U.S. shoppers spent a record $11.8 billion online on the year’s biggest shopping day, up 9.1% from 2024, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks 1 trillion visits to online retail websites. Reuters reported that this surge was driven by AI-powered shopping tools, as consumers bypassed crowded stores and turned to chatbots to compare prices and secure discounts.
The holiday shopping season comes amid concerns about tariffs, tighter budgets, unemployment nearing a four-year high, and U.S. consumer confidence at a seven-month low. Online shopping demand also increased, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which noted a 10.4% growth in e-commerce sales on Black Friday, compared to 1.7% growth for in-store sales in 2024.
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Adobe said AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail sites soared 805% compared to last year, when AI tools such as Walmart’s Sparky or Amazon’s Rufus had not yet been launched. “Consumers are using new tools to get to what they need faster,” said Suzy Davidkhanian, an analyst at eMarketer. “Gift giving can be stressful, and LLMs (large language models) make the discovery process feel quicker and more guided.” Some of the best-selling products during Black Friday included LEGO sets, Pokémon cards, gaming consoles like the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5, and products ranging from Apple AirPods to KitchenAid mixers.
The influence of AI on shopping isn’t limited to the U.S. Globally, AI and agents influenced $14.2 billion in online sales on Black Friday, with $3 billion coming from the U.S., according to software firm Salesforce. Salesforce, whose data includes non-discretionary items like groceries, reported that U.S. consumers spent $18 billion online on Black Friday purchases, up 3% from a year ago, with luxury apparel and accessories among the most popular categories.
While overall spending increased, fewer items were purchased. Higher prices reduced online demand, according to Salesforce. Discount rates also remained flat compared to 2024, with AI helping shoppers discover the best deals, while rising prices made deeper discounts difficult for retailers.
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“Promotions and discounts may not feel as sharp as last year due to higher product costs driven by inflation and tariffs,” Davidkhanian said. “The final price doesn’t feel as compelling to shoppers.” The combination of higher prices and flat discounts means the real value of Black Friday bargains has slipped for consumers, according to Michael Ashley Schulman, Chief Investment Officer at Running Point.
Order volumes fell 1% as average selling prices rose 7%. Consumers also purchased fewer items at checkout, with units per transaction declining 2% year-over-year, Salesforce said.
“There are two things driving up the average selling price in the United States,” said Caila Schwartz, director of consumer insights at Salesforce. “The first is absolutely the impact of tariffs, especially on those discretionary categories where we’ve seen a lot of 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.