Salesforce: Global online holiday sales top $1T by mid-December; U.S. sales up 4% Article originally posted on HERE on December 22, 2025 With a week left until Christmas Day, holiday sales are trending upward from last year. New analysis from Salesforce indicates that during the first 45 days of the 2025 holiday season (Nov. 1 and Dec. 15), global online sales have risen 7% year over year, reaching a total of $1.033 trillion from $849 billion. In the U.S., online sales are up 4% year over year to $238 billion. While average selling price has increased 6% globally and 7% in the U.S. from the 2024 holiday season, order volumes are also seeing slight increases compared to last year of 3% globally and 1% in the U.S. Salesforce also tracked some other interesting metrics regarding online sales during the Nov. 1 – Dec. 15 period: Online traffic volumes increased 12% year over year globally and 10% year over year in the U.S. Time spent on e-commerce websites increased 35% year over year in the U.S and 28% year over year globally. The rate of global traffic coming from agentic AI search channels like ChatGPT doubled year over year. The rate of U.S. traffic coming from agentic AI search channels increased 300%. Thirteen percent of online purchases have been returned so far. AI and agents have influenced 22% of global and 18% of U.S. online sales. Retailers with shopping agents saw double the amount of growth than those without, growing 7.2% year over year, double the 3.6% growth for those without agents. December online shopping activity Salesforce also tracked online sales performance during the Dec. 1-15 period: Online discounts fell to reach an average of 20% globally and 22% in the U.S., but online sales growth still increased by 7% year over year globally and 4% in the U.S. Online traffic accelerated after Cyber Week concluded, with global and U.S. online traffic volumes increasing 16% year over year. Close to half (47%) of holiday season agentic customer service conversations happened during Dec. 1-15, which Salesforce says showcases an increase in adoption and usage as the holiday season progresses and shoppers get more concerned about their holiday gift buying. A similar percentage (49%) of holiday season agentic actions completed on behalf of customers (such as updating a delivery address or initiating an exchange) happened during Dec. 1-15. Cyber Week hits new heights Salesforce analysis of Cyber Week (the five-day timespan from Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27 to Cyber Monday, Dec. 1) reveals that global online sales grew 7% year over year to $336.6 billion. U.S. online sales grew 5% year over year to $79.6 billion. Black Friday drove $79 billion in global sales, up 6% year over year), and $18 billion in the U.S,. up 3% year over year. Cyber Monday drove $53 billion in global online sales, up 7% year over year, and $13.6 billion in the U.S., up 6% YoY. “With global online sales surpassing the trillion-dollar mark and $238B in the U.S., this season isn’t just about higher spending — it’s about smarter shopping,” said Caila Schwartz, director of consumer insights at Salesforce. “We are seeing a significant surge in consumers doing their own digital diligence, with time spent on sites jumping 35% in the U.S. as consumers move away from impulse buys toward informed purchasing decisions. The 2x growth seen by retailers using AI agents proves that the brands winning this year are those providing conversational, agentic experiences that answer product questions in real-time and bridge the gap between researching and buying.”