AI and digital wallets on the rise
Online retail is on the cusp of the widespread introduction of AI, according to the results of Salesforce's State of Commerce Report. AI was used for more than 17 percent of all Christmas orders worldwide. This corresponds to a value of 199 billion US dollars. In Cyber Week alone, AI influenced online sales to the tune of 51 billion US dollars.
77 % of e-commerce companies are already using AI, with 29 % having fully implemented it and 48 % experimenting with it. A further 20 % of e-commerce companies are exploring whether and how AI can be integrated into their operations. The companies that have already fully implemented AI report remarkable benefits for internal processes and productivity. They state that the technology allows them to save an average of 6.4 hours per employee per week.
Purchasing via more and more channels
E-commerce is becoming increasingly embedded in the entire customer journey. Digital shopping functionalities are no longer limited to online stores or mobile apps, but are also being integrated into other points of contact with customers before and after the purchase. For example, companies in our large neighboring countries work with a payment function in marketing emails. The proportion is 40 % in Germany, 50 % in France and 50 % in Italy. A recent study found that 59 % of buyers have completed a transaction via social media - a large increase compared to the 15 % who reported this in a study in 2021. Salesforce data also shows that 10 % of all traffic to e-commerce sites in the 2023 holiday season came from social media.
Changing payment methods
There has also been a change in payment methods. Digital wallets, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Amazon Pay, are particularly popular with customers: their use increased by 54 % worldwide in November and December compared to the same period last year. The Swiss payment app Twint also reported an incredible increase in usage of 84 % in bricks-and-mortar retail. More and more companies in Switzerland are accepting the digital payment method, including many online retailers.
Discounts at record high
According to Salesforce data, the highest average discount rate since 2020 was recorded during the 2023 Christmas shopping season. "Consumers also shopped generously in Switzerland during Cyber Week," says Luca Pastorino, Area Vice President at Salesforce Switzerland. "According to Monitoring Consumption, the festive season was quite successful for retailers in Switzerland this year. However, it is not possible to define a general trend, as the markets function too differently. In Spain, France and Scandinavia, for example, sales skyrocketed again in the week before Christmas, while sales in Germany and Italy only increased very slightly or even declined - and at a similar discount level."
Source: www.salesforce.com
