Shopping hunting season starts: bargain hunting with AI? - This can quickly go south

Black Friday is on November 27th, Cyber ​​Monday on November 30th - but many shops have already opened the supposed bargain hunt. One thing is certain: many prices are worse than they seem.

Kehl/Berlin. AI assistants can compare product features and prices or analyze customer reviews. If similar formulations are repeated in the latter or if numerous reviews were published in a few days, they could be fake and possibly even AI-generated.

The same applies to product descriptions and item images that are used to polish up inferior goods or to create entire fake shops, warns the European Consumer Center. In the end, the question is whether buyers using AI are the hunters or the hunted - by fraudsters who also use AI.

The all-important question: Who am I dealing with?

That's why in the end there is always the crucial question: Who am I actually buying from? A short search often brings clarity: Is there a complete legal notice? Is the retailer perhaps based in the Far East and a return could be complicated and expensive?

Only if you can actually trace the trail back to the seller and they seem trustworthy should you buy - and of course never order in advance.

Be careful: AI is not neutral, prices can be personalized

Anyone who uses AI to hunt for bargains should never forget a few things:

The AI’s answers are not neutral, but rather highly personalized.

Always supplement AI comparisons with your own research.

Use price comparison portals that make price trends and fluctuations understandable over a longer period of time (discounts shown must always refer to the lowest price of the last 30 days).

Avoid personalized prices by clearing the cache and history in the browser settings before or during product and price research.

Once you have decided on a product, check the price again on another device that does not use an AI assistant.

Being spontaneous is great - but not when hunting for bargains

And anyone who is on the hunt for bargains should never be tempted to make impulse purchases, for example through: countdowns, supposedly scarce offers, minimum quantity instructions for free shipping, (alleged) customer reviews, free gifts, quantity discounts, AI influencers, i.e. computer-generated people who are supposed to build proximity and promote products, AI-generated recommendations that do not match the original search at all.

What's in the fine print? - Do I really need this?

In addition to careful price comparisons, it is always important to pay attention to additional fees, possibly pre-selected extras and hidden subscriptions, advise consumer advocates. If in doubt, it is always worth taking a look at the retailer's general terms and conditions before paying - and asking yourself the right questions again: Do I really need this product? And do I need it in these quantities?