"According to a new survey by Salesforce, consumers spent a record-breaking $1.29 trillion globally, and $294 billion in the U.S., amid higher average selling prices, up 7% year-over-year, during the recent holiday season. Sales growth reached 7% globally and 4% in the U.S., indicating that consumer appetite remained strong from the start of the season through the end. Order volumes were also up, 3% globally and and 1% in the U.S."
"Online shopping traffic volumes and the time consumers spent online grew significantly over last year. So far this holiday season, online traffic volumes rose 12% year-over-year globally and 10% year-over-year in the U.S., according to the survey. The time consumers spent on ecommerce websites soared 35% year-over-year in the U.S and 28% year-over-year globally. Shoppers were much more discerning about where and how their money was spent and sought out more information before finalizing a purchase."
"AI was steering the shopping cart this holiday season. AI and agents powered a massive portion of the holidays, driving 20% of all retail sales and fueling $262 billion in revenue through personalized recommendations and deeper customer engagement. The share of global and U.S. traffic from third-party AI search channels like ChatGPT and Perplexity doubled compared to last year."
The holiday shopping period from November 1 to December 31 generated $1.29 trillion in global consumer spending and $294 billion in the U.S., with average selling prices up 7% year-over-year. Global sales growth reached 7% and U.S. growth 4%, while order volumes rose 3% globally and 1% in the U.S. Sales accelerated late in the season, with a 12% global increase and a 9% U.S. rise in the last two weeks of December. Online traffic rose 12% globally and 10% in the U.S., and time on ecommerce sites climbed 35% in the U.S. and 28% globally. AI-driven recommendations and agents accounted for 20% of retail sales, contributing $262 billion in revenue, and third-party AI search referrals doubled year-over-year.
Read at Forbes
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