Black Friday has quietly become the period when customer intent is more visible than at any other point in the retail calendar. Online discovery and decision-making are increasingly part of everyday behavior, with 45% of Americans now ordering groceries online for delivery or pickup, up by 6% compared to the previous year. Consumers in India are also showing a clear preference for how they want to receive communications. Our data shows that about 73% of Indian consumers favor email, 57% use WhatsApp, and 41% rely on SMS or text messages for communication.
This becomes even more pronounced during Black Friday, when multichannel preferences lead to a clear surge in customer interactions. This Black Friday 2025, consumer interactions worldwide are on course to reach 3.9 billion, compared to 3.4 billion last year. These numbers reflect a surge in engagement that manual effort cannot keep up with. This is where AI comes into the picture. It processes this data in real-time and helps companies understand intent, laying the foundation for stronger relationships. This insight then guides automated journeys during the Black Friday rush.
Strengthening journeys through automation
Consumer activity tends to accelerate dramatically around peak retail moments. AI helps brands manage this scale by observing how customers move through each stage, adjusting the journey as their interests shift. Instead of relying on fixed sequences, journeys evolve based on real behavior, allowing messages to reach customers when they are most inclined to act. This is especially important as 49% of Indian shoppers want multichannel communication, as per our latest data. AI also ensures messages are timed effectively, reaching audiences when they are most receptive, with 30% of consumers preferring promotions from early November and another 25% in late October. This keeps communication steady even as volumes grow, ensuring follow-ups feel timely rather than intrusive. The approach supports smoother progression through campaigns, so brands remain relevant when the season is at its peak.
Elevating personalization with RCS
Data for Black Friday 2025 shows that shoppers now depend on richer communication services to move through their purchase journey. Globally, RCS activity is showing a 161% rise on Black Friday and a 269% rise on Cyber Monday, underscoring how visual prompts, guided replies, and structured cards support effortless decision-making. AI enhances this experience by understanding where users hesitate and refining the flow in real time. This aligns with how people across the world shop today. Indian shoppers, for instance, report that 60% of them find personalized offers helpful in discovering the right deals. Trust in AI is also becoming more natural, with 54% comfortable using chatbots for simple tasks and 70% turning to AI for product discovery and recommendations.
As shoppers grow more comfortable with AI-assisted interactions, brands can build journeys that feel intuitive, reduce friction, and help people decide faster across rich messaging channels. This keeps engagement relevant and strengthens loyalty, creating a stronger foundation for seamless omnichannel coordination.
Unifying journeys across every touchpoint
As activity increases, the flow of conversations across channels becomes harder to manage. Across peak retail periods like Black Friday (2024), over 1.8 billion interactions occur worldwide across digital touchpoints as customers compare options or check updates. This complexity grows as 65% of Indian shoppers expect order or shipping confirmations instantly and rely on different channels to find them, with 41% preferring email, 24% SMS, and 24% WhatsApp, according to our Shopping Season 2025 consumer survey. AI helps manage this rising complexity by pulling these scattered interactions into unified inbox systems. This reduces pressure on teams and keeps responses consistent even when volumes spike. After the surge settles, these systems reveal patterns that shape conversions, helping brands refine future campaign design without repeating earlier ideas.
Improving campaign outcomes with real-time insights
AI provides a steady stream of performance insights that show how customers react as campaigns unfold. Instead of relying on periodic checks, teams get live updates on changing interests, message traction, and audience movement across channels. This becomes especially challenging when consumers are spread across multiple platforms. In India, for instance, our data reveals that around 30% check promotions on websites and apps, while 28% turn to social media, and 26% rely on email. This fragmented attention makes real-time calibration essential. AI monitors all these channels simultaneously and recommends small, timely adjustments that keep outreach aligned with behavior. This helps brands maintain momentum across the extended Black Friday period without slipping into reactive decisions.
Once the surge eases, AI organizes the data into clear patterns that reveal where attention is concentrated and what influences outcomes. These insights allow brands to optimize future promotional cycles and improve the effectiveness of upcoming campaigns.
Looking ahead
Black Friday now acts as a preview of how customers behave when choices widen and speed matters. The insights gathered during this period help brands recognize patterns that are not always visible during regular seasons. AI turns these moments into clearer insights about what captures attention, what holds interest, and what encourages action across different channels. With this understanding, brands can refine how they communicate, shape smoother interactions, and respond with greater precision throughout the year.
(Views are personal)
