Despite inflation and ongoing tariff tensions, American shoppers fueled a 9% Black Friday sales boost over last year, aided by AI-powered shopping tools.
Adobe Analytics, which monitors 1 trillion online retail visits, reports that AI-powered shopping tools fueled a surge in U.S. online Black Friday spending, Reuters reports. American shoppers used chatbots to compare prices and grab discounts, avoid crowded stores, and navigate tariff-driven price concerns.
“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.”
Black Friday unfolded amid tighter budgets, a weakened job market with unemployment near a four-year high, and U.S. consumer confidence at a seven-month low, prompting shoppers to watch every dollar. Yet AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail sites jumped 805% from last year, when tools like Walmart’s Sparky or Amazon’s Rufus hadn’t launched yet.
Top Black Friday buys included LEGO sets, Pokémon cards, gaming consoles like the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5, and products from Apple AirPods to KitchenAid mixers. Salesforce reported that U.S. consumers spent $18 billion online, up 3% from last year, with luxury apparel and accessories among the most popular categories.
By Cyber Monday, U.S. shoppers had spent $14.25 billion, bringing total online sales over the Thanksgiving weekend to $44.2 billion. Cyber Week spending—from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday—rose 7.7% compared to last year’s 8.2% increase to $41.1 billion, surpassing prior expectations of $43.7 billion.
“This year’s record turnout reflects a highly engaged consumer who is focused on value, responds to compelling promotions, and seizes upon the opportunity to make the winter holidays special and meaningful,” said NRF CEO Matthew Shay.
Analysts noted that consumers stayed cautious this year, carefully monitoring prices to avoid impulse purchases. Many shoppers turned to AI-powered tools, such as chatbots, to browse and compare products across categories like appliances, toys, video games, and jewelry.
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