Social Season: Social Commerce & AI Analytics Meeting Holiday Shoppers Where They Are

For marketers and advertisers, it’s already that most wonderful (and incredibly busy) time of the year.

But even with all that holiday prep work and planning underway, digital media and digital ad sales software provides all the tools necessary to take advantage of last-minute ideas and opportunities.

According to a report from commercetools , 69% of decision-making business leaders are increasing their investments in social commerce this holiday season to “meet shoppers where they are,” all while 92% of retailers are enhancing their investments in social media shopping.

“Social commerce has firmly shifted from a ‘nice-to-have’ experiment to a key sales driver in crowded markets, even more so where competing for attention is the norm,” the report says. “More than ever, consumers are inspired by and purchase products on platforms like Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, with 67% of consumers using social media to research products before buying. For businesses, this reinforces the omnichannel mantra: ‘Be where your customers are.’”

The report, titled “Unwrapping Success: Key Investments Driving Holiday Sales,” highlighted the 62% of businesses that are leveraging AI, for uses such as predictive analytics to help manage inventory and even fraud detection. The report found that 92% are embracing composable commerce — “the approach that enables businesses to leverage flexible ‘packages’ like product catalogs and checkout” — to help “launch more capabilities” faster and easier this time of year.

“By adopting composable commerce,” the report says, “retailers can deploy AI more effectively to drive personalized experiences, optimize operations and quickly respond to market shifts, ensuring their AI investments deliver tangible, strategic benefits.”