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Make the AI era yours with these top insights.

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AI agents will drive 20% of all ecommerce holiday traffic.

Agentic search will be king of the holidays.

Agentic search has changed the game already, and it’s going to have even more impact this holiday season. It’s expanding rapidly and we predict that 20% of all 2026 holiday ecommerce traffic will originate from AI chat agents, who will pull data back into conversations with human shoppers.

1 in 3 ecommerce sites will features AI personal shoppers.

Everyone gets their own AI-powered personal shopper.

Who doesn’t want a personal shopper? Someone who knows your size, your style, and how to make looks that sizzle. And, with AI, more retailers than ever are giving more consumers that perfect shopping buddy. With such strong growth already, we predict that 1 in 3 ecommerce sites will feature personal, site-specific shopper agents by Cyber Week 2026.

Social commerce agents will handle 9x of online purchase.

Social is the new store on the block.

With the rise of social shopping, the very way people shop has been disrupted. Fewer people are going to brick and mortar stores, and shopping directly through social media has seen a huge surge already. That’s why we think social commerce transactions will grow 9x faster than traditional ecommerce.

38% of holiday dollars will be spent on "hybrid sales."

Physical stores still own the industry.

Even with the rise of AI-powered search and social shopping, physical stores still account for the bulk of holiday sales. Now though, shoppers want those stores to be cultural touchstones and extensions of other multi-channel experiences. With that, we predict that 38% of all holiday retail dollars spent will be "Hybrid Sales" — purchases that are driven by digital research, tools, or mobile tracking and a physical storefront throughout the customer journey.

Retailers will spend $4.8B to provide free shipping

The average shopper no longer exists.

You’ve seen it on the news, read about it in the papers, and now it’s come home to roost in the world of retail and consumer goods. The “K shaped economy” is going to be a huge force this year. As retailers look to keep demand strong and attract both types of consumers, brands and retailers will spend an additional $4.8B to offer free shipping.

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Explore more trends at the Quarterly Shopping Index.

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