When AI Becomes Santa: What Black Friday Just Told Us About the Next Generation

This year’s Black Friday broke records—$11.8 billion spent online in a single day—but the real story isn’t the number. It’s how we spent it.In this episode of The Ryan Vet Show, Ryan reads his latest essay from his newsletter, Collide, exploring a fascinating new shift in consumer behavior: the moment AI quietly became the world’s most influential holiday shopper.From AI gift-finding agents like Amazon’s Rufus and Walmart’s Sparky…to the rise of Buy Now, Pay Later…to Gen Z and Gen Alpha shaping family purchases before they can even spell “algorithm”…this holiday season revealed something deeper: every generation is rewriting what it means to shop, give, and celebrate.In this episode, Ryan unpacks:📌 What Black Friday 2025 Really RevealedAI-driven retail traffic up 805% year over yearWhy we’re buying fewer items at higher pricesHow algorithms, not aisles, are now shaping gift discovery📌 The Generational Pendulum of Gift-GivingSilent Generation thrift and homemade giftsBoomer abundance and “the overflowing tree” eraGen X caught between stuff and experiencesMillennials pushing gifting toward memory-makingGen Z and Gen Alpha: the experience-first, algorithm-shaped generations📌 Gen Z and Gen Alpha: The New Holiday PowerhousesWhy Gen Z plans to cut budgets more than any other generationWhy same-day delivery is becoming the normGen Alpha already influencing over $100 billion in household spendingHow targeted ads and platform algorithms shape kids’ gift requests📌 AI + BNPL + Same-Day Delivery = The New Consumer FormulaWhy AI is now the top discovery engine for holiday shoppingThe psychological shift behind “Buy Now, Pay Later”Why this combination creates last-minute shoppers with long-term financial consequences📌 Where We’re Heading NextWe’re moving into an era where:Experiences matter more than merchandisePurchasing decisions are mediated by algorithmsYoungest generations influence spending earlier than everSkepticism toward AI gift recommendations will growThe Great Junk Transfer is reshaping how families think about “stuff”Holiday shopping is no longer driven by catalogs, commercials, or store aisles.It’s driven by prompts… algorithms… and kids who swipe long before they shop.This episode offers a fascinating look at how the holidays—and generations—are changing right before our eyes.Join Ryan on LinkedIn, Instagram, or subscribe to his YouTube channel with over 100,000 subscribers. Send us Fan MailAbout Ryan VetRyan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold.Join 20,000+ Leaders for Weekly InsightsIf you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter:👉 https://ryanvet.com/collide