In a clear sign that the lessons of a challenging 2024 holiday season have been learned, a new report from commerce operating system Swap indicates that e-commerce executives are aggressively accelerating their adoption of artificial intelligence in preparation for the upcoming Black Friday Cyber Monday shopping period. The study reveals that after being hampered by late planning, supply-chain disruptions, and inventory constraints last year, business leaders are now making significant investments in their technology infrastructure to meet heightened revenue expectations for 2025.
This strategic shift is being driven by a confluence of internal pressures and evolving consumer behaviors. The report, based on a new survey, shows that nearly a quarter of customers intend to begin their holiday shopping well before the official BFCM weekend, and over half plan to use AI tools to help them shop smarter. This presents a major opportunity for businesses to optimize their own AI capabilities to attract this growing cohort of tech-savvy shoppers. However, with persistent economic uncertainties, executives face the difficult decision of where to allocate their resources, weighing investments in AI against critical needs in supply-chain management and inventory.
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Despite these challenges, a clear trend has emerged. The survey findings reveal that e-commerce leaders are preparing for the holiday rush with a strong focus on technology. A significant 65% of executives expect their organizations to implement AI-powered chat or virtual shopping assistants, while 24% are prioritizing the adoption of new automation and personalization tools. Furthermore, 44% plan to enhance their personalization efforts by better integrating customer data. This tech-forward approach is also a response to ongoing global issues, as 87% of executives report that tariffs and supply-chain problems have already had a major impact on their contingency planning. In response, half of all leaders are investing in more resilient operations to withstand sudden changes.
This proactive stance is fueled by a sense of optimism, with a majority of executives, 51 percent, anticipating a considerable increase in revenue performance for the 2025 holiday season. They are looking to capitalize on a market that is ripe for AI adoption. While only 14% of Americans have used an AI shopping agent to date, 43% are aware of their benefits, suggesting a significant first-mover advantage for brands that can effectively deploy these tools.
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“Brands need to start thinking agentic first, as that’s what consumers will come to expect in their shopping experiences,” said Juan Pellerano, Chief Marketing Officer of Swap. “The consumer dollar has become increasingly hard to earn, especially under current market conditions, so brands should start planning now to position their tech infrastructure for the increased wave of shoppers this holiday season.”
Putting this philosophy into practice, Swap has been an early adopter of agentic AI, recently launching its own Agentic Commerce and Demand Planning offerings. These solutions are designed to provide a fully agentic customer experience while simultaneously optimizing a brand’s demand planning, addressing the growing interest in AI from e-commerce leaders around the world.
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