For the last few years holiday success has largely been measured by what shoppers see: the campaign, the promotion, the creative, the offer.
This year, it will be defined just as much by what they don’t.
As the path to purchase stretches across AI, social platforms, marketplaces, and physical stores, the customer journey has become just as important as the marketing itself. The brands best positioned for the busiest shopping season won’t simply create demand. They’ll be ready to capture it at every stage of the journey.
Be Discoverable
The customer journey is changing, and so is the first impression. Increasingly, consumers are discovering brands through AI before they ever encounter your marketing or website.
Whether someone is asking for the best carry-on suitcase, a gift under $100, or running shoes for marathon training, AI is becoming the intermediary between shoppers and brands. Salesforce estimates AI chat agents will account for 20% of ecommerce traffic this peak shopping season, while 50% of shoppers already incorporate AI into their buying journey.
Adobe Analytics reported a 693% increase in traffic from generative AI sources during last year’s holiday season, and ChatGPT-referred visitors converted at 7.1%, nearly matching paid search at 7.8%. More importantly, AI is sending brands high-intent shoppers, not just more clicks.
The opportunity for brands goes beyond appearing in AI responses. It’s about becoming one of the products AI recommends with confidence.
Be Buyable
A product or brand recommendation is no longer the goal. As AI, social platforms, and marketplaces increasingly shape purchase decisions, brands need to rethink what happens next. Discovery is becoming decentralized, and purchase needs to follow.
Think about what happens after someone asks ChatGPT for a gift recommendation or discovers a product on TikTok. They’re no longer following the traditional path of clicking through a homepage and browsing a catalog. They’re ready to buy. If that purchase requires jumping between platforms, searching for the product again, or abandoning the experience altogether, brands risk losing demand they already earned.
That’s exactly where commerce is headed. Salesforce found purchases on traditional brand websites remained flat while social commerce purchases increased 17% year over year, with social shops already accounting for 7–9% of total orders for participating brands. The company expects social commerce to grow 9x faster than traditional ecommerce this year’s peak shopping season.
The same pattern is playing out across the industry. TikTok Shop is projected to generate $23.4 billion in U.S. sales this year, while Adobe found social media’s share of ecommerce revenue grew 40% during last year’s holiday season.
As discovery becomes more distributed, commerce needs to follow. Brands that connect product availability, checkout, and fulfillment across every channel will be better positioned to capture demand wherever it emerges.
Be Fulfillable
The journey doesn’t end when the order is placed.
Inventory availability, shipping, and order management are no longer just operational considerations. They’re a direct extension of the customer experience, and often the difference between a one-time purchase and a repeat customer.
That experience breaks down more often than brands might expect. Baymard Institute found nearly 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned, with 48% of shoppers leaving because of unexpected costs like shipping, making it the biggest driver of cart abandonment.
Brands know the stakes. While 95% of retail executives expect costs to increase this year, Deloitte found nearly two-thirds still plan to preserve free shipping by raising order thresholds rather than eliminating the benefit altogether. The message is clear: fulfillment is no longer just a logistics function. It’s a competitive advantage.
After all, every purchase creates a promise. Even the most compelling campaign can’t overcome an out-of-stock item, unexpected shipping costs, or a missed delivery deadline. The brands that stand out this season won’t just make it easy to discover and buy their products. They’ll make it just as easy to receive them.
Be Ready for a New Holiday Shopping Journey
Each shift tells part of the story. Together, they redefine what it means to be ready for the busiest shopping season of the year.
Success is no longer measured by the strength of a single campaign or promotional calendar. It’s determined by how seamlessly every part of the customer experience works together, from the moment a shopper discovers a product to the moment it arrives at their door.
The brands that embrace that shift won’t just be better prepared for this holiday season. They’ll be better equipped for the next evolution of shopping.
