# BrightEdge: ChatGPT's Black Friday citations still favor dated press releases

Published: 2026-10-08T20:36:42.270Z · Source: BrightEdge Blog (https://www.brightedge.com/resources/weekly-ai-search-insights/before-black-friday-update-the-pages-chatgpt-already-cites)
Source date: 2026-10-08
Flags: BrightEdge study — vendor-published
Entities: chatgpt, brightedge

At Best Buy, dated press releases draw 71.7% of ChatGPT's Black Friday citations versus 10.5% for the retailer's current store hub page, per BrightEdge; Home Depot splits a similar 63.1% to 13.3%. BrightEdge tracked 13,915 holiday prompts against ChatGPT across six major US retailers from June to August 2026, and found that, weighted across all six, about 11% of cited holiday pages carry a year that has already passed — nothing ages a dated press release out of the citation pool, so it stays there until the retailer replaces it. Black Friday falls on November 27 this year.

Why it matters: A retailer's own outdated press release can out-cite its live, correct seasonal page in ChatGPT's answers, which means seasonal pages need updating before peak demand, not just published once and left.

## What this answers

**Does ChatGPT cite outdated Black Friday press releases over current store pages?**

Yes — per BrightEdge, at Best Buy dated press releases draw 71.7% of ChatGPT's Black Friday citations versus 10.5% for the current store hub page; at Home Depot it's 63.1% versus 13.3%.

**How many of the holiday pages ChatGPT cites are out of date?**

About 11% of cited holiday pages carry a year that has already passed, a weighted average BrightEdge measured across six major US retailers between June and August 2026.


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