US Online Shopping Hit Record $282B During This Holiday Season, Salesforce Says | Global News Avenue

Americans spent a record $282 billion online this holiday season, according to Salesforce. But given that consumers Returning items in drovesthe software company added.

Salesforce said Americans spent 4% more online in November and December than last year, with consumers starting to shop after saving for several months at the beginning of the year.customer relationship management) explain. Globally, consumers spent $1.2 trillion, a 3% increase from the previous holiday season, according to the software company.

sales growth Exceed Salesforce expectations as social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, and AI agent points at people to the product. Salesforce says AI tools are involved in 19% of online orders globally by making recommendations, locating offers or chatting with customers.

“Retailers adopting AI and agents are already seeing the benefits,” said Caila Schwartz, director of consumer insights at Salesforce.

Return rates are also on the rise

Still, some retailers’ success may be undermined by high returns, Schwartz said.

“Retailers had a strong holiday season, but returns are up 28% compared to last year, which is causing some concern,” Schwartz said, citing global return trends.

Salesforce said consumers are increasingly buying items online in a few sizes or ordering “try-ons” with the intention of sending some of the products back. The company expects global returns to reach $133 billion, accounting for more than 11% of the $1.2 trillion in digital spending between November 1 and December 31.

Salesforce said ordering patterns are changing as more shopping happens on mobile devices and social media, noting that social networks drove 8% more traffic to retailers globally than last year. Companies focused on selling through these platforms include TikTok and Meta’s (MehtaSalesforce says Instagram attributes about 20% of sales to social media.

Still, retailers haven’t given up on a more traditional sales tactic: discounting. Salesforce data shows that online prices at U.S. companies dropped an average of 23% throughout the holiday season, up 1% from last year. Salesforce said discounts tend to be the most generous in the U.S. on clothing, health and beauty products, home goods and decorations.