How AI, First-Party Data, and Connected Experiences Turn Seasonal Traffic into Year-Round Relationships

Introduction: The Stakes Have Never Been Higher

For years, “omnichannel” was a strategic aspiration—something brands talked about in planning sessions but rarely executed well. That era is over. In 2025, omnichannel is the baseline expectation for any brand that wants to compete for consumer attention, loyalty, and revenue.

The evidence is clear. The omnichannel retail platform market reached $10.13 billion in 2025, and it’s on pace to hit $25.35 billion by 2032. Companies with strong omnichannel strategies retain 89% of their customers, compared to just 33% for those without. And omnichannel marketing campaigns produce purchase rates 287% higher than single-channel efforts.

89% customer retention

Companies with strong omnichannel engagement retain 89% of customers, versus 33% for those with weaker strategies.

Source: Aberdeen Group / Capital One Shopping Research

Yet most brands are still playing catch-up. According to Manhattan Associates, only 17% of modern retailers rate their unified commerce capabilities as mature. The gap between consumer expectation and brand execution remains wide—and it widens every holiday season, when shopping volume surges, channels multiply, and the pressure to deliver personalized experiences becomes relentless.

This guide explores what’s actually changed in the omnichannel landscape, why the 2025 holiday season demands a fundamentally different approach, and how the right combination of AI, data, technology, and people can help brands build the kind of customer relationships that outlast any single sale.

The State of Shopping in 2025

The way people shop has changed more in the past two years than in the prior decade. AI-powered discovery, social commerce, flexible fulfillment, and mobile-first behavior have reshaped every stage of the purchase journey. Here’s what the current landscape looks like.

Ecommerce Is Larger—and Smarter

Global retail ecommerce sales are projected to reach $8.1 trillion in 2025, according to Statista. In the United States, online and non-store sales grew 7–9% in 2025, reaching between $1.5 and $1.6 trillion. But the real shift isn’t just volume—it’s how people are finding and buying products.

Mobile commerce crossed a critical threshold in 2025: for the first time, mobile devices accounted for more than half of all online spend. During the 2025 holiday season, mobile revenue share hit a record 56.4%, according to Adobe. Shoppers aren’t just browsing on their phones anymore. They’re completing purchases, redeeming loyalty rewards, and interacting with AI-powered recommendations—all from the palm of their hand.

56.4% mobile revenue share

The 2025 holiday season was the first where mobile accounted for the majority of online spending.

Source: Adobe Holiday Shopping Report 2025

AI Has Entered the Purchase Journey

If there was one defining trend of the 2025 holiday season, it was the emergence of AI as a serious force in product discovery and conversion. Traffic to retail sites from AI-powered search platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity rose 693% year over year during the 2025 holidays, according to Adobe Analytics. Salesforce data shows that AI influenced $262 billion in global online holiday spending—roughly 20% of all online retail sales.

More important than the traffic volume is the quality of it. Shoppers referred from AI search channels converted at a rate nine times higher than those arriving from social media. They spent 45% more time on retailers’ sites and were 33% less likely to bounce.

693% increase in AI-referred retail traffic

Year-over-year growth in traffic from generative AI platforms to online retailers during the 2025 holiday season.

Source: Adobe Analytics

This isn’t a niche behavior. PayPal’s 2025 holiday survey found that 40% of American consumers had used AI to assist with a purchase in the past year, with Gen Z (61%) and Millennials (57%) leading adoption. Among those who had tried AI-assisted shopping, 77% planned to use it again during the holidays.

The Store Is a Relationship Hub, Not Just a Sales Floor

Physical retail is far from dead. In fact, PayPal found that 64% of shoppers planned to visit stores during the 2025 holiday season, with 41% shopping both online and in-store. But the role of the store has fundamentally shifted. Nearly seven in ten shoppers now pull out their phones while in-store to compare prices at competitors, according to SAP Emarsys research. Six in ten say they prefer in-person shopping for the experience—testing products, comparing options, and enjoying the atmosphere.

Click-and-collect services like buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) have become standard operating procedure. In 2025, BOPIS and curbside pickup sales in the US reached $154.3 billion, and retailers offering curbside pickup saw conversion rates increase by 25.8% among the top 1,000 retailers. For many shoppers, the store is now the bridge between digital research and physical confidence.

