Salesforce is the latest research company reporting data* for Thanksgiving Week and Weekend. It focuses on the 2024 “Cyber Week” period from Tuesday, November 26, through Cyber Monday, December 2, and covers a broader global market.

The company said data analyzed for the Cyber Week period revealed a record $314.9 billion in global online sales, with U.S. consumers contributing $76 billion of the total number.

Salesforce said in a media release that “the report also revealed mobile devices drove 70 percent of U.S. and global online orders this year, and Black Friday proved its staying power as a cornerstone of the shopping season by driving $74.4 billion in global digital sales. AI, including agents, also played a pivotal role, influencing $60 billion in sales and showing how this technology is reshaping the retail landscape and boosting consumer engagement.”

Based on an analysis of 1.5 billion shoppers and 1.6 trillion page views across the Salesforce platform, the company’s 2024 annual report found that consumers held off on spending to capitalize on Cyber Week deals.

“Shoppers were waiting all of 2024 for the right moment to buy the goods they wanted, and they clearly made the most of this Cyber Week,” said Caila Schwartz, director of consumer insights at Salesforce. “Strong year-over-year (y/y) order growth indicates that even modest discounts were enough to convince consumers to open their wallets. And retailers who invested in AI and agents were able to reap even greater revenues during this critical shopping period through personalized promotions, recommendations, and support.”

Top Salesforce Shopping Insights for 2024 Cyber Week

  • Online sales and order growth reached new peaks: After months of slow sales growth, Cyber Week and its lead-up were the pressure release valves that drove consumers to spend more this year.
    • Growth for the first four weeks of the holiday season (November 5 to December 2) was strong, up 8 percent y/y in the U.S. and worldwide.
      • Cyber Week: Digital sales across Cyber Week reached $76 billion in the U.S. (up 7 percent y/y) and $314.9 billion globally (up 6 percent y/y).
      • Black Friday: Global online sales reached $74.4 billion (up 5 percent y/y) and $17.5 billion (up 7 percent y/y) in the U.S.—reportedly the strongest shopping day of the week.
      • Cyber Monday: Global online sales reached $12.8 billion in the U.S. (up 3 percent y/y) and $49.7 billion globally (up 2 percent y/y).
  • AI and agents play a big part in Cyber Week: Retailers like Saks doubled down on using AI, including agents, to power shopping experiences this season.
    • $60 billion of global online sales were influenced by AI and agents for product recommendations, targeted offers and conversational customer service support.
    • Retailers using generative AI and agents to fuel service experiences saw a 2 percent higher conversion rate compared to retailers who did not use the technology.
    • Retailers used generative AI and agents 18 percent more during Cyber Week than the previous week, likely to drive efficiency and personalization for customers.
    • Shoppers used AI and agent-powered chat for customer service 38 percent more than in the previous week.
  • Mixed bag of discounts drove mixed bag of results: Despite the threat of growing consumer appeal and low prices offered by Chinese marketplaces (Temu, Shein and AliExpress). Western retailers did not offer significant discounts to compete.
    • The global average discount rate was 26 percent and the U.S. discount rate was 28 percent, both down 1 percent y/y.
    • Verticals with the highest global average discount rates included Makeup (40 percent off), General Apparel (34 percent off) and Skincare (33 percent off).
    • Verticals with the highest U.S. average discount rates included General Apparel (37 percent off), Health and Beauty (35 percent off) and Home Appliance, Decor and Furniture (23 percent off).
  • Mobile conversion picks up pace: As consumers of all age demographics grow increasingly comfortable with mobile shopping and the mobile buying experience becomes easier, the gap between mobile traffic and mobile orders has narrowed. This trend underscores a growing consumer willingness to make significant and high-value purchases directly from a smartphone.
    • Over 80 percent of U.S. and global e-commerce traffic originated from a mobile device during Cyber Week.
    • As forecasted, mobile orders drove 70 percent of U.S. and global sales, up from 67 percent in 2023.
      • Mobile shopping accounted for $220 billion in global sales and $53.3 billion in the United States.
    • Mobile wallet usage also increased 16 percent globally during the week.
  • Social commerce plays critical role for retailers: Retailers implementing social commerce strategies saw 19 percent of their Cyber Week sales generated through platforms like TikTok Shop and Instagram.​​

*Methodology: Powered by Agentforce, Commerce Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Service Cloud, Salesforce analyzed aggregated data to produce 2024 holiday insights from the activity of over 1.5 billion global shoppers across more than 89 countries, focued on 18 key markets: the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, the Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan, Australia and New Zealand), Switzerland, Latin America (LAM), the Middle East and Africa (MEA), Eastern Europe, Belgium, and the Nordics.

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