A customer may ask AI to compare artificial Christmas trees before opening your website. This raises a practical question: does the information we provide allow someone to understand the tree accurately?

PwC’s Holiday Outlook 2026, published in September 2026, found that 29% of surveyed US consumers planned to use AI during their holiday shopping, up from 22% the previous year. Product research, price comparisons and budgeting were among its uses. These findings concern holiday shopping intentions, rather than actual Christmas tree purchases, but they offer a useful signal about how consumers are gathering information.

At Northern Forest, this prompts us to consider whether familiar product descriptions answer the questions that matter when a customer asks a shopping assistant for help.

The Customer May Begin with an Everyday Need

Imagine a shopper asking:

“I need a Christmas tree for a small living room. I like a natural look, want warm-white lights and would prefer something that doesn’t take too much time to shape.”

This is a hypothetical example, but the requirements are specific: space, appearance, lighting and setup.

If a product page offers only descriptions such as “premium,” “luxurious” and “lifelike,” the shopper still has important questions. What is the maximum width? Does the photograph include separately sold decorations? What lighting functions are available? How much branch shaping is needed after assembly?

Even a product described as a slim Christmas tree needs a stated width after shaping to help customers judge whether it will fit their living room.

These questions existed before AI. New shopping tools give us another reason to check whether product information answers them clearly.

Easily Compared Numbers Do Not Tell the Whole Story

Height, price, light count and tip count fit neatly into comparison tables. The balance of a silhouette, space for ornaments and arrangement of different foliage materials need more explanation.

Product pages for artificial Christmas trees therefore benefit from both verifiable specifications and information that helps customers interpret them.

“7.5 feet” describes height, but not how much floor space the tree will occupy. “Mixed PE and PVC foliage” identifies materials, but not their placement. Products described as “pre-lit Christmas trees” may still have different lighting functions and operating methods.

When those distinctions are missing, customers have less information with which to understand why two trees carry different prices.

Manufacturers Help Shape the Information Customers Receive

Retailers usually create the pages consumers see, but many of the underlying details come from the Christmas tree manufacturer.

Measurement methods, foliage configurations, lighting functions, included components and shaping instructions all relate to the specific product. If the original information is unclear, later descriptions may rely on assumptions or carry forward wording that no longer matches the current version.

We believe product discussions between manufacturers and buyers should also address the information needed to support the product. When confirming foliage, lighting and other customization options, recording how those choices should appear in the product information can help prevent discrepancies later.

Clear documentation can serve both purchasing decisions and customer communication. Photographs, specifications and instructions should refer to the same configuration, particularly when a collection includes several sizes and lighting options.

Be Specific About What the Product Can Offer

Preparing for new search and shopping tools calls for accurate descriptions.

“Easy assembly,” “highly realistic” and “ideal for small spaces” are more useful when supported by concrete information. An unverified setup time should not become a definite claim in minutes. An indoor product should not be described as suitable for outdoor conditions without an appropriate basis.

There is also no universal checklist that guarantees a product will be recommended by an AI tool. We see better information as essential groundwork: whether customers arrive through search, a store assistant, AI or direct browsing, they should find consistent and accurate descriptions.

Customers Still Need to Make Their Own Judgement

PwC also reported that 64% of consumers using AI for shopping ideas open a separate tab and visit a website to purchase, rather than using the link recommended by the tool. AI’s role in research therefore does not remove the need for a useful product website.

The website still needs to answer the customer’s next questions. Is this the configuration they were researching? What is included in the photographed display? What will they need to do when the product arrives?

Clear information allows customers to check their understanding before buying.

One Practical Step to Take This Season

Choose one tree you plan to promote and list five questions a customer is likely to ask. Then check whether the product page answers them directly.

This does not necessarily require a new promotional shoot. A dimension diagram, a clearer explanation of a feature or a correction to an ambiguous description may already make the product easier to understand.

From Northern Forest’s manufacturing perspective, new shopping tools bring renewed attention to a familiar responsibility: making the product carefully and explaining it clearly. Where customers begin their search may continue to change. Information that helps them make a sound decision remains worth preparing.

This article draws on PwC’s 2026 holiday shopping survey and presents Northern Forest’s manufacturing perspective. The research is not specific to Christmas trees, and the suggestions above do not guarantee AI recommendations or sales results.