The Purchase Journey Is Anything but Linear

The average shopper now interacts with a brand across six touchpoints before making a purchase. Nearly three-quarters of consumers engage across multiple channels during a single buying journey, and 83% begin their product research online before visiting a store. Some browse on a phone, ask an AI assistant for recommendations, visit a store to see the product, and complete the purchase through a messaging app days later.

For brands, this means every channel must work as part of a single, connected system. A customer’s experience on your website should inform the service they receive in-store. A conversation on a messaging platform should carry the same context as an email exchange. The brands that get this right don’t just convert more sales—they build lasting relationships.

6 touchpoints

The average number of interactions a shopper has with a brand before making a purchase.

Source: UniformMarket / Capital One Shopping Research

The Holiday Imperative: Why 2025 Is Different

Holiday seasons have always been a proving ground for retail. But in 2025, the combination of economic pressure, rising consumer expectations, and AI-accelerated competition makes the stakes uniquely high.

Shoppers Are Spending Deliberately

Consumers are approaching purchases with more scrutiny than ever. They’re stretching budgets, prioritizing deals, and leaning on loyalty rewards. But they are still spending—Salesforce reported a 12% year-over-year global increase in online sales in the final two weeks of December 2025, showing that demand is strong when the experience and value are right.

The brands that won during the 2025 holidays weren’t the ones offering the deepest discounts. They were the ones that used AI to present the right offer to the right person at the right time, that made the returns process effortless, and that treated every customer interaction as an opportunity to build trust.

AI Agents Are Rewriting the Rules of Engagement

The 2025 holiday season was the breakout moment for AI agents in retail. Brands that deployed AI agents for customer service, product recommendations, and order management saw a 59% higher sales growth rate compared to those that didn’t, according to Salesforce. Customer interactions with AI agents surged 126% during the holiday rush compared to the prior two months, and the agents handled 142% more autonomous tasks—processing returns, updating shipping information, and resolving issues without human intervention.

59% higher sales growth

Brands that deployed AI agents during the 2025 holidays grew sales 59% faster than those that didn’t.

Source: Salesforce Holiday Shopping Data 2025

Jewelry retailer Pandora provides a telling example: by deploying AI agents through Salesforce’s Agentforce platform, they achieved a 60% improvement in case deflection and a 10-point increase in Net Promoter Score—proving that AI can enhance, not diminish, the personalized touch that drives loyalty.

Deloitte’s 2025 outlook reports that 68% of retail executives plan to deploy agentic AI within the next 12 to 24 months. The shift from passive chatbots to autonomous agents that can plan, compare, and complete purchases on behalf of customers is well underway.

Personalization Has Moved from Differentiator to Baseline

Consumers no longer view personalization as a nice extra—they view it as a requirement. McKinsey research shows that 71% of consumers expect personalized interactions, and 76% get frustrated when brands fail to deliver. According to Twilio, companies that invest in personalization see an average 46% boost in customer spending.

During the holidays, this expectation intensifies. Shoppers want gift recommendations tailored to their recipients’ preferences. They want promotions based on their actual purchase history, not generic blast emails. They want a seamless experience whether they’re shopping at midnight on their phone or walking into a store on Saturday afternoon.

Three Keys to Building Omnichannel Relationships That Last

A successful omnichannel strategy isn’t built on a single tool or technology. It requires the right data foundation, the right technology stack, and the right people operating it. Here’s how each element works—and what’s changed in 2025.

Key #1: First-Party Data as Your Competitive Advantage

The era of relying on third-party cookies to track, target, and understand customers is effectively over. Safari and Firefox have blocked third-party cookies for years, and Chrome’s Privacy Sandbox has reshaped the remaining tracking landscape. For brands that built their marketing strategies around borrowed data, this is a crisis. For brands that invested in first-party data, it’s a competitive advantage.

Why First-Party Data Wins

First-party data—information collected directly from your customers through your own channels—is more accurate, more privacy-compliant, and more actionable than any third-party alternative. It comes from purchase histories, website interactions, app behavior, loyalty program engagement, customer service conversations, and direct feedback. You know exactly where it came from, and you have proper consent to use it.

