American shoppers turned to artificial intelligence (AI) in unprecedented numbers this Black Friday, helping push online spending to a record $11.8 billion as many consumers chose to avoid crowded stores and shop from home.
On the year’s busiest shopping day, U.S. online spending surged 9.1% from last year as Americans increasingly relied on AI-powered chatbots to compare prices and track deals, according to new data from Adobe Analytics.
This year saw an 805% spike in AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail websites compared with 2024, when tools like Walmart’s “Sparky” or Amazon’s “Rufus” were not yet available.
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“Consumers are using new tools to get to what they need faster,” Suzy Davidkhanian, an eMarketer analyst, told Reuters. “Gift giving can be stressful, and [large language models] make the discovery process feel quicker and more guided.”
An Adobe survey also found that nearly half of U.S. shoppers have already used or are planning to use AI to assist with their online shopping this season.
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Some of the most sought-after items this Black Friday included Pokémon cards, LEGO sets, Apple AirPods, KitchenAid mixers, the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5.
The spike in Black Friday online spending followed another record-setting day during Thanksgiving.
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Consumers spent a record $6.4 billion online during Thanksgiving, driven in part by a surge in discounts.
Spending increased 5.3% compared with a year ago, as shoppers took advantage of Cyber Week deals that came in stronger than expected, according to Adobe Analytics.
Reuters and FOX Business’ Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.
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