will quickly eliminate some options and, ideally, free up some of your time, letting you spend less of November and December hunting for deals and more enjoying the season.
Category:
E-Commerce
From my earliest days as a journalist, Ive always prized my dictaphone. It sounds quaint now, but I actually remember excitedly keeping up with advancements in the field. Sonys ICD-TX50 was a particular revelation for me in 2012, with its tiny OLED display and worlds-thinnest 6.4mm frame. There was no sleeker way to show up to Tokyo press conferences. In recent years, though, my dictaphone collection has taken on a new, less physical form. Googles Pixel phones have been a revelation for journalists, offering real-time, on-device transcription through the Recorder app. Ive often found myself bringing a Pixel along to a press event even if I wasnt actively using it as a phone at the timethe ability to get an automatic transcript once your recording is done has been an incredible timesaver. But now a new wave of hardware, buoyed by the AI revolution, has been changing my habits once again. While the jury is out on a lot of hyped AI devices, some startups have locked in on voice recording as one of the few serious use cases. These arent like the Humane AI Pin or the much-mocked Friend pendanttheyre gadgets with a focused, real-world use case. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/multicore_logo.jpg","headline":"Multicore","description":"Multicore is about technology hardware and design. It's written from Tokyo by Sam Byford. To learn more visit multicore.blog","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.multicore.blog","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}} The devices Ive been using a couple of recorders from Plaud for several monthsthe Plaud Note and the Plaud NotePinand testing them against a product from a newer Japanese startup called Notta. At least for now, Ive found that both companies devices offer a significant upgrade over the Pixel for working journalists. The Plaud Note is an incredibly thin audio recorder that can magnetically attach to an iPhone or a newer Pixel through an included leather case. Theres a simple record button, as well as a switch for a mode that lets you record phone calls through audio vibrations. (Obviously, you should make sure of the legality in your jurisdiction before using this feature.) The NotePin, meanwhile, is a small pill-shaped device that attaches to various magnetic accessories like a clip or a wristband. Its designed for hands-free use, as opposed to holding the Plaud Note out toward a subject or resting it on a desk. Both devices feel very well-built, with solid metal cases. Power and recording status is indicated on each through a tiny LED in the A of the Plaud logo. The Note is a little easier to use than the NotePin thanks to its tactile round power button; the NotePin relies on an invisible capacitive surface that you have to hold down until you hear a vibration, which isnt quite as convenient in situations where youre scrambling to start a recording. The NotePin does have a usability advantage of its own through its magnetic USB-C charging adapter, however. The Note is so thin that it requires a proprietary pogo-pin cable, which Im not sure I trust myself not to lose at some point. Overall Plaud has designed some attractive hardware, but given that every phone has a microphone built in, the app is what sets the product apart. Once your phone is paired to one of the devices, transferring audio files is simple and quick over Wi-Fi, and then you have to upload them to Plauds cloud servers for processing. This can take several minutes depending on the length of the file, though its still much faster than manually transcribing. What Ive really appreciated in the chaotic aftermath of press conferences is how Plaud automatically generates a summary of the recording and identifies speakers, so you can dial right into the most important parts and verify the quotes for yourself. The auto setting works well, but you can also choose from specific templates and AI models like GPT-5, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and so on. Plauds free plan offers 300 transcription minutes a month. You can top up with 600 extra minutes for $12.99, or theres a $100 annual Pro plan with 1,200 minutes a month. The unlimited plan will set you back $240 a year. Meanwhile, the Plaud Note and NotePin each cost $159 themselves. I think this is reasonable pricing for anyone using this as a professional service. I did find Plauds app to be a little fussy in use, however, requiring a fair amount of interaction on the part of the user when it comes to uploading files and selecting how they ought to be processed. Despite its access to several AI services, I also thought the lack of in-app translation was an obvious miss. The Notta option Thats what got me interested in a Japanese startup called Notta, which is making a very similar product to the Plaud Note called the Notta Memo. I suspect each company may have related supply chain contacts in China, because the resemblance really is uncannyeven the magnetic leather cases and charging cables are near-identical. The Notta Memo does add a tiny monochrome OLED screen that shows useful information like recording status, and more importantly reminds me of my Sony dictaphone. (Plaud has since released a Note Pro model with a similar display, though I havent yet tested it.) Personally I think the Notta Memo looks sleeker, with a black finish and a geometric, quilted diamond texture. While Nottas app is similar to Plauds, I also preferred its design. Files begin transcribing automatically after transfer, and you can also translate them right within the app itself, which saves an extra step when youre on the move. I used the Notta Memo while reporting at some recent sports events in Tokyo and the process of recording directly on the device, uploading the file and getting a translated, annotated transcript that I could check myself was seamless. Notta slightly undercuts Plaud with subscription pricing, charging $98 a year for 1,800 minutes a month or $200 for the unlimited plan, and the Notta Memo device itself is $149. Nottas free plan only offers 120 minutes a month, though, and doesnt support longer recordings or transcript translation, which complicates the comparison for anyone unsure of how much theyll use it. Worth the cost Overall, any one of these devices is going to be a serious investment. But for working journalists or other professionalsmaybe lawyers or consultantswhere voice recordings are a daily need, I actually think theyre all quite compelling. If you have a Pixel phone, sure, you might get by with the built-in transcripts most of the time. But the advantages of having dedicated hardware are real. You can press the record button at any time regardless of what youre doing on your phone. The NotePin is a unique form factor that expands the situations in which you can rely on being able to record. Call recordings, meanwhile, straight-up arent supported in phone operating systems. The hype around AI has led to a lot of hardware startups that havent been able to live up to it. But one thing AI is indisputably very good at is understanding language, and these voice recorders are perfect for the task. If theres a use case for AI-first hardware right now, its this. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/multicore_logo.jpg","headline":"Multicore","description":"Multicore is about technology hardware and design. It's written from Tokyo by Sam Byford. To learn more visit multicore.blog","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.multicore.blog","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}}
