Adobe: AI, social media use by Super Bowl viewers is growing
Super Bowl-related consumer behavior is generally trending similarly to last year, with some notable exceptions.
During the past three years, spending related to the Super Bowl has typically ramped up at the beginning of February, according to Adobe Analytics data. Adobe expects Super Bowl spending this year to follow established patterns, with boosts for the following products between Feb. 1-8 (Super Bowl Sunday) compared to daily levels in January averaging:
- Soft drinks: +45%.
- Sugar & sweets: +45% (also impacted by Valentine's Day).
- Snacks like chips, salsa, wings, etc.: +40%.
- Televisions: +30%.
- Overall grocery: +10%.
Adobe also expects Super Bowl Sunday 2026 to see a spike in buy online pickup in store (BOPIS) orders for last-minute shoppers, though likely lower than in 2025, equaling about 17% of orders for retailers who offer the service.
[READ MORE: Survey: Super Bowl viewers expected to spend $129 on average]
In addition to looking at spending categories, Adobe also examined growing trends in how artificial intelligence, social media, and affiliate/partner marketing are affecting Super Bowl shopping behavior:
AI
Adobe projects AI referral visit share on Super Bowl Sunday 2026 to be approximately 444.1% higher than in 2025, reflecting what it says is continued growth in AI-driven discovery. In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, AI referral visit share is expected to increase by roughly 471.48% year-over-year, indicating heightened research activity ahead of the event.
On Super Bowl Sunday, AI-driven visit share is projected to rise by about 176.63% compared to a typical Sunday.
Social media
On Super Bowl 2025, Adobe tracked social networks marketing revenue share of 4%, up 14.3% from the January average of 3.5%. Social channels are expected to capture a larger slice of retail revenue with 28.91% year over year growth forecasted in the week leading up to Super Bowl Sunday 2026.
Super Bowl 2026 is on track to deliver a 15.9% stronger social revenue share than Super Bowl 2025. The game day itself should see a 25.49% social media usage lift compared to a standard Sunday.
Affiliates / partner marketing:
Affiliates and partners revenue share was 18.9%, up 8.7% on Super Bowl Sunday 2025 from the average share in January of 17.3%, making this the highest revenue share seen from affiliates so far. Adobe projects affiliates revenue share on Super Bowl Sunday 2026 to be 16.9% higher than Super Bowl 2025.
Based on Adobe Analytics data, Adobe analyzes direct commerce transactions online, covering over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, 100 million SKUs, and 18 product categories.
