The ABCs of AI

Running a seaside store is no easy feat. You’re juggling inventory, marketing, customer service and probably chasing seagulls away from your shopfront on top of it all. With so much to do and so little time, wouldn’t it be nice to have a handy assistant to take care of the boring stuff? That’s where AI can come in. AI is artificial intelligence, and it is being touted as the be all and end all. We are in a time of change, and AI is here whether you want it or not, so why not try to leverage its power in your business?

You’ve heard the fears of AI taking over our lives (that’s a different topic for another day), but we are in an amazing time where it is being added to every program we use. So we are all in the same boat — learning it as it is being developed. It’s best to jump in with the basics before being left behind, as minimally, it can truly save you time — and we all need that!

What Exactly Is AI?

To put it simply, AI is basically a really smart computer program that can synthesize a lot of information without taking a coffee break. It doesn’t have emotions, it won’t judge your taste in music, and it won’t take over your business. You can use it as much or as little as you choose.

In fact, you’ve already been using AI, even if you don’t realize it. That creepy way Instagram knows exactly what you want to buy? AI. The email that reminds you to check out before you forget that perfect throw pillow? AI. Even predictive text when you’re texting your customers? AI.

For small businesses, AI can help with marketing, content creation, and customer service — so you really can spend less time stressing and more time doing what you love (or at least getting five minutes of peace before the next email comes in).

How to Use It

First of all, give yourself some time to learn AI, because there are several things you need to know. Requests for information are done in “chats,” and honestly, it gives me such great responses, it feels like a really smart expert conversation for whatever question I ask. I even find myself typing “thank you” when I am impressed with the results! It’s really good at providing all the results it can find on the internet. The catch? Remember: Not all info online is current or true and must be checked!

The second important aspect of this tool is that it is basically a blank slate every time you ask a new question. It needs to know all kinds of context and specificity with the questions you are asking. So if you are good at typing keywords and fragments into a Google search, you’ll have a head start with AI, but you’ll have to go deeper. You’ll have to give very specific directions about what you want in your request, or “prompt.”
When you ask for something, include these three parts to the prompt:

1. The expertise it should pull from (i.e., retail marketer, life coach or social media expert, etc).
2. The very specific question, with location, categories and any relevant brand details. (i.e., a marketing strategy, an email, social media prompts, etc).
3. The format you want your answer in (i.e., checklist, email draft, chart, report, etc).

   
   

For example, instead of asking it to create a Marketing Plan for 2025, try the following prompt in a chat, filling in your details:

“Act like an expert retail marketer and write a marketing plan for 2025. My shop is (Shop Name) in (City, State). Create a marketing schedule in a checklist form that I can use for online and in-person promotions, focusing on these bestselling categories in my shop: (x, y, z).”

While there are a lot of tricks to using AI, understanding these three parts will give you much better answers from the get-go. Feel free to refine the response if you don’t get what you need. You can add something into the same chat like:

“No, that’s too many options. Simplify this list to the top three promotions I should use through the summer months that have the potential for the highest sales.”

3 Simple Tips to Get Started Here are a few suggestions on how to get started using AI for your coastal retail business.

1. Practice your prompts. Without the right information as a prompt, you might not get the answers you were looking for. Even if the response is good, it might not be right for your brand. You can also ask for a re-write or use pre-written prompts you can find online. For example, continue the “chat” to refine a request, (i.e. simplifying the tone of an email or reformatting a list.)
2. Start small. Pick one thing you hate doing (i.e., writing emails or social media posts), and find an AI tool to handle it.
   Try ChatGPT (the most common free one) for writing content, email subject lines, or a marketing plan, and work up to adding in a chatbot app to your website to answer from a list of FAQs you give it. New AI programs are popping up every day, so the idea is to get started!
3. Test and tweak. Be sure to tweak the responses. With so many people using AI for similar tasks, the writing style is becoming very generic. Tweak the copy to make it your style and your voice before using it.

   
   

Should I use it?

AI is helpful, but it’s not perfect. It can write a product description, but it can’t replicate your brand’s unique personality. It can analyze sales trends, but it won’t have a gut feeling about the next big trend in coastal fashion. And while chatbots can answer FAQs, they can’t offer the personal touch that keeps customers coming back.

That’s the secret: use AI as the handy tool that it is to do all the things you find boring, difficult or repetitive, such as content creation, planning, synthesizing trends or organizing information.

Your newfound time can be used to talk to your customers and staff. After all, they are probably craving human interaction just as much as you are.

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Melissa Steadman owns Moonbridge Consulting where she helps business owners find balance and time for growth by helping them streamline their marketing and operations systems. She can be reached at melissa@moonbridgeconsulting.com.