Adobe Forecasts Slower 2025 Online Holiday Spending Growth Amid Discount Demand and AI Surge

U.S. online holiday spending is projected to grow by 5.3% year-over-year, reaching a total of $253.4 billion, according to a new Adobe Analytics report released this week. This anticipated growth marks a significant slowdown compared to last year’s 8.7% increase and the decade-long average of approximately 13% annually.

Consumers are expected to actively seek out discounts and increasingly utilize artificial intelligence-powered chatbots for their shopping research. Vivek Pandya, Adobe’s director of digital insights, highlighted that despite economic uncertainties, shoppers remain driven to purchase gifts and decor, eager to capitalize on promotional periods. The report also notes a trend of consumers stockpiling goods in anticipation of potential price volatility.

Cyber Week, spanning from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, is expected to be the peak shopping period, driving 17.2% of overall online holiday spending, or $43.7 billion. Discount levels are predicted to be largely consistent with last year, though some categories may see slight variations; for instance, electronics discounts are expected to peak at 28% off, down from 30.1% last year.

Mobile devices are set to be the dominant platform for online shopping, accounting for 56.1% of digital spending. Furthermore, the adoption of generative AI in shopping research is forecast to surge by an astonishing 520% year-over-year, with the highest traffic anticipated leading up to Thanksgiving.

While Adobe’s data focuses solely on e-commerce, it estimates that approximately one in four holiday sales dollars will be spent online. Broader forecasts, like those from Bain & Co., predict a more modest 4% growth for overall holiday spending (encompassing both in-store and online), while a PwC survey indicates consumers plan to spend an average of 5% less this holiday season, particularly among Gen Z.

阅读中文版 (Read Chinese Version)

Disclaimer: This content is aggregated from public sources online. Please verify information independently. If you believe your rights have been infringed, contact us for removal.