AI Fuels Historic $11.8 Billion in US Black Friday Online Sales
AI-powered shopping tools significantly contributed to a notable increase in US online spending on Black Friday. Shoppers opted to avoid crowded stores, instead utilizing chatbots to compare prices and obtain discounts, all while navigating concerns regarding price hikes driven by tariffs. US shoppers spent a record $11.8 billion online, reflecting a 9.1 percent increase from 2024 on the year’s biggest shopping day, according to Adobe Analytics, which monitors 1 trillion visits to online retail websites. The holiday shopping season approaches against a backdrop of constrained budgets, with unemployment nearing a four-year high, US consumer confidence dipping to a seven-month low, and price tags prompting shoppers to scrutinize every dollar. According to the sources, online shopping demand surged as consumers demonstrated their savvy during the holiday season, with e-commerce sales on Black Friday experiencing a 10.4 percent increase, in contrast to a mere 1.7 percent growth in in-store sales in 2024.
According to the reports, the AI-driven traffic to US retail sites surged by 805 percent compared to the previous year, at a time when artificial intelligence tools like Walmart’s Sparky and Amazon’s Rufus had yet to be introduced. “Consumers are using new tools to get to what they need faster,” said Suzy Davidkhanian. “Gift giving can be stressful, and LLMs (large language models) make the discovery process feel quicker and more guided.” Popular items on Black Friday featured LEGO sets, Pokemon cards, gaming consoles such as the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5, along with a variety of products including Apple AirPods and KitchenAid mixers. AI agents have had a significant impact, influencing $14.2 billion in online sales worldwide. According to software firm Salesforce, AI and agents had a significant impact on online sales globally, influencing $14.2 billion on Black Friday, with $3 billion generated from the US alone. Salesforce, whose data encompasses non-discretionary items such as groceries, revealed that US consumers spent $18 billion online on Black Friday purchases, marking a 3 percent increase from the previous year, with luxury apparel and accessories ranking among the most favored categories.
Despite an increase in spending by US consumers this Black Friday compared to the previous year, Salesforce reports that price hikes negatively impacted online demand, resulting in shoppers buying fewer items at checkout than in the prior year. Discount rates also remained unchanged when compared to 2024, with AI assisting shoppers in finding the best deals, while rising price tags made it challenging for retailers to offer deeper discounts. Promotions and discounts may not seem as appealing as they did last year, attributed to increased product costs stemming from inflation and tariffs, as noted by Davidkhanian. According to Michael Ashley Schulman, the combination of higher prices and flat discounts indicates that the real value of Black Friday bargains has diminished for consumers. Order volumes decreased by 1 percent, while average selling prices increased by 7 percent. Salesforce reported that consumers purchased fewer items at checkout, with units per transaction declining by 2 percent compared to the previous year.
“There are two things driving up the average selling price in the United States,” said Caila Schwartz. “The first is undoubtedly the impact of tariffs, particularly on those discretionary categories where we’ve observed significant growth in selling price. The other is the fact that we’re seeing a much stronger higher-income earner than average-income earner, evidenced by the strength in the luxury category,” she added. The spending surge lays the groundwork for an even larger Cyber Monday, which is anticipated to generate $14.2 billion in sales, reflecting a 6.3 percent increase compared to the previous year and marking it as the largest online shopping day of the year, according to Adobe. According to Adobe, electronics are anticipated to experience the most significant discounts on Cyber Monday, with reductions reaching 30 percent off list prices, alongside compelling offers on apparel and computers. In physical stores, the pursuit of bargains was notably restrained on Black Friday. Some shoppers expressed concerns about overspending, citing ongoing inflation, trade-related uncertainties, and a sluggish labor market.
