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Predict a customer's next-30-day orders from their purchase history and spot month-over-month sales movers with ChatGPT
Bryan Scott, store manager of Southern Tool Supply, a one-location tool and hardware store in Louisville, Kentucky, on The Grit Blueprint podcast
"I can export a customer's purchase history into ChatGPT and I can be like, looking at this, trends for the last 12 months, what items are they most likely to be purchasing in the next 30 days, so that I can know, hey, we need to order these in. We need to have our outside sales rep go talk to this guy." His example: "you know that in past years you've ordered 30 water coolers. Is that something you're looking to do?" He also describes putting this month's sales next to the same month last year so it can point out smaller movers you'd miss, such as more lifting slings or chain, and then digging into why.
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ChatGPT
The problem
He wanted to know what items customers are likely to buy soon, so the store can order them in and point its outside sales rep at the right contacts. He also wanted to catch smaller sales changes he might otherwise miss.
What happened
He says a nudge like that can jog the customer's memory and lets the purchasing guy order the items in so they're there for the customer. He says "this is a tool. It's not meant to do the job for you. It's meant to help you with the job." No time or money figures are given. Owner-told.
Quoted in the source: Bryan Scott, store manager, Southern Tool Supply. Source: The Grit Blueprint podcast: Embracing AI in Small Business: Southern Tool Supply | Sponsored by Do it Best (host Stefanie Couch) (2025-09-26) · Added 2026-10-20.
How to set it up yourself
- What Southern Tool Supply does: Bryan Scott exports a customer's purchase history into ChatGPT and asks what they're most likely to buy in the next 30 days. The store can then order those items in and send the outside sales rep to talk to that contact. He also compares this month's sales with the same month last year to find smaller movers.
- Export one customer account's last 12 months of purchases (item, SKU, quantity, date) from your point-of-sale system as a spreadsheet. Remove phone numbers, emails and payment details first.
- Upload it to ChatGPT with the prompt below. Check the items it names against the actual order history and your current stock.
- Give the list to your purchasing person and sales rep as reasons to ask, not as sure orders. Once a month, paste this month's and last year's same-month sales by item, ask which items moved most, then ask why.
Copy-paste prompt
This file is {CUSTOMER ACCOUNT}'s purchase history from {STORE NAME} for {DATE RANGE}. Based only on this file, list the items they are most likely to buy in the next 30 days. For each item, show the past purchase dates and quantities behind it, and say how sure you are. Never invent items, quantities or prices; if the data is too thin, say so and mark it [MISSING]. End with one short question our sales rep could ask the customer about each item.One short email a day: 3 new AI use cases from real small businesses, each with its source and setup steps, plus a Tool of the Day. Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Tools used
ChatGPT
General AI assistant for writing, research, brainstorming and analysis.
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Checked prices: ChatGPT: from Free $0; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro $100/mo (verified 2026-10-17)
Rather not do it yourself?
We'll set this up in your tools, in your voice, tested. $149/mo with setup included (6-month minimum), or $497 pay-once. Satisfaction guarantee: we'll fix it until it works. Pay-once setups: or we refund your setup fee. $149/mo plan: cancel in the first 30 days and we refund your first month. Terms. We reply within 1 business day.
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