(Reuters) – Artificial intelligence-powered chatbots helped consumers purchase and return products during the 2024 holiday season, boosting U.S. online sales by nearly 4% compared with the previous year, according to with a report from Salesforce.
Retailers turned to conversational fulfillment services, or other strategies such as targeted promotions, product recommendations and loyalty programs, to influence consumers looking for popular products and the best deals.
Online sales rose to $282 billion in the U.S. between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, up from $272 billion a year earlier, beating Salesforce’s 2% growth forecast even with more moderate discounts.
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Buyers used AI-powered chatbot services 42% more than last year, according to Salesforce, which analyzed data from 1.6 trillion page views on its platform.
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AI-influenced sales increased to $229 billion in global online sales between November 1 and December 31, up from $199 billion in 2023, according to the report.
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However, a high consumer return rate of 28%, compared with 20% in 2023, was a “significant concern” and could reduce retailers’ overall profit margins, said Salesforce’s director of Consumer Insights , Caila Schwartz.
“Retailers who have adopted AI and agents are already seeing the benefits, but these tools will be even more critical in the coming year as retailers look to minimize revenue losses from returns and re-engage shoppers,” Schwartz added.
(Reporting by Juveria Tabassum in Bengaluru)
