This Week's Amazon News (Cyber Monday Special Edition): Black Friday Hits $74.4B, AI Bots for Holiday Shopping, And More
Black Friday Hits a Record $74.4B in Sales Online, Up 5% on Last Year
Global Black Friday online sales reached $74.4B (up 5% YoY), with U.S. consumers spending between $10.8B-$17.5B according to different tracking methodologies. Mobile shopping dominated with 55% of online spend, while AI chatbots emerged as a significant tool for deal discovery, showing 1,800% YoY growth in retail site traffic.
Retailers Deploy AI Bots for Holiday Shopping, with Mixed Results
AI shopping assistants like Amazon's Rufus and similar tools from Walmart and Perplexity AI are increasingly being deployed for holiday shopping, but currently have limitations in accuracy and personalization that brands should be aware of. While these AI chatbots can help with product discovery and recommendations, they sometimes provide incorrect information or outdated pricing.
Most Black Friday Shoppers Bagged Their Deals Online This Year, With Record Spending
Online Black Friday shopping hit a record $10.8 billion in 2024 (up 10% from 2023), while in-store traffic declined 8.2%, highlighting a significant shift towards e-commerce that Amazon sellers should note for future holiday strategies. Retailers that offered deep discounts (40% or more) saw better results, with mobile devices accounting for 69% of all purchases worldwide.
Amazon Black Friday Ad Costs Rise As Brands Battle For Holiday Shoppers
Amazon's Black Friday 2024 saw ad spending increase 30% YoY, with cost-per-click rising 9.9% to $1.89, while click-through rates declined 7%, indicating increasing competition and costs for brands advertising on the platform. Notably, investment in Amazon's DSP advertising grew 28%, suggesting a shift toward upper-funnel brand awareness campaigns.
Envision Horizons' Initial Black Friday Insights
Other Insights:
Stay tuned for our full Black Friday & Cyber Monday Recap Report!
Post From Jeffrey Cohen :
As we wrap up another record-breaking Black Friday, with Cyber Monday hot on its heels, I've been fascinated by the clever strategies some advertisers are employing to capture shoppers' attention. Here are some tactics I've observed and how you can adapt them for your brand:
1. The Occasional Shopper Surprise Remember those once-a-year purchases? Brands are getting savvy about targeting these elusive customers. Pro tip: Create an AMC audience of shoppers who've made just one purchase in the past 13 months. Entice them with a promotion that makes your brand impossible to resist. Your mission: Boost their total value or transform them into regular buyers.
2. New-To-Brand Nudge 'Tis the season for shoppers to experiment! Capitalize on this openness to brand-switching by targeting audiences interested in similar products. But remember, your value proposition needs to be compelling enough to make them jump ship. If I'm a die-hard pea protein fan, waving whey in my face won't cut it. Know your audience's motivations!
3. Repeat Buyer Reward Don't take your loyal customers for granted! Use the holidays to encourage them to: Try a new product, stock up on favorites, or share the love with friends.
4. Hero to Lifetime Value Every brand has its star products. Use these to introduce customers to your broader catalog. Remember, holiday success isn't just about cheap CPCs, new customers, and discounts. It's about increasing lifetime value, boosting inventory turnover, and rekindling relationships with past customers.
Post From Jacqueline Flam Stokes :
Black Friday Trends: Insights for Winning Holiday Beauty Sales This year, 30% of American Beauty consumers—nearly 60 million adults—plan to tackle most of their beauty holiday shopping during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Here’s what you need to know:
Economic Uncertainty and Beauty Implications:
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Consumer Insights:
Key Takeaway: This year’s BFCM shoppers are digital-first, value-driven, and diverse. Beauty brands that emphasize inclusivity, offer compelling discounts, and connect through video content and social media will be well-positioned to capture their attention and drive holiday sales.
Post From Prem Gupta :
Amazon is testing new placements for SB Store subpages. These subpages are becoming increasingly important. Many brands are now focusing on creating dedicated Store subpages for each product. This approach helps drive traffic and increases the number of NTB customers. To boost NTB customers, it’s crucial to treat Store subpages like enhanced A+ pages, where you can effectively highlight your product’s USP.
Post From Mindy Yang :
TikTok Shop Shatters Records on Black Friday TikTok Shop's Black Friday daily GMV is estimated to hit a record-breaking $130 million USD—nearly 4x the GMV from 2023 ($33 million). Key drivers of this growth?
Top Categories by GMV:
1. Beauty & Personal Care – 19.99%
2. Women’s Clothing & Underwear – 7.18% 3. 3C (Consumer Electronics) – 6.53%
3. Sports & Outdoor – 6.53% 4. Health – 6.24%
Top Shops by GMV (Nov 13–29):
1. Tarte Cosmetics – $12.2M
2. Goli Nutrition – $6M
3. Halara – $5M
TikTok Shop launched its BFCM campaign early, anticipating customer shifts to Amazon and other retailers during Cyber 5. However, Black Friday numbers have surpassed expectations, solidifying TikTok Shop's position as an emerging player in the e-commerce space.
Data source: Fastmoss
Beyond the Summer Surge: How Kopari Navigated Q4 on Amazon Learn how Envision Horizons’ strategic pivot for Kopari and innovative use of Amazon tools led to a 4.8% year-over-year revenue increase, a 50.5% repurchase rate, and a remarkable 290% boost in ad sales while reducing ACOS by 17%. Dive into our case study to see how we turn seasonal shifts into growth opportunities.
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