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E-Commerce
How do I control my emotions? I get asked that question a lot. As an emotional intelligence coach, Ive received thousands of emails from readers over the years who get caught up in a cycle of emotional thinking, which leads them to say or do things they later regret. Often, this results in harm to their closest relationships, professional and personal. Heres the thing: Emotions arent bad. Theyre what make us human, and thats a good thing. The key isnt taking emotions out of the equation. Rather, you want to balance emotions and rational thinking, so you can look back and be proud of what youve said or done. To help with this, I recommend using simple self-talk expressions. These can help shake you from that vicious cycle of overly emotional thinking and restore balance. Here are five short phrases that will help you develop your emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage emotions effectively. (Sign up here for my free email emotional intelligence course.) What advice would you give? When you face an emotionally charged situation, its easy for emotions to cloud your judgment and cause you to say or do something you later regret. But when you ask yourself, What advice would I give someone else in this situation? you take yourself out of the hot seat. You think more clearly, with more balance. To help you use this framework effectively, try to imagine yourself a few years down the road. Whether you faced the challenge successfully or not doesnt matter; its past you. Now, imagine how you handled it and what consequences it led to. This will help you stimulate your thinking and answer the question more effectively. Mistakes are part of the process Everyone makes mistakes. But when you view mistakes not as failures but as part of the process of learning, you manage expectations and help others to benefit from them. When you train others, this framework can help you prepare for mistakes. For example, you might allocate more time or resources, because you know mistakes are coming. Itll also help you be more patient with those you are training, which helps build trust and psychological safety. Additionally, reminding yourself that mistakes are part of the process helps you and the people you train to see the bigger picture. You both see mistakes as learning opportunities, and leverage them as such. Be the change This expression is usually attributed to Mohandas Gandhi, but the first official record of it is found in a book chapter written by a high school teacher in Brooklyn: Be the change you want to see. The basic lesson goes like this: You cant force someone else to change. But you can provide a model for them to learn from. This is effective because researchers have shown that people learn not so much through reinforcement (rewards and punishments), but much more through observing others. When you remind yourself to be the change, not only do you set a positive example, you focus on what you can control (your own behavior) instead of getting frustrated by what you have no control over (the actions of others). At the same time, though, you increase the chances that those around you will change over time, too. Experiences over things As a business owner with four kids, Ive found that by prioritizing experiences over things you can learn more, remember more, and get more out of life. To be clear, things arent bad in themselves. The problem is the more stuff you have, the more stuff you want. (I like to call this more disease.) This sends you down a cycle of always wanting more, and thats a recipe for unhappiness because youre never satisfied. In contrast, experiences become a part of you. You create memories that change what you think about, how you act, the decisions you make. When an experience is over, its effects continuethey mold who you are as a person. You can use that three-word motto to reframe your view of work. Its not just to provide things; its to provide time for more experiences. But you also have to use that time, because once its gone, its gone forever. So, dont buy more stuff. Do more stuff. Attack the problem. Not the person I hate to admit it, but I tend to be passive-aggressive. Maybe you struggle with the same habit, or you know someone who does. You know, someone who says there okay when they clearly arent. Or, they pout or give the silent treatment when they dont get their way. Or, they simply agree to a decision but then dont do their part to make that decision a success. Theres a reason people like me start heading down that passive-aggressive path. Usually, Im trying to cope with negative feelings like frustration or disappointment. This phrase reminds me that my behavior isnt helping the situation; worse yet, its harming my relationship. Heres where this short phrase can be extremely helpful: Attack the problem. Not the person. This phrase helps me focus on being more activeattacking the problemby telling the person why I feel the way I do. Whats more, I can now work with them to find a solution to the problem. Or, at least I feel better at supporting the decision weve agreed upon because Ive had the chance to fully express my feelings. So, the next time you find yourself becoming a victim of your own emotions, remember the following phrases: What advice would you give? Mistakes are part of the process. Be the change. Experiences over things. Attack the problem. Not the person. Do so, and youll bring your emotions back to balance. Youll make better decisions. And youll reduce regrets as you make emotions work for you, instead of against you. Justin Bariso This article originally appeared on Fast Companys sister publication, Inc. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
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E-Commerce
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