The business case is strong. According to Adtelligent, 71% of publishers now recognize first-party data as a key driver of advertising results, and 85% expect its role to increase further in 2025. Industry analysts predict that companies with mature first-party data strategies will see 30–40% lower customer acquisition costs by 2027, thanks to more efficient targeting and higher conversion rates.

Consumers Will Share Data—If You Give Them a Reason

Contrary to the assumption that consumers are unwilling to share personal information, research consistently shows the opposite—when there’s a clear value exchange. According to DemandSage, 82% of consumers are willing to share their data in exchange for personalized products, recommendations, discounts, or services. More than half will provide reviews and feedback in exchange for personalized offers.

82% of consumers

are willing to share their data with a brand in exchange for personalized experiences.

Source: DemandSage Personalization Statistics 2025

The best time to ask for data is after a positive interaction. If a customer has a smooth BOPIS experience, receives a helpful response from an AI agent, or discovers a product they love through a personalized recommendation, they’re far more willing to share information that fuels future interactions.

Centralize Your Customer View

Having data isn’t enough if it’s scattered across dozens of systems. A unified customer data platform (CDP) that brings together CRM data, email engagement, purchase history, and real-time behavioral signals is essential for creating the connected experiences shoppers expect. Salesforce provides this foundation, allowing brands to capture, unify, and activate customer data across every touchpoint—from product discovery to post-purchase service.

Key #2: An AI-Powered, Integrated Tech Stack

Having the right tools matters more than having the most tools. According to Twilio, fewer than one in four businesses have the technology needed to deliver consistent, personalized experiences across channels. The gap isn’t usually about missing capabilities—it’s about fragmentation. Too many solutions that don’t communicate with each other, creating data silos and inconsistent experiences.

The Foundation: Unified Commerce on Salesforce

The starting point for any omnichannel tech stack is a platform that provides a single, 360-degree view of your customers. Salesforce serves this role for the world’s leading brands, enabling unified customer profiles across all touchpoints. Customer data, marketing journeys, service histories, and privacy management all live in one place—accessible to teams across the organization.

Manhattan Associates research found that retailers with mature unified commerce capabilities report 27% lower fulfillment costs and 18% reduced cart abandonment. That’s not just a technology win—it’s a direct impact on revenue and operational efficiency.

1440: Purpose-Built for Omnichannel on Salesforce

Salesforce is powerful out of the box. But the customer journey—especially during the holidays—demands specialized tools that extend that power across every interaction. That’s where 1440 comes in.

1440 has built a suite of solutions native to Salesforce that address the complete customer lifecycle, from pre-purchase research through post-sale loyalty. Here’s how each solution maps to the moments that matter most during holiday shopping—and beyond.

Pre-Purchase: Building Confidence and Trust

Modern consumers do extensive research before committing to a purchase—especially during the holidays, when every dollar is scrutinized. User-generated content plays a critical role in this research: 94% of online shoppers regularly read reviews, and 65% read reviews on their phones while standing in a physical store.

Reputation Studio from 1440 

allows brands to manage reviews and Q&A from dozens of channels—all within Salesforce. When a shopper posts a question about sizing, compatibility, or holiday shipping deadlines, your team can provide a timely response that removes purchase barriers and builds trust. This matters: 98% of consumers read Q&A at least sometimes, and 51% submit their own questions.

Shoppers increasingly reach out through messaging platforms—WhatsApp, Instagram DM, SMS—to ask questions and get recommendations. Messaging Studio from 1440 empowers brands to manage all of these conversations within Salesforce, ensuring no inquiry goes unanswered during the holiday rush.

For global brands, language should never be a barrier to building relationships. Translation Studio from 1440 enables your team to engage with customers in their preferred language across every channel. This is especially critical during the holidays, when international shoppers are actively looking for gifts and expect the same level of service as domestic customers.

During Purchase: Frictionless Ordering at Scale

After a shopper has done their research, read reviews, and gotten their questions answered, the last thing you want is a clunky checkout experience to derail the sale. This is especially true during peak holiday volumes, when even minor friction can drive shoppers to competitors.

Commerce Studio from 1440 

ensures smooth ordering experiences regardless of channel or payment method. It handles the complexity behind the scenes—managing orders, syncing inventory, and making sure customers receive exactly what they ordered—so your team can focus on delivering service, not fighting fires.

