There’s never a bad time to be the main choice as a fashion destination, but M&S has taken top-of-the-tree status this Christmas when it comes to AI gift inspiration. And in the Beauty category, Charlotte Tilbury has been mentioned more than any other cosmetics brand while Decathlon took top spot in the Sports category.

That’s all down to the ‘AI Christmas Nice List’ compiled by digital marketing and PR agency Tank, revealing 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. 

And of the top fashion searches, M&S achieved the highest mention score (21) in the category. And that was out of nearly 150  websites.

Following M&S, shoppers are more likely to see fashion picks from Next, Barbour and John Lewis, with mention scores of 20, 17 and 15, respectively. 

Next, it has to be noted, also received three more total mentions than M&S, but “these were later in AI’s response and scored lower overall”, the report said.

High ratings for British heritage brand Barbour and John Lewis were helped by their annual Christmas ads bringing in press coverage and social media attention to drive holiday demand, with this year’s ad including Barbour’s retuned link-up with Shaun The Sheep. 

Other big name fashion recommendations include Matalan at number five (14 mentions), followed by Sainsbury’s TU Clothing (11 mentions), Longchamp (10), accessories brand Fairfax & Favor and White Stuff (both 8 mentions). 

John Lewis also showed up the most overall in ChatGPT, with 31 mentions across eight out of 10 sectors analysed including Home and Food & Drink categories.

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 fashion 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.”