Based on Salesforce’s analysis of data from more than 1.5 billion shoppers, the 2023 cyber week saw a 6% increase in global sales, reaching $298 billion. In the US, sales reached $70.8 billion, increasing by 5% compared to the previous year. The biggest online shopping days, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, saw strong sales growth, driven by attractive discount rates.
Artificial intelligence (AI) had a significant influence on shopper behavior, with $51 billion of global online sales being influenced by AI. Retailers also leveraged automation to increase efficiency and offer faster services to consumers. Mobile devices played a key role in making purchases, with a record-breaking 79% of ecommerce traffic during cyber week coming from mobile phones.
US shoppers also embraced alternative payment options and mobile wallets, with Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) orders seeing an 8% increase year over year. Digital marketing channels also experienced growth, with email volumes increasing by 9% year over year and push/SMS/OTT growing by 37% year over year.
Looking ahead, the future of digital sales will continue to be influenced by AI, with AI-powered assistants and agents on mobile devices playing a growing role in shaping shopping experiences. Generative AI use across social networks will also have a significant impact on the influence of retailer brands and buyers.
Overall, the digital shopping experience is expected to continue evolving in a hyper-connected, AI-powered economy, with a greater share of consumer attention, loyalty, and sales.
