AI shopping guides boost sales on America's "Cyber Monday" to over $13 billion, a year-on-year increase of 7.3%

According to Adobe's report, U.S. consumers spent $13.3 billion online this year on "Cyber Monday," a 7.3% increase compared to last year's Cyber Monday, surpassing the $10.8 billion in online spending on Black Friday.

Media reports indicate that physical store sales on Black Friday have remained sluggish in recent years, with consumers primarily purchasing a variety of heavily discounted holiday items online, ranging from electronics to toys. Experts say that this year's discounts are even greater, with consumers waiting for those days with significant promotions. For example, Target announced that its "two-day Cyber Monday" event started on Sunday, offering 50% off on thousands of items, including video games, home decor, and other tech products.

Currently, the sales data for the U.S. holiday shopping season is mixed, with physical store spending on Black Friday relatively flat. According to preliminary estimates from payment processing company Mastercard, sales at physical stores on Friday grew only 0.7% year-over-year. Meanwhile, data from Facteus shows that sales actually declined.

However, online retailers like Walmart and Amazon are leveraging generative AI for customer service and search functions, helping consumers find products more easily on their websites and mobile apps.

Salesforce Consumer Research Director Caila Schwartz stated that generative AI (GenAI) tools can answer basic product inquiries from online shoppers, helping retailers protect their profit margins amid rising costs.

According to Salesforce's estimates, retailers using generative AI tools for customer service on Saturday saw a 15% increase in user purchase rates. Schwartz noted that this higher "conversion rate" could change the online shopping ecosystem. Adobe also reported that from Black Friday to the weekend, traffic to retail websites from chatbots or user clicks on website links increased by 1,950% on Cyber Monday.

Additionally, according to Salesforce data, online shopping activity during the "Cyber Weekend" before Cyber Monday grew by 9%, up from 6% in 2023. Nevertheless, the average discount rate in the U.S. this year has decreased by 2% compared to last year, standing at only 28%.

Schwartz remarked, "Despite consumers' expectations and careful planning for 'Cyber Week,' this year's discounts did not fully meet expectations. Nonetheless, consumers have still been shopping in large numbers so far, demonstrating their resilience and eagerness to seize seasonal deals."

Cyber Monday was first proposed by the National Retail Federation in 2005, when online shopping was just emerging. Initially, Cyber Monday was a shopping event initiated by e-commerce companies trying to capitalize on the shopping frenzy of Black Friday, which was almost entirely dominated by in-store shopping at the time. The original intent was for U.S. consumers to place orders online using their work computers when they returned to the office on Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday and Friday, plus the weekend But now, everyone can access the internet through their mobile phones, and most e-commerce transactions are also completed via mobile. Additionally, many online discount activities start a few days before Thanksgiving and continue after the holiday, so consumers no longer need to wait until Monday to look for deals.

As a result, since 2019, the number of consumers shopping online on Black Friday has surpassed those shopping online on Cyber Monday.