AI is everywhere right now. And if you’re running a small business, especially on your own or with a super lean team, you’ve probably asked yourself: “Should I be using AI too?” “Is it too complicated?” “Will it sound robotic?” “Can it actually help me?”
The short answer? Yes, it can help. And no, it doesn’t have to be weird or impersonal.
AI isn’t about replacing what you do, it’s about making your workday easier, smoother, and honestly, a bit less exhausting. Whether you’re packing orders from your living room or running a side hustle that’s starting to take off, AI can help you free up your time for the things that really matter.
Here’s what AI can actually do for you for you:
- Auto-suggest topic ideas for your next Instagram post
- Help you prepare a blog post outline
- Crunch your inventory & sales spreadsheets to identify your fast vs slow moving SKUs
- Go over your invoices to spot any anomaly that accounts for a large portion of your costs last month
It’s not about handing your whole business over to a robot. It’s about saving your energy for the creative, human stuff, your ideas, your story, your community.
1. Writing content
You’re tired. You’ve got orders to pack. But you still need to post something, send out an email, or write a product description. That’s where AI shines.
Try tools like:
- ChatGPT, to help you write emails, captions, or blog drafts
- Jasper or Copy.ai, great for generating punchy, product-focused text (Shopify and Klaviyo also have their own built-in AIs for product descriptions and email subject lines respectively)
- Notion AI, if you already use Notion for planning or lists, this helps fill in the blanks
How to keep it human: Don’t just copy-paste. Treat AI like a brainstorm buddy. Let it give you a starting point, then edit in your own tone and personality. Use it to write faster, not flatter.
2. Crunching data
Most ecom brand owners are sitting on goldmines of data but don't have the time or expertise to dig deeper than basic dashboard metrics. Here's where AI becomes your analytical assistant—upload any CSV or report to ChatGPT or Claude and ask the strategic questions that your standard dashboards can't answer.
Note: In order for the AI to give you the best & most relevant suggestions, it is important to use Projects (in Claude) or CustomGPTs (in ChatGPT). They let you create dedicated workspaces where you can upload your business context (like brand guidelines, product catalogs, pricing, landed costs, profit margins, or standard operating procedures) so the AI remembers this information across all conversations in that project - perfect for getting consistent, brand-specific advice without re-explaining your business every time.
No need to pay hundreds of dollars for fancy tools, here are some advanced insights you can get in minutes with just ChatGPT or Claude:
Product Strategy Questions
- "Looking at this sales data, what products should I bundle together based on purchasing patterns?"
- "Which products have the best profit margins (in $ and %) when I factor in return rates and shipping costs?"
- "What's the optimal price point for this product based on sales volume and profit data to maintain a margin of X?"
Customer Behavior Analysis
- "What's my actual customer lifetime value broken down by acquisition channel?"
- "Based on the sales data from the last 6 months, give me a summarized findings about people who have placed 2 orders or more: Average Order Value (AOV, if they’ve been buying the same thing, time between order, and anything else you can find)”
Inventory & Operations
- "Looking at seasonal trends and current stock levels, what inventory should I prioritize for Q3?" (upload past years’ data)
- "Which products are eating up my storage costs without delivering proportional profits?"- this is great for platforms such as Amazon where the reports are scattered and it’s hard to get a bird’s eye view on everything.
- "Based on this shipping data, how can I optimize my fulfillment to reduce costs?" - E.g. the AI might suggest choosing a fulfillment warehouse in the East coast because 70% of your orders are placed there (or near the East coast).
Marketing ROI Deep Dives
- "Which marketing channels are giving me customers who actually stick around and reorder?"
- "Looking at this email campaign data, what subject lines and send times drive the most revenue per recipient?"
- "Which Facebook ad audiences are bringing in customers with the highest average order values?”
The key is asking questions that require connecting multiple data points—something your standard Shopify or Google Analytics dashboard can't do automatically. AI can spot correlations between your marketing spend, customer behavior, and profitability that would take hours of manual analysis to uncover.
Simply export your existing reports, upload them, make sure your Projects/CustomGPT has enough context, and start asking the strategic questions that will actually move your business forward. No new software subscriptions required.
3. Level up your marketing strategy
AI won't replace a real brand strategist, but it can help you plan smarter campaigns and stay consistent without spending hours on manual work.
Content Planning & Creation
- Upload your best-performing social media posts or email subject lines and ask AI to generate 20 more in the same style
- If you've built a swipe file of winning hooks or captions, feed them to AI and ask for variations that match your brand voice
- Brainstorm content themes by asking "Give me 30 post ideas for [insert topic]" - This will help you build a strong topical authority around the topic
- Upload competitor content that performs well and ask AI to suggest similar angles for your brand
Campaign Planning & Execution:
- Upload your product pricing sheet before a sitewide sale and ask AI to calculate all discounted prices to ensure consistency (like making sure everything hits exactly 40% off)
- Plan your marketing calendar by asking AI to map out optimal timing for product launches based on your sales history and industry seasonality
- Upload your customer segments and ask AI to suggest targeted campaign ideas for each group
Operational Marketing Tasks:
- Upload your product catalog and ask AI to create comparison charts or buying guides for your website
- Generate multiple ad copy variations for A/B testing by providing one winning ad and asking for 10 alternatives
- Create marketing brief templates by uploading your past successful campaigns and asking AI to identify the common elements
What AI shouldn't replace
Your Brand Voice: AI can suggest content, but your personal stories, failures, and behind-the-scenes moments are what build real customer connections.
Your Logic: AI provides data and suggestions, but your reasoning, judgment calls, and unique perspective are what shape your business identity and set you apart from competitors using the same AI tools.
Major Business Decisions: AI can analyze data and spot trends, but deciding on new product launches, brand pivots, or big investments requires human intuition that goes beyond numbers.
Final Quality Check: Always review AI-generated content before publishing. AI doesn't understand your brand boundaries or when something might accidentally offend your audience.
Think of AI as your smart assistant for time-consuming tasks, freeing you up for the strategic and relationship work that actually grows your business.
The bottomline: AI is the tool, not the strategy
Think of it like this: AI helps you clear the clutter so you can focus on what really moves your business forward. Like designing your next collection. Building relationships with your customers. Or just finally taking a real day off. You don’t have to go all-in. Start with one task. See how it feels. Adjust as you grow.
