Applications are booming across the board, but retail has seen a particular spike.
Even as holiday spending is expected to surpass $1 trillion, retailers are set to hire the lowest number of seasonal workers in decades.
Many survey respondents said they took items because of affordability concerns, while others stole because they were fed up with the machines.
New technology like robots and self-checkouts mean even while consumers are spending, retailers aren’t hiring more.
Traffic from AI sources like chatbots to retail sites is up nearly 760%, according to Adobe Analytics data.
“Buy now, pay later” transactions, which are essentially zero-interest, short-term loans, topped $1 billion for the first time this past Cyber Monday.
Dollar Tree, Dollar General and Five Below will all report quarterly earnings this week, after a year of tariffs, a government shutdown and an increasingly K-shaped economy.
PepsiCo is offering a new line of “naked” Doritos and Cheetos, free of artificial flavors and dyes.
And more consumers are using AI to help with their holiday shopping.
Adobe says Black Friday sales clocked in at more than $11 billion. Expectations for Cyber Week are strong, too.
