Online spending surged 9.1% on Black Friday, reaching a record $11.8B. The jump was fueled by an 805% increase in traffic using AI-powered shopping assistants.
American shoppers embraced artificial intelligence (AI) in unprecedented numbers this Black Friday, propelling online spending to a record $11.8 billion, an increase of 9.1% from the previous year. The surge was attributed to consumers seeking to avoid crowded physical stores and utilizing new AI-powered tools to streamline the discovery and purchase process, according to new data from Adobe Analytics.
The adoption of AI tools, such as Walmart’s “Sparky” and Amazon’s “Rufus,” resulted in an 805% spike in AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail websites compared with 2024, when many of these generative AI features were not widely available.
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“Consumers are using new tools to get to what they need faster,” Suzy Davidkhanian, an eMarketer analyst, told Reuters. She noted that large language models are making “the discovery process feel quicker and more guided,” relieving stress often associated with gift-giving.
A separate Adobe survey indicated that nearly half of U.S. shoppers have already used or plan to use AI to assist with their online purchases during the current holiday season.
The jump in Black Friday spending followed a record Thanksgiving Day for online retail, which saw consumers spend a record $6.4 billion, a 5.3% increase from a year prior. Steep discounts and early Cyber Week deals were cited as key factors in driving this early holiday spending.
Among the most sought-after items this Black Friday were Pokémon cards, LEGO sets, Apple AirPods, KitchenAid mixers, the Nintendo Switch, and the PlayStation 5.
