Salesforce Holiday Forecast Predicts 4% Global Ecommerce Growth

"The forecast, released today and based on data drawn from Salesforce platforms Commerce Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud and Agentforce, predicts that global ecommerce sales in November and December will reach a record $1.25 trillion, an increase worldwide of 4%. In the U.S., online sales are projected to increase 2.1%. "The way consumers are shopping is changing at a fundamental level," the report states, noting that AI and agents are projected to drive 21% of all holiday orders globally, resulting in $263 billion in sales."

"Salesforce reported it has seen a dramatic increase in the use of AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini to make purchasing decisions. The percentage of U.S. consumers that start their search for products by using AI chat assistants jumped 38% between May and August. According to Salesforce consumer surveys and research, 20% of U.S. shoppers used AI at some point in their buying journey over the past six months. The majority of AI users - 57% - are using AI search while in stores, and 87% said they trust AI recommendations. AI channels also are quite effective at turning recommendations into purchases. Conversion rates from AI channels were 700% higher than social media traffic in the first half of this year, and 200% higher than traffic sources such as traditional search, Salesforce reported."

Salesforce forecasts global ecommerce sales of $1.25 trillion for November and December, a 4% worldwide increase, with U.S. online sales up 2.1%. AI and AI agents are projected to drive 21% of holiday orders globally, translating to $263 billion in sales. Use of AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini for purchasing decisions has risen substantially. U.S. consumers starting product searches with AI chat assistants jumped 38% between May and August, and 20% of U.S. shoppers used AI during their buying journey in the past six months. AI-driven channels show much higher conversion rates than social or traditional search, making AI optimization crucial for brands.

Read at Forbes