AI has changed holiday shopping: Here’s what the numbers say

AI-driven traffic in the retail industry surged 693% year over year in November and December, according to new data from Adobe. Artificial intelligence proved to be a widely used tool during the 2025 holiday season, with retail, travel, financial services and the tech and software industries experiencing triple-digit growth in AI referral traffic year over year in November and December. While the AI transformation could be observed across multiple industries, retail has felt an especially significant impact from the technology, with generative AI traffic growing 693% YoY, according to Adobe data.