December Analysis across 89 Retailers, Brands, Travel, and Transports: Consumer AI-Driven Inflection & Importance

By David Schick and Jonathan Feeney and David Katzman and Jack Hermann Published on December 17, 2025 PDF

In this December report, we update our November analysis across 89 consumer names (see Figure 1). We calculate both the relative (a) inflection of AI-driven traffic and (b) importance of AI engagement within the context of digital engagement of consumers. AI platforms are increasingly driving consumer choices, though we note growth is slowing (see Figure 9).

Key Callouts: WMT, LOW, BBY, HD, DKS continue overall resonance leads. BOOT, BKE, WWW, WSM are showing large positive inflections. H, EXPE, SIG, BKNG show high importance and negative inflections. AMZN has a negative inflection and a low importance of AI-driven traffic. In Figures 3-7 below, we rank AI inflection and importance across 89 names in Retail, Restaurants, Leisure / Travel, Autos, and Apparel.

Categories: Apparel & Golf leads (5 of the top 6 individual names are in this category), followed by Retailers, and Automotive. Leisure, Accommodations, & Travel has negatively inflected (see Figure 2).

Consumers are increasingly using AI platforms, but we note slowing growth in a recent sequential drop and deceleration since August (see Figure 9). 74% of the age 18-29 cohort use AI “at least several times a week” compared to 46% of the 65+ cohort, according to Pew Research (see Figure 8).

Figure 1: Measuring Inflection and Importance of AI Across Consumer, December 2025

Source: Optimal Advisory analysis, Similarweb

Figure 2: AI Inflection * Importance by Category, December 2025

Source: Optimal Advisory analysis, Similarweb

Figure 3: Top 10 AI Inflection * Importance, December 2025

Source: Optimal Advisory analysis, Similarweb

Figure 4: Retailers, December 2025

Source: Optimal Advisory analysis, Similarweb

Figure 5: Leisure, Accommodations, & Travel, December 2025

Source: Optimal Advisory analysis, Similarweb

Figure 6: Automotive, December 2025

Source: Optimal Advisory analysis, Similarweb

Figure 7: Apparel & Golf, December 2025

Source: Optimal Advisory analysis, Similarweb

Figure 8: Demographics of AI Consumer Use

Source: Pew Research

Figure 9: AI Chatbot & Tools Digital Visits

Source: Optimal Advisory analysis, Similarweb

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