Holiday Shoppers Spend $1.2trn Online

It was stated that the United States accounted for $282 billion, with data based on an analysis of 1.5 billion shoppers and 1.6 trillion page views across the Salesforce Platform.

The report indicates that the better-than-expected holiday shopping season was powered by surges in mobile and social commerce alongside increased consumer spending after months of saving in the first half of 2024.

However, shoppers have already sent back $122 billion in merchandise, with consumers and retailers leaning into the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and agents to enhance holiday shopping experiences through product recommendations and personalised order support, influencing $229 billion – or 19 per cent – of all online orders.

“Retailers had a robust holiday season, but a 28% rise in the rate of returns compared to last year is a cause for some concern,” said Caila Schwartz, Director of Consumer Insights at Salesforce. “Retailers who have embraced AI and agents are already seeing the benefits, but these tools will be even more critical in the new year as retailers aim to minimise revenue losses on returns and reengage with shoppers.”

It was gathered that about $229 billion of global online sales were influenced by AI and agents in the form of product recommendations, targeted offers, and conversational customer service support, with 19 per cent of holiday purchases influenced by consumers engaging with AI and agents, a 6 per cent increase from 2023.

In addition, shoppers used AI- and agent-powered chat for customer service 42 per cent more than they did during the 2023 holiday season, and over $122 billion of global purchases have already been returned, up 28 per cent from last year.

It was noted that this increase is partially due to trending consumer behaviours like “try-on hauls” and bracketing (buying an extra size above and below your standard size).

Salesforce projects that retailers will likely see this number grow to $133 billion – presenting an important opportunity for brands to use agents to make the returns process easier and more tailored to specific customer needs.