+7.8%Meta CPM during BFCM, while ROAS rose 3.2%Triple Whale · BFCM 2025
+693%AI assistant traffic to US retail sites over the holidaysAdobe Analytics · US, 2025
37%of email revenue came from automated flows, which were 2% of sendsOmnisend · 2025
Ads cost more, and still pay
Reach on Meta got more expensive during the sale. Return on ad spend still went up. So ads keep working. The real question is which channel deserves the next dollar.
Some buyers leave no click to track
A shopper who asks ChatGPT for a gift idea, or hears about you from a friend, often lands on your store with no ad click behind them. The order still comes in. A pixel files it as direct traffic, or gives it to the last ad the shopper saw.
Automated emails carry the revenue
Flows that start from something a customer did earn far more per send than campaigns. An answer on the Thank you page is exactly that kind of signal.
What to do with it
Ask buyers where they found you, right after they pay. Keep each answer next to the revenue of its order. Then let the answer start the next email.