The 2024 holidays delivered on, and in reality surpassed, record-breaking projections for ecommerce. U.S. consumers spent $241.4 billion online between November 1 and December 31 of this, up 8.7% from 2023, in accordance with Adobe Analytics.
Ahead of the vacations, Adobe had projected $240.8 billion in ecommerce sales, up 8.4% year-over-year.
Dig deeper: 2024 holiday sales live as much as record-breaking projections
Inflation. The record-setting holidays were a results of strong consumer spending, not higher prices. Adobe’s Digital Price Index showed consumer prices have fallen for 27 consecutive months and were down in November 2.6% from the previous yr. Apparel was down nearly 8% YoY in November 2024, in accordance with the Index.
Mobile transactions. The 2024 holidays were probably the most mobile ever, in accordance with Adobe. Smartphones drove 54.5% of online purchases.
Additionally, 79.1% of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) orders were made on a smartphone.
AI agents. Traffic to retail sites driven by genAI-powered chatbots increased 1,300% YoY, in accordance with Adobe.
An Adobe survey of 5,000 consumers found seven in 10 respondents who used genAI-powered assistants found them helpful.
Dig deeper: Will AI agents conduct the martech orchestra in 2025?
Top categories. Three categories accounted for over half (54%) of all ecommerce:
- Electronics: $55.3 billion, up 8.8% YoY.
- Apparel: $45.6 billion, up 9.9% YoY.
- Furniture/home goods: $29.2 billion, up 6.8% YoY.
The highest-growing category for ecommerce was grocery, up 12.9% YoY and accounting for $21.5 billion in sales. Second was cosmetics, up 12.2%, with $7.7 billion in sales.
Why we care. The sales data showed discounts contributed to strong holiday performance. For instance, the highest-selling category, electronics, benefited from the best peak discounts — 30.1% off the listed price.
The broader story beyond the vacations is how consumers are benefiting from discounts and mobile shopping experiences to buy product categories not related to gift-giving — groceries and furniture. Holiday shoppers aren’t just purchasing with the vacations in mind, so these trends apply year-round.
More Adobe Analytics data from the vacations might be found here.
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