15 Times to Use ChatGPT (and 5 Not To) as an Ecommerce Marketer

I’m all in on working faster and smarter. AI isn’t just a shiny tool, it’s becoming a strategic layer in how ecommerce marketers operate. But knowing when to use AI is just as important as knowing how.

Inspired by Ethan Mollick’s original article, here’s a practical reframing of 15 smart uses of AI (and 5 situations where it won’t help you) specifically for ecommerce professionals juggling content, campaigns, customer journeys and conversion rates.

15 Times Ecommerce Marketers Should Use AI

1. When You're Staring at a Blank Page
   Product descriptions, email flows, welcome copy? Think of AI are your brainstorming partner. Get your first messy draft fast and refine from there. Don’t like what you see? You’re not restricted to ChatGPT 4o…. take Perplexity for a spin too.

2. When You Need Copy Variations
   A/B test headlines, ad copy or CTA buttons. AI makes iteration easy. It's how you find out what converts, not what sounds good in a meeting. Tools like Klaviyo give you crappy vanilla variations. Ignore them. Get your preferred AI tool understanding your brand and your tone it’ll provide a far greater response.

3. When Rewriting for Different Platforms
   Got one blog post? Turn it into Instagram captions, YouTube descriptions, email segments and product landing page content. AI makes repurposing efficient. Just ask away.

4. When Creating Video Scripts for Reels or Shorts
   AI can help you structure talking points, write hooks and even suggest B-roll shots, again, just feed it your ecommerce product angle.

5. When Localising or Translating Content
   Expanding to new markets? Use AI for fast, reliable translations then get them sanity checked by a native speaker or specialist. Letting AI do the legwork will save you time and money.

6. When Analysing Customer Survey Data
   Post-purchase feedback piling up? Drop it into AI and summarise key pain points, insights and opportunities in seconds. Knowing how to prompt is key to the process. Experiment. Give direction like you would to an assistant.

7. When Personalising Email Campaigns at Scale
   Use AI to write copy that adapts to user segments: new vs returning customers, high-value vs low-intent shoppers, etc. Drop your original copy and, prompt what you need and the angle to take…

8. When Tagging or Categorising Products
   AI excels at turning product data into smart tags or filtering logic, especially when importing SKUs at speed.

9. When Building SEO-Optimised Content Briefs
   AI can help you research keywords, structure content around intent and ensure your product pages hit all the right on-page SEO markers.

10. When Summarising Longform Reports or Whitepapers
    Internal analytics report too wordy? Feed it into AI and get bullet points, key takeaways or even presentation-ready slides.

11. When Building Affiliate or Partner Outreach Messages
    Need 20 personalised emails to creators or blog partners? Use AI to generate outreach templates that feel bespoke. I was wary adding this, but I’ll keep saying it… learn to prompt and the results will surprise you.

12. When Responding to Customer Queries or Reviews
    Templated, polite, but context-aware, AI helps support teams manage reviews, feedback and support inboxes with consistency.

13. When Auditing Your Own UX Flow
    Ask AI to assess your checkout or onboarding process like a customer would. You’ll catch bottlenecks and unclear copy fast. I’d admit to being caught out with a ‘I really should have thought of that…’ moment one too many times in AI ‘deep research’ mode.

14. When Structuring a Product Launch Calendar
    AI can help you build a comms plan to provide your team or agency from teaser posts to launch emails to post-launch ad retargeting. All mapped out and sequenced.

15. When You Need Ideas, Fast
    From loyalty incentives to influencer campaigns to TikTok hooks, AI is your never-tired idea machine.

5 Times Ecommerce Marketers Should Not Use AI

1. When You’re Defining Brand Voice
   AI can mimic, but it doesn’t own a voice. Get crystal clear on your brand tone before asking AI to write anything on your behalf.

2. When Creative Originality Is Key
   That homepage video concept or packaging design might need human weirdness and emotional nuance. AI will default to safe.

3. When Legal or Compliance Is on the Line
   Affiliate terms, privacy policy or returns copy… draft it if you must, but always run through legal. No exceptions.

4. When You Don’t Understand the Input or Output
   If you can’t explain what you’re asking AI to do, or what it’s giving back, you shouldn’t be using it yet. Learn first.

5. When Trust Is Non-Negotiable
   Customer support, review responses, refund issues, AI can assist, but the final message should feel human and empathetic.

Final Thought

Being an ecommerce marketing technologist means mastering the tools and knowing their limits. AI is an incredible amplifier of your speed, reach and creativity but it still needs your judgement, context and taste.

It’s not your boss, it’s your assistant.

Use it to move faster. But don’t let it move without you.