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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Solely 23% of customers purchased presents throughout October Prime Day.
- In the meantime, 28% of customers stated they bought on a regular basis objects.
- The preferred merchandise bought by ZDNET readers have been cheap tech units.
Customers used this week’s Prime Large Deal Days sale, which ran from Oct. 7-8, to top off on sale objects and buy on a regular basis items as an alternative of huge vacation reward purchases, in line with a brand new monitoring survey of over 5,000 October Prime Day customers carried out by knowledge firm Numerator.
Additionally: One of the best October Prime Day offers nonetheless reside
In September, Amazon stated the Prime Large Deal Days occasion was meant to launch the 2025 vacation procuring season. “Prime Large Deal Days kicks off the vacation procuring season with unique offers for Prime members on must-have objects and well-liked presents,” stated Carmen Nestares, vice chairman of North America Advertising and Prime Tech, within the September launch. The sale, nonetheless, appeared to level towards a special actuality.
A current survey from our sister website CNET discovered that of these planning to buy early for the vacations, 56% deliberate to take action between August and October. Nevertheless, in line with the Numerator knowledge, 28% of October Prime Day customers bought on a regular basis items, like groceries or home goods, 25% stocked up on sale objects, and 45% bought an merchandise they have been ready to purchase on sale. The highest shopped classes have been additