8 Strategies to survive Black Friday 2025 in the age of AI
October 8, 2025See how AI and PIM work together to help brands handle the speed, accuracy, and complexity of Black Friday 2025 without relying on discounts to win sales.
According to Adobe Analytics, in 2024, U.S. shoppers spent $10.8 billion online on Black Friday and $13.3 billion on Cyber Monday, fueling a 14.6% year-over-year increase in e-commerce holiday sales.
This year, Black Friday 2025 is poised to break new records, driven by the rise of AI. If you’re considering what promotions to offer this year, think carefully, because generating those sales will not depend solely on discounts.
The record numbers show that your customers are more mobile, more global, and more selective about where they spend. While 73% of U.S. shoppers were motivated by discounts, nearly half were just as focused on finding the right gifts — proof that relevance and detail matter as much as pricing.
This growth also revealed that scaling like this cannot be managed with manual processes alone. Surviving Black Friday 2025 means leaning on AI to deliver speed, accuracy, and personalization when it matters most.
In this article, you’ll see how to prepare for the season ahead.
What we learned from Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024
2024 was the year growth accelerated, fueled by a surge in affiliates and influencers. Business Insider reported that they drove 20% of Cyber Monday revenue, proving how quickly creator-led commerce has become a core sales channel.
Product discovery no longer starts on retail sites. TikTok, Instagram, and live selling platforms became go-to marketplaces, with shoppers buying directly from creators they trust.
The season also went global. Global-e recorded a 43% jump in cross-border sales, showing the growing weight of international demand. Shoppers now expect localized content, familiar payment options, and accurate delivery details regardless of where they shop.
To survive Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2025, you need more than discounts. This year’s strategy will require AI-powered product information that can adapt in real-time to global demand and new shopping behaviors.
8 AI strategies to survive Black Friday 2025
If 2024 proved anything, it’s that manual processes can’t keep up with the speed of Black Friday and Cyber Monday anymore. The good news is that AI can provide you with an edge when the season hits. Here’s how it powers your traditional methods:
1. Turn influencer momentum into sales
Since we’ve seen that affiliates and creators now drive a huge share of holiday revenue, you can use AI for e-commerce to generate creator-ready product packs, keep feeds accurate, and refresh prices instantly so every link converts.
2. Scale cross-border campaigns with precision
With cross-border sales up 43% in 2024, international demand is growing fast. Generative AI in e-commerce can translate product content, adapt promotions, and launch localized campaigns quickly, so your buyers see relevant offers in their own language and market.
3. Personalize every touchpoint
Shoppers want more than discounts; they want products that speak to their needs. AI-driven merchandising and recommendations let you surface the right product at the right time. It’s also how you can win budget-conscious customers without giving too many discounts.
4. Stay accurate and in stock
Nothing kills trust faster than inconsistent details in your product listings. Let AI take over your holiday hustle to forecast demand, prevent stockouts, and sync updates across every channel. Accuracy and speed keep customers loyal well past Cyber Week.
5. Deliver service that scales
When traffic peaks, customer support can’t afford delays. Train AI chatbots with product data from your PIM to answer questions about specifications, promotions, and availability instantly. Fast responses protect your cart and keep your team focused on high-value tasks.
6. Run an AI “control center” during Cyber Week
Guesswork has no place in the busiest shopping weekend of the year. Use AI dashboards to track influencer ROI, monitor cross-border demand, and flag inventory issues in real-time, so you can fix issues before they cost big sales.
7. Strengthen your data foundation before the holiday surge
Black Friday success starts long before the first promotion goes live. Integrating AI into your PIM enables you to automatically clean, structure, and enrich product data, making it ready for every campaign, channel, and marketplace. This preparation pays off when demand spikes because every update, translation, and product launch moves faster. After all, the foundation is already solid.
8. Create a connected ecosystem for peak performance
When your systems don’t talk to each other, holiday chaos follows. Linking AI-powered tools, such as personalization engines, chatbots, and analytics, directly to your PIM ensures that all data — from product specifications to inventory levels — stays in sync. With an integrated AI and PIM tech stack, you get real-time insight into what’s selling, where stock is running low, and which products need a visibility boost.
For a look at how these capabilities are evolving, see what’s new in Inriver’s Autumn Release, which introduces smarter connectivity, content automation, and data control for faster execution during high-demand seasons.
AI + PIM: The smarter way to win Black Friday 2025
Black Friday will push your systems, your teams, and your product data to the limit. AI can keep you ahead, but only if it’s built on structured, reliable information.
According to Inriver’s State of AI in PIM research, most companies that paired AI with PIM saw stronger revenue impact and higher customer trust because their product content stayed accurate and compliant at scale.
AI alone won’t get you through the season. AI powered by product information management will. With Inriver, you can manage enrichment, translations, and compliance while AI drives speed and scale across every channel.
Don’t wait for the holiday rush to test your limits. Book a personalized demo and see how Inriver’s AI-powered PIM helps you launch faster, stay accurate, and outperform this Black Friday.
Want to see the Inriver PIM in action?
Schedule a personalized, guided demo with an Inriver expert today to see how the Inriver PIM can get more value from your product information.
