Marc Rosen, CEO of Catalyst Brands, comments on Black Friday and the holiday shopping season on ‘The Claman Countdown’.
US shoppers turned to artificial intelligence (AI) in unprecedented numbers this Black Friday, driving online spending to a record $11.8 billion as many consumers opted to avoid crowded stores and shop from home.
On the busiest shopping day of the year, U.S. online spending rose 9.1% year-over-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 US retail websites compared to 2024, when tools like Walmart’s ‘Sparky’ or Amazon’s ‘Rufus’ were not yet available.
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US consumers turned to AI in unprecedented numbers this Black Friday, driving online spending to a record $11.8 billion as many consumers opted to avoid crowded stores and shop from home. (Tijana Simic/iStock/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“Consumers are using new tools to get what they need faster,” Suzy Davidkhanian, an eMarketer analyst, told Reuters. ‘Gift giving can be stressful, and… [large language models] making the discovery process feel faster and more guided.”
An Adobe survey also found that nearly half of U.S. shoppers have already used or plan to use AI to assist with their online purchases this season.
STRONG DISCOUNTS HELP SPEND RECORD THANKSGIVING DAY ONLINE
People line up for the On sneaker store during Black Friday sale at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, in Central Valley, Woodbury, New York, on November 28, 2025. (REUTERS/Jessica DiNapoli/File Photo / Reuters)
Some of the most sought after items this Black Friday were Pokémon cards, LEGO sets, Apple AirPods, KitchenAid mixers, the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5.
The spike in online spending on Black Friday followed another record day during Thanksgiving.
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An employee folds clothes at a Macy’s department store during Black Friday at the Roosevelt Field shopping center in Garden City, New York, on November 28, 2025. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
Consumers spent a record $6.4 billion online this Thanksgiving, thanks in part to a surge in discounts.
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According to Adobe Analytics, spending rose 5.3% from a year ago as shoppers took advantage of Cyber Week deals that came in stronger than expected.
