Generative artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how consumers discover products, making AI driven visibility a critical concern for marketers. That shift is at the center of the newly released 2025 Holiday AI Commerce Report from Bluefish, which provides one of the earliest detailed looks at how AI influenced shopping journeys and brand exposure during the December holiday season. The report examines millions of AI generated answers across major platforms to understand what content and sources most shaped consumer purchase decisions.
The Bluefish Holiday AI Commerce Report reveals that traditional paid media played a minimal role in influencing AI recommendations during the peak holiday window. According to the findings, as much as 95 percent of AI citations came from non paid sources, reinforcing the idea that ad spend alone does not translate into visibility within AI driven shopping experiences. Instead, AI assistants consistently elevated brands with high quality, well structured, and consistent organic content, positioning AI visibility as a leading indicator of demand capture during the most competitive sales period of the year.
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“Holiday 2025 proved that AI commerce is now a major channel, which requires a fundamentally different playbook,” said Alex Sherman, co founder and CEO of Bluefish. “This report shows that the brands winning here are those that have rewired their holiday strategy around high quality owned and earned content.”
The report also documents a notable shift in how AI assistants framed holiday recommendations as the season progressed. During Black Friday, AI responses were dominated by a best deals narrative, surfacing doorbusters and price focused content. As December advanced, that narrative changed sharply. Bluefish found that the influence of best deals content declined by more than 30 percent heading into Christmas, while best gifts guides gained prominence. Searches such as best gifts under 100 dollars increasingly shaped AI answers, reflecting a transition from deal hunting to thoughtful gifting.
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Using its proprietary Impact Score and Influence Rank analytics, Bluefish identified that a relatively small number of high signal pages drove an outsized share of AI holiday recommendations. Publishers including Reddit, CNET, PCMag, and lifestyle titles like Vogue emerged as powerful shapers of AI output. These sources often exerted influence beyond what their raw citation counts would suggest, significantly affecting how AI ranked and described brands.
Within this landscape, certain brands stood out as AI holiday leaders. Ulta gained visibility in beauty by reinforcing best gift messaging across owned and third party content, while luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Ralph Lauren benefited from long standing cultural relevance amplified by curated gift guides and editorial coverage.
Looking ahead, the Bluefish Holiday AI Commerce Report suggests that marketers are already adapting by treating AI commerce as a distinct performance channel. As direct AI advertising begins to formalize in 2026, Bluefish expects competition to intensify, making strategic content alignment and AI visibility measurement essential for future holiday success.
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