Online holiday shopping reached a record $241.4 billion during the 2024 season. It was fueled in part by generative AI-powered chatbots that increased traffic to e-commerce sites, according to Adobe Analytics.
Online spending between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31 rose nearly 9% year over year, according to the latest figures from Adobe Analytics. For 15 days during the shopping period, spending reached more than $4 billion in a single day, up from 11 days in 2023.
For its analysis on U.S. e-commerce, Adobe analyzes commerce transactions online, covering over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, 100 million SKUs and 18 product categories.
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As part of its analysis, Adobe also found that traffic to retail sites from generative AI-powered chatbots, when shoppers click on a link to a retail site, rose by 1,300% compared with the year prior. On Cyber Monday, traffic rose 1,950% year over year because of these chatbots.
This data underscores the value that such bots are playing as shopping assistants, according to Adobe.
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In a recent Adobe survey of 5,000 U.S. consumers, 70% of respondents who used generative AI for shopping said it enhances their experience. About 20% of respondents turn to such technology to find the best deals, according to the data. Just under 20% use it to find specific items online and 15% use it for brand recommendations.
Adobe also found that shoppers leaned on mobile devices for shopping more than ever before, with smartphones driving more than 54% of online purchases. Nearly 80% of buy now, pay later transactions were made through a smartphone.
Adobe Digital Insights lead analyst Vivek Pandya said the season proved that “e-commerce is being reshaped by a consumer who now prefers to transact on smaller screens and lean on generative AI-powered services to shop more efficiently.”
Retailers are also delivering “new services and experiences that capture the attention of consumers, many of whom are now shopping online in different ways,” Pandya said.
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