Adobe’s recent analysis shows just how far shopping behavior has changed around this year’s Prime Day sales. The report examined over 1 trillion sessions on U.S. retail sites and included 100 million SKUs across 18 different product categories. It further illustrates just how critical generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has become in changing the way consumers are purchasing this year.
To be sure, this year’s Prime Day sales will likely be dominated by back-to-school shopping needs. As families brace for the back-to-school season, back-to-school spending is expected to soar. Adobe forecasts that Prime Day will bring in a jaw dropping $23.8 billion in sales over only four days! That’s the complete online sales for to of back Friday. This figure is a mind-boggling 28.4% growth on a yearly basis, an increase of $9.6 billion over the same period last year.
Adobe recently surveyed 5,000 U.S. consumers. These insights underscore a future where GenAI tools become indispensable shopping companions. As shown in the survey, 55% of consumers surveyed use GenAI to conduct research, and 47% to generate product recommendations. Additionally, 43% of participants turn to GenAI for finding deals, and 35% use it for generating gift ideas or discovering unique products. All of these findings point to mobile technology playing a more central role in consumers’ shopping experience.
The biggest takeaway from this analysis is the most exciting. GenAI-powered chatbots and GenAI-fueled browsers are on the rise! Even during the holiday season of November 1 – December 31, 2024, their traffic exploded up a staggering 1,300% year over year. This dramatic increase is evidence of consumers walking and running towards new technology that makes shopping better.
Mobile devices will be a key driver of these sales. In fact, they are projected to make up more than half (52.5%) of all transactions. Mobile changes marketing. As consumers do more of their shopping on their smartphones, retailers are changing their marketing strategies to be more effective in mobile environments.
