Di Yi Cai Jing·2025-11-27 01:27Core Insights - The National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts that consumer spending growth during this year's shopping season may fall below last year's 4.8% [1][3] - The shopping period from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday is expected to see a record 186.9 million shoppers, up from 183.4 million last year [3] - Average spending on holiday-related items is estimated to be $890, slightly down from $902 last year [3] Consumer Sentiment - Consumer confidence index dropped to a seven-month low, influenced by concerns over tariffs, high inflation, and stagnant income [3][4] - 81% of shoppers expect prices to rise due to tariffs, leading 63% to change their shopping behavior, either by reducing gift quantities or opting for non-branded items [4] - Consumers are likely to maintain spending on children but may cut back on gifts for spouses or partners [4] Retail Strategies - Retailers are launching promotions early, with Walmart starting on November 14 and Amazon initiating Black Friday deals [5] - Online sales are projected to reach $253 billion during the holiday season, driven by the increasing use of AI for shopping recommendations [5][6] - Retailers are adapting their marketing strategies to include more frequent blog posts and content on platforms like Reddit to attract AI-driven traffic [6] AI Integration - Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini are becoming significant in influencing consumer purchasing decisions [5][6] - Retailers are creating "invisible websites" for AI crawlers to gather product information, enhancing visibility in AI-driven recommendations [6] - Despite the current low traffic from generative AI platforms, shoppers directed through these channels tend to show higher purchase intent [6]