AI is making holiday shopping easier - and overspending more likely
AI is stepping in as a personal shopper this season. Salesforce projects that AI will drive 21% of all holiday orders globally, or about $263 billion in sales. That convenience is great for buyers and a wake-up call for sales teams: the purchase journey is getting shorter-and more automated.
Here's the catch. As one expert put it, AI acts as both a spending accelerator and a spending governor. It can close gaps in the funnel, but it can also push customers to buy faster than they should. Your strategy needs to account for both.
Why AI is speeding up buying
"From an economist's perspective, AI acts as both a spending accelerator and a spending governor, depending on how it's used," said Najiba Benabess, associate provost for online learning, AI and academic partnerships, and dean of the School of Business at Neumann University.
"Personalized recommendations, dynamic pricing, and one-click checkouts lower the cognitive effort required to spend, which can increase impulse purchases, especially for discretionary goods. Behavioral economics tells us that when decisions feel effortless, people spend more."
Adobe Analytics reports that traffic from generative AI sources jumped 1,200% year over year in October, and those visitors were 16% more likely to buy once they hit a retail site. That's the new battleground: get discovered by AI, convert fast, and keep trust intact.
Major retailers are leaning in. Walmart now lets customers complete purchases directly within ChatGPT, and Target is rolling out a similar experience that includes multi-item carts, fresh food, pickup, shipping options, and personalized recommendations-all inside ChatGPT.
Salesforce holiday predictions and Adobe holiday shopping insights offer more context on these shifts.
What this means for sales teams
- Shorter consideration cycles: AI reduces friction, so decisions happen faster. Your product data, pricing, and inventory signals need to be accurate and real-time.
- More AI-driven discovery: Optimize feeds, titles, and structured data so AI tools pick you first. Think "answer-level clarity," not marketing fluff.
- Higher conversion pressure: Expect more add-on suggestions and bundles. Build ethical rules so your recommendations help, not push.
- Trust becomes a moat: Disclose sponsored placements. Provide clear return policies and easy opt-outs to keep credibility high.
The conflict of interest you can't ignore
"AI systems optimize for objectives set by humans, often engagement, sales, or profit, not the consumer's long-term financial well-being," Benabess said. "That creates a built-in conflict of interest, particularly when AI is deployed by retailers or financial platforms monetized through transactions."
For sales leaders, that means two things: be transparent about how recommendations are generated, and build controls that favor long-term trust over short-term lifts.
How consumers can use AI responsibly (and how brands can help)
- Don't treat AI as the final decision-maker. Use it for comparisons, coupon hunting, and options-then verify.
- Watch for bias. Sponsored listings and affiliate payouts can skew recommendations.
- Keep long-term goals in view. A "perfect" gift that blows the budget isn't a win.
- Put it on ice. "AI is fast; good financial decisions often aren't," Benabess said. Build in a pause before acting, especially on big or emotional buys.
- Brand-side guardrails: label sponsored picks, cap add-on prompts, default to carts over instant-buy for pricey items, and offer a "review later" nudge with reminders.
A practical playbook for this holiday quarter
- Make your catalog AI-ready. Clean product data, structured attributes, live pricing, real inventory, and clear benefits. If AI scrapes it, it should sell it.
- Instrument AI referral traffic. Tag and segment traffic from gen-AI sources. Track conversion, AOV, and return rates separately.
- Ethical recommendation rules. Limit high-pressure upsells. Prioritize utility (fit, compatibility, warranty) over pure margin.
- Build a pause option. Add "Save and review later," 24-hour price holds, and easy wishlists. You'll reduce buyer's remorse and returns.
- Train your team. Support and sales should answer AI-origin questions fast: "Is this compatible?", "What's the real difference between models?"
- Own the checkout. If you're in Walmart or Target's ChatGPT flows, test end-to-end: coupons, multi-item carts, pickup/ship promises, and post-purchase alerts.
- Measure trust, not just lift. Watch refunds, cancellations, and CSAT alongside conversion. If those spike, your prompts are pushing too hard.
Bottom line
AI is removing friction from holiday shopping and moving money faster. That's good for conversion, risky for budgets, and a clear signal for sales leaders: win the query, respect the buyer, and protect long-term trust.
If you want your team fluent in practical AI for sales-prompting, automation, and tool flows-explore curated options here: AI courses by job.
Your membership also unlocks:
