Artificial intelligence shopping assistants powered a significant surge in United States online spending during Black Friday 2025. Consumers increasingly turned to AI tools for price comparison and discount discovery, contributing to a record $11.8 billion in digital sales according to Adobe Analytics.
Adobe’s analysis, which tracks one trillion retail website visits, revealed a remarkable 805% year-over-year increase in AI-driven traffic to US retail sites. This substantial growth follows the recent introduction of AI shopping assistants like Walmart’s Sparky and Amazon’s Rufus.
Nearly half of all shoppers surveyed by Adobe reported using or planning to use AI for their online holiday purchases. This consumer shift toward AI-powered shopping reflects broader changes in retail discovery and purchasing behavior.
According to Salesforce data, AI technologies influenced $14.2 billion in global online sales during Black Friday, with $3 billion originating from the United States. The software firm reported total US online spending reached $18 billion, representing a 3% increase from the previous year.
AI’s love language is gift-giving, apparently. This Thanksgiving and Black Friday, AI and agents influenced $22B in global online sales.
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— Salesforce (@salesforce) November 29, 2025
Despite higher overall spending, Salesforce noted consumers purchased fewer items due to rising prices. Order volumes declined 1% while average selling prices increased 7%, indicating more cautious consumer purchasing behavior.
Salesforce consumer insights director Caila Schwartz identified two primary factors driving price increases: tariff impacts on discretionary goods and stronger spending among higher-income consumers. This trend appeared particularly evident within the luxury apparel and accessories category.
Adobe projects an even larger shopping day for Cyber Monday, forecasting $14.2 billion in online sales. The company anticipates deepest discounts will appear in electronics, with potential savings reaching 30% off list prices.
While online shopping surged, physical retail stores experienced more moderate Black Friday activity. Many shoppers expressed concern about overspending amid ongoing economic uncertainty and persistent inflationary pressures.