Post-Purchase: Turning Transactions into Relationships

The holiday season doesn’t end on December 25th. The post-purchase experience—returns, exchanges, follow-up, and engagement—is where customer relationships are either cemented or lost. Acquiring a new customer costs five to 25 times more than retaining an existing one, which makes post-holiday engagement a critical investment.

Turning negative experiences around. 

If a customer receives a damaged gift or the wrong item, they may leave a negative review. Reputation Studio alerts your team immediately, so you can respond quickly—restoring trust and demonstrating accountability to future shoppers. Research shows that 73% of consumers would reconsider a product with a negative review if the brand provides a thoughtful response. Translation Studio ensures you can respond in the customer’s preferred language.

Streamlining returns. 

Returns are inevitable—at least 30% of products ordered online are returned. But 92% of shoppers say they’ll buy from a brand again if the returns process is easy. Commerce Studio provides a self-service returns portal and enables agents to process returns, exchanges, and damage claims across channels—all within Salesforce.

92% of shoppers

will buy from a brand again if the returns process is easy.

Source: Invesp

Strengthening relationships with happy customers. 

Don’t overlook your satisfied customers. Responding to positive reviews, sending personalized thank-you messages, and following up with relevant product recommendations turns one-time holiday buyers into year-round advocates. Reputation Studio makes it easy to respond to positive reviews across channels, and Translation Studio ensures you can do so in any language.

Using feedback to improve. 

Reviews and Q&A are a goldmine of product and experience insights. Reputation Studio allows you to measure sentiment continuously, identify patterns in customer feedback, and make data-driven improvements to products and experiences—long after the holiday rush has passed.

Key #3: An Engaged, AI-Empowered Team

Great customer experiences start with great employee experiences. The most sophisticated AI tools and data platforms in the world won’t deliver results if your team isn’t equipped, trained, and motivated to use them.

This starts with hiring for both technical skill and empathy. Omnichannel service requires people who can navigate complex technology while maintaining the human touch that builds loyalty. But hiring is only the beginning.

Ongoing training is essential, especially as AI tools evolve. Your team needs to understand how to work alongside AI agents—knowing when to let the agent handle a routine inquiry and when to step in for a conversation that requires nuance and judgment. During the 2025 holiday season, the brands that got this balance right were the ones that saw the biggest gains.

Finally, give your teams the tools to collaborate and perform at their best. Translation Studio empowers employees to work with colleagues across languages and geographies. Reputation Studio brings review and Q&A management into the Salesforce platform they already use, eliminating the need to juggle separate systems during the busiest time of year.

Agility Is the Only Constant

If there’s one lesson from the past two years, it’s that the pace of change in retail is accelerating, not slowing. AI-powered shopping went from experimental to mainstream in a single holiday season. Social commerce, live shopping, and shoppable video are growing fast, especially with younger consumers. The channels and behaviors that matter today may look very different a year from now.

That’s why flexibility is as important as strategy. Invest in technology that’s built to adapt—solutions that are native to your core platform, that integrate with your existing stack, and that can evolve as consumer behavior shifts. Build data practices that give you a real-time understanding of your customers, not a snapshot from six months ago. And cultivate a team culture that embraces change rather than resisting it.

It’s Time to Build Relationships, Not Just Campaigns

The 2025 holiday season will be the most competitive in retail history. AI is reshaping how shoppers discover products. Consumer expectations for personalization have never been higher. And the brands that treat omnichannel as a checkbox exercise will lose to those that treat it as a relationship strategy.

The data is unambiguous: omnichannel brands retain more customers, convert at higher rates, and grow revenue faster than their single-channel competitors. But getting there requires more than intent. It requires the right data, the right technology, and the right people—working together across every touchpoint.

Now is the time to invest. Not because omnichannel is a trend, but because it’s the only way to meet shoppers where they are, earn their trust, and build the kind of loyalty that lasts well beyond any single purchase.

About 1440: 

1440 builds Salesforce-native solutions that help brands deliver seamless customer experiences across every channel. From reputation management and messaging to commerce and translation, 1440’s suite of products empowers teams to engage customers before, during, and after every sale.

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