The 2024 holiday shopping season saw a historic surge in U.S. online sales, driven by mobile transactions, with consumers embracing generative AI and significant discounts. According to Adobe Analytics, U.S. online sales rose 8.7% year-over-year, reaching an impressive $241.4 billion.
Key Highlights:
Mobile Dominance: For the first time, mobile purchases accounted for 54.5% of all online sales during the holiday season, surpassing 2023’s 51.1%. Christmas Day saw the highest mobile shopping activity, with 65% of online sales coming from smartphones.
Electronics, Apparel, and Home Goods Lead: These three categories collectively accounted for over half of all U.S. online holiday sales, with electronics reaching $55.3 billion, apparel at $45.6 billion, and home goods at $29.2 billion.
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL): U.S. consumers spent $18.2 billion using BNPL services, marking a 9.6% increase over the previous year. The busiest day for BNPL was Cyber Monday, with a record $991.2 million in transactions.
Generative AI Impact: AI-powered chatbots used for shopping assistance boosted retail site traffic by 1,300%, highlighting the growing role of artificial intelligence in shaping consumer shopping experiences.
In global markets, online sales reached $1.2 trillion, growing by 3% from the previous year, with mobile devices driving $842 billion of the total. Social commerce, particularly through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, accounted for 20% of global online sales.
Salesforce data reveals that AI and automated agents influenced nearly 24% of total sales, marking a significant rise in consumer interactions with personalized product recommendations and customer service chatbots.
Discount Trends and Consumer Behavior: Throughout the U.S., discounts peaked at 30% off during the holiday season, especially in electronics and toys. Adobe reported that for every 1% decrease in price, demand increased by more than 1%, contributing an additional $2.25 billion in online spending. Retailers who embraced AI-driven sales tools saw greater consumer engagement, particularly for higher-ticket items in sporting goods, electronics, and appliances.
Returns and Challenges Ahead: Despite the robust sales, retailers faced a surge in returns, with over $122 billion worth of products returned by the first week of January 2025—an increase of 28% from 2023. The rise in returns is partly attributed to “try-on hauls,” where consumers order multiple sizes of clothing to try on at home. As a result, the total value of merchandise returned in 2024 reached $685 billion, though it was lower than the $743 billion in 2023.
Looking to the Future: As retailers adapt to the evolving online shopping landscape, the use of AI, mobile commerce, and dynamic pricing strategies will be key to maximizing profits and reducing the impact of returns. With the continued rise of mobile shopping and social commerce, 2025 is poised to see further shifts in how consumers engage with e-commerce.
The 2024 holiday season not only proved to be the most mobile-driven shopping period in history but also signaled the growing role of technology in reshaping the future of retail.
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