Online holiday spending rises nearly 9%, as deep discounts and AI-powered chatbots fuel purchases, Adobe data says

Online spending rose 8.7% during the holiday season from last year, according to data from Adobe Analytics, as deals and the use of AI-powered chatbots helped inspire purchases.Sales on retailers' websites and apps totaled $241.4 billion from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, according to Adobe. The company's analysis includes more than 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, 100 million unique items and 18 different product categories.More demand, not higher prices, drove higher online spending, according to Adobe. Adobe ...