"The 2025 holiday shopping season set new records, according to Salesforce data, with $1.29 trillion in global sales driven by a definitive shift toward AI-driven agentic shopping. A resilient consumer base drove global online sales up 7% from last year, with U.S. sales at $294 billion, up 4% from 2024. Brands that deployed their own AI agents saw significantly higher growth than those that did not. Consumers remained resilient amid higher prices, leaning heavily on mobile devices and AI agents to find the best deals."
"AI agents influenced 20% of global retail sales, and traffic from AI-powered searches, such as on ChatGPT or Perplexity, showed incredibly high intent, converting nine times more often than traffic from social media referrals. Additionally, companies deploying their own agents, such as Pandora and SharkNinja, experienced a 59% higher growth rate than those that did not. As Caila Schwartz, director of consumer insights at Salesforce, put it, "Agents didn't just drive $262 billion in sales through high-intent discovery. They became the operational heroes of the season.""
Global online holiday sales reached $1.29 trillion, up 7% year-over-year, with U.S. sales at $294 billion, a 4% increase. AI agents influenced 20% of global retail sales and AI-powered searches converted nine times more often than social media referrals. Brands deploying proprietary AI agents, including Pandora and SharkNinja, saw 59% higher growth than those that did not. AI agents generated $262 billion in sales through high-intent discovery and became key operational contributors to cart conversion and service efficiency. Agents handled complex, autonomous tasks and drove a 66% increase in agentic AI-powered service conversations in December. Consumers leaned heavily on mobile devices and AI agents to find the best deals despite higher prices.
Read at MarTech
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