After years of fluctuating consumer confidence and stagnant e-commerce traffic, retailers expected only modest results for the 2025 holiday season. However, data reveals a record-breaking period marked by a significant surge in online shopping and the rise of a new powerful sales driver. Salesforce’s post-holiday analysis, based on data from over 1. 5 billion global consumers, reports $1. 3 trillion in online spending between November 1 and December 31—a 7% year-over-year increase. North America saw a solid 5% growth, while Europe outperformed expectations with a 12% rise. The standout factor fueling this growth isn’t just revenue volume but the impact of new technology: AI influenced $262 billion of global online spend, according to Salesforce’s Caila Schwartz and Agentforce Commerce’s Gordon Evans. This includes AI-driven guided shopping, shopper agents, customer service bots, product recommendations, and AI-enhanced search. These “agentic AI” systems autonomously reason, plan, and execute tasks with minimal human intervention. Contrary to expectations of flat traffic, e-commerce visits jumped over 20% late in the holiday season across all regions, largely driven by AI-powered search channels. While these AI channels saw triple-digit traffic growth, their quality was notably superior. Visitors from AI search converted at nine times the rate of social media referrals and spent 38% more time on sites compared to average visitors, and 137% more than social media users. Schwartz highlights that these visitors are “highly motivated buyers” conducting thorough research via AI tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini before making purchases. Beyond search-driven visits, brand-owned AI agents embedded directly on retail sites played a crucial role in closing sales.

Salesforce spotlighted Williams Sonoma’s AI assistant “Olive, ” which acts as a “sous chef” helping with meal planning and dietary needs rather than a mere service bot. Around 20% of retailers launched shopper agents before the holidays, using the season to test these technologies. Those that deployed shopper agents experienced 6. 2% sales growth, compared to 3. 9% for others. Customer service traditionally seen as a cost center transformed into a sales accelerator through agentic AI. From November to December, agentic conversations rose 66%, and autonomous agent actions increased 142%. These AI agents independently handled complex tasks such as processing returns and updating shipping, improving efficiency and brand perception. Pandora, a jewelry retailer, reported a 60% increase in case deflection and a 10% boost in Net Promoter Score by simulating the in-store experience with AI agents. Looking ahead to 2026, the focus will shift from “agentic efficiency” to “transforming the shopper experience. ” Future AI agents will integrate multiple data sources—customer service history, orders, inventory, and stylist availability—allowing seamless, context-aware interactions. Customers may inquire about order status and immediately request styling appointments without losing conversational flow. Retailers are experimenting with positioning AI agents in high-friction website areas—such as site search bars that clarify queries, shopping carts offering shipping options and cross-sells, and product pages advising on sizing to reduce returns. Salesforce views these holiday season developments as promising indicators for the year to come. Schwartz notes, “The trends we see taking shape typically set the tone for the next year, ” underscoring AI’s growing influence on e-commerce growth and performance.