Cyber Week 2025 Set for Record $334B, With AI Agents Driving $73B

AI-driven holiday surge: Salesforce predicts a record $334B Cyber Week 2025

Cyber Week 2025 is set to be huge. Salesforce forecasts $334 billion in global online sales between November 27 and December 1, with $73 billion influenced by AI and agentic tech - up 22% from last year.

Momentum is broad-based. The Middle East and Africa (MEA) is projected to grow 21%, fueled by rising traffic from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and South Africa.

What the numbers say (so you can plan your sales push)

• Global Cyber Week: $334B (+6% YoY)
• U.S. Cyber Week: $78B (+3% YoY)
• Black Friday: $78B globally and $18B in the U.S. - ~5x a typical day
• AI influence: $73B in global sales (up from $60B in 2024)
• Mobile share: 70% of orders, 80% of traffic; 1 in 4 purchases via mobile wallets
• Physical retail: 65% of U.S. holiday sales still come from stores
• Agentic adoption intent: 52% of Millennials and 25% of Gen Z plan to start shopping with an AI assistant

Source: Salesforce Shopping Index analysis and Agentforce data across 1.5B shoppers and 1.5T page views. For context, see Salesforce News.

Proof AI agents drive outperformance

• Retailers using branded AI agents on-site saw 13% sales growth over the past seven weeks in the U.S. vs. 2% for those without.
• From Oct 1-Nov 15, 19% of global orders were influenced by AI and agents.
• Retailers using AI posted 5% higher conversion and 10% YoY sales growth vs. 5% for those not using AI.
• Traffic from AI-powered sources (e.g., ChatGPT, Perplexity) surged 3.8x globally and 1.8x in the U.S.

Bottom line for sales teams: AI agents shorten discovery, reduce friction, and lift conversion. This is quota math, not theory.

Holiday momentum is already here

• Oct 1-Nov 15: Online sales up 3% U.S., 6% global.
• Digital traffic: nearly doubled in the U.S., tripled globally; MEA traffic up +44%.
• Past seven weeks: Global sales +6% YoY, U.S. +3% YoY; traffic up +10% global, +6% U.S. (vs. just +1% last year).
• Average selling prices: +5% global, +7% U.S. - shoppers are still buying despite higher prices.
• Mobile wallet usage up 31% YoY this fall, led by Apple Pay. Enable it everywhere customers buy. Need details? Apple Pay basics.
• Social referrals = 16% of ecommerce traffic (+15% YoY). Video platforms drove a +79% YoY surge; TikTok's share alone jumped +86% YoY.

What this means for sales leaders

Cyber Week will reward teams who remove friction, price sharply, and deploy AI where it impacts decisions. Use these plays now.

AI agent plays to run this week

• Place your branded agent on high-intent pages (home, category, PDP, cart). Script it to handle discovery, bundles, coupon checks, returns, and back-in-stock alerts.
• Feed the agent clean product data: specs, sizes, compatibility, FAQs, warranties, delivery windows, and store inventory.
• Give reps an "agent assist" sidebar for objections, alternatives, and upsells. Treat it like a co-seller, not a chatbot.
• Route agent chats to humans on AOV or margin thresholds; set SLAs for handoff.
• Track: agent-influenced revenue, agent CTR to cart, human handoff rate, post-chat conversion, and refund rate.

Mobile-first conversion checklist

• Enable Apple Pay/Google Pay and one-tap checkout on PDP and cart.
• Compress images, simplify forms, and reduce fields to essentials (email, zip, payment).
• Auto-apply best coupon and surface delivery dates early.
• Test on 3G/4G speeds and smaller screens; fix any layout shifts.

Social and video: treat as demand, not just impressions

• Launch creator-specific codes and track ROAS by creator, not just the channel.
• Use 15-30 second product explainers with captions and clear CTAs; pin holiday bundles.
• Retarget viewers with AI-generated product comparisons and budget-friendly bundles.

Discount strategy you can sell

• Global top discounts expected: Beauty makeup (40%), General apparel (34%), Beauty skincare (33%).
• U.S. top discounts expected: General apparel (37%), Health & beauty (35%), Home (23%).
• Season-to-date discounts: General apparel (28%), Beauty makeup (20%), Beauty skincare (20%).
• Category growth this fall: Home & furniture (+17%), Health & beauty (+14%), Luxury apparel & accessories (+11%).

Action: Push deeper discounts where shoppers expect them (beauty, apparel), bundle high-margin add-ons, and protect price on fast movers in Home. Use "compare and save" blocks to justify spend.

Don't ignore stores

• Stores will still drive 65% of U.S. holiday sales during Cyber Week.
• Push BOPIS/curbside in cart and email. Show store inventory and pickup times clearly.
• Arm store associates with quick links/QRs for financing, warranties, and alternatives when items are out of stock.

MEA momentum: capture the 21% lift

• Localize currency, language, delivery windows, and payment options across UAE, KSA, Qatar, and South Africa.
• Lean into mobile and social creatives; MEA traffic growth is tracking +44%.
• Use regional bundles and limited-time offers timed to local peak hours.

7-day action plan (print this)

• Ship: agent on PDP + cart with bundle and coupon logic.
• Turn on: Apple Pay/Google Pay and one-tap checkout across mobile.
• List and scale: top 10 creators by last 14-day ROAS; give them fresh hooks and codes.
• Merch: 3 hero bundles per category (good/better/best) with clear savings math.
• Bid: more on AI-assisted and video traffic segments; cap CAC by category margin.
• Stores: enable BOPIS messaging everywhere; set SLA for same-day pickup comms.
• Rev ops: daily standup with KPIs below; reallocate budget within 24 hours based on winners.

KPI checklist

• Traffic: mobile vs. desktop, social/video share, AI-source share
• Conversion: by device, by agent-influenced vs. not
• AOV and attach rate: bundles, warranties, accessories
• Discount depth vs. margin by category
• Speed: page load and checkout completion time
• Store: BOPIS requests, pickup completion, cancellations
• Support: agent resolution rate, human handoff rate, CSAT

What Salesforce expects next week

"Digital traffic has skyrocketed, and more shoppers are leaning on AI to research products, budget, and prep their lists. Retailers are responding by building agentic experiences using platforms like Agentforce Commerce."

The takeaway for sales: AI agents are becoming the primary way to capture motivated demand and turn it into revenue.

Keep your team sharp

If your reps and managers need fast, practical upskilling on selling with AI and agents, explore focused learning paths by role here: Complete AI Training - Courses by Job.