A new report unveiled by commerce operating system Swap shows that late planning, issues with AI tools and services, supply chain disruptions and inventory constraints limited revenue opportunities for brands attempting to capitalize on 2024 Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) shopping. This year, the survey reveals executives are doubling down on bolstering their tech infrastructure to meet raised revenue expectations.
Nearly one-quarter of customers plan to begin their holiday shopping before the official BFCM season in 2025, and over half intend to use AI for smarter shopping this holiday season. This presents a unique opportunity for businesses of all sizes to optimize their AI infrastructure to appeal to tech-savvy shoppers. However, with economic uncertainties continuing to plague many sellers’ profit margins, executives must weigh the risks and benefits of investing in AI, supply chain channels or inventory management solutions.
The global impacts of tariffs and supply chain disruptions will continue to affect how organizations plan their holiday campaigns leading up to BFCM. Swap’s survey findings reveal that e-commerce leaders are preparing to counteract these challenges, with 65% of executives expecting their organizations to add AI-powered chat or virtual shopping assistants, 24% planning to make the adoption of new tech—such as automation or personalization tools—a priority, and 44% will enhance personalization with integrated customer data.
Tariffs and supply chain issues have already caused a majority of e-commerce executives (87%) to experience significant impacts on contingency planning for supplier relationships and inventory management. This has driven many executives (50%) to strengthen their companies’ operations by investing in resilient operations that can withstand sudden, tariff-driven changes in sourcing. Survey findings also suggest there is heightened optimism surrounding areas of opportunity for increased sales: the majority (51%) of executives anticipate a considerable increase in revenue performance for the holiday period in 2025.
As of today, around only 14% of Americans have used an AI shopping agent. However, 43% are aware of their added benefit, indicating that brands that adopt such agents ahead of this holiday season could maintain a significant competitive advantage.
“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.”
