• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, 7 hours ago

Cyber Week is just days away. And it’s looking pretty good, according to a forecast by Salesforce. 

Global sales are expected to hit $334 billion worldwide (up 6% YOY) and $78 billion in the U.S. for a YOY increase of 3%, Salesforce reports.

Black Friday alone is projected to drive $78 billion in online global sales and $18 billion in the U.S.

And in one notable shift, more than 19% of orders seen during the lead-up were influenced by artificial intelligence (AI) and agents, with digital retailers that use them seeing a 5% higher conversion rate.

Digital retailers that used AI and agentic features on their channels saw a 5% higher conversion rate over those who did not.

Moreover, traffic from AI- and agent-powered sources like ChatGPT and Perplexity increased 3.8x globally YOY over the last seven weeks and 1.8x in the U.S.

“Digital traffic has skyrocketed, indicating shoppers are engaging early to see what’s new and build out their wish lists,” says Caila Schwartz, director of consumer insights and strategy for Salesforce, in a statement. “This year, more shoppers are leaning on AI and agents to research products, help them budget, and prepare for the holiday season.”

Schwartz adds: “Agents are the power brokers of Cyber Week, giving retailers the indispensable ability to convert this strong buying intent into record-breaking revenue.” 

Salesforce examined data gathered from October 1 through November 15.