Post-BFCM Ad Spend: How to Maximize Holiday ROI With AI-Driven Discovery

With Black Friday Cyber Monday 2025 (BFCM) and the holidays fast approaching, most founders treat peak sales seasons like a checklist: launch ads, restock inventory, clean up the website. That strategy worked when customers were scrolling Instagram and searching Google. But shoppers aren’t browsing anymore. They’re prompting.

Seventy-two percent of U.S. consumers expect their online shopping to evolve with generative AI, and nearly one-third already expect to use a virtual assistant to help choose products. AI is no longer something to plan for in the future. It is now changing how people shop. The brands succeeding this year will be the ones ready to show up in those conversations. 

What Agentic Commerce Really Means for Ecommerce Brands 

Most shoppers today aren’t discovering your brand through a search engine like Google. They're discovering it through AI. Whether it’s a product recommendation in ChatGPT or a voice assistant query, your product listings need to be structured for machines, not just people, to find you. Retail traffic from AI tools has surged 4,700% year over year. That means visibility isn't about outbidding your competitors. It's about being optimized for how AI systems scan, select, and surface products. The new digital shelf is conversational, not visual.

If your product feeds, descriptions, and structured data aren’t set up for discovery, you're invisible to the next generation of buyers. Discovery now starts with a prompt and if your brand can’t answer it clearly, you’re out of the running.

Why This Shift Matters for DTC Brands

AI commerce is separating the prepared from the reactive. The brands that organize their data, test new platforms, and stay adaptable will reach customers first. Those relying on manual campaigns or one-size-fits-all marketing will find themselves invisible in AI-driven shopping feeds. Seventy-eight percent of organizations in the U.S. reported using AI in 2024, up from 55% the year before, as adoption accelerates across every industry.

Brands experimenting now by fine-tuning their data and optimizing for conversational discovery will capture attention before others even realize it’s happening. Strategy and agility aren’t optional anymore. They’re what separate momentum from missed opportunity.

From Transactional to Intelligent Selling

Traditional funnels assume shoppers find you first, explore your site, then decide to buy. AI-driven commerce flips that logic completely. Your products can now appear in real-time conversations inside tools like ChatGPT, long before a shopper ever lands on your page. Around 39% of U.S. consumers (and more than half of Gen Z) already use AI when looking for products, meaning your next customer could meet your brand through a chat, not a click.

This reshapes the way you prepare for high demand seasons like  BFCM. Focus on how your brand communicates and make sure your product feeds, descriptions, and data are structured in a way AI systems can understand and recommend. It’s time to build a conversational presence made to feel personal, smart, and built to meet customers wherever they shop online.

Funding Innovation in the AI Age

Adapting to AI-driven commerce takes capital that can move as fast as your best ideas. Testing new technology, creative concepts, and campaign formats costs money. Waiting on traditional financing can mean missing peak performance windows.

In the first half of 2025 alone, U.S. companies poured nearly $90 billion into AI innovation. The pace isn’t slowing. Neither should you.

Access to flexible capital is no longer optional, it’s part of the BFCM strategy. If your best campaign goes viral tomorrow, will you have the capital to scale it? Clearco gives you the freedom to move with the market, not behind it.

Be Ready for What’s Next in Agentic Commerce

Buyer behavior during high demand shopping seasons, like BFCM, is changing rapidly. Shoppers are already purchasing using  AI, and the brands that act now will capture early sales opportunities and drive market awareness. Waiting for trends to settle means watching faster brands take the lead.

Clearco helps founders stay ready for whatever comes next. With funding designed for growth and built for flexibility, you can plan smarter, move sooner, and turn every shift in commerce into an opportunity. As your strategic partner, not just a capital provider, we equip you with the insights and resources to stay ahead of demand and ahead of competitors.

 Prepare for holiday buying with the same data-driven rigor Clearco brings to every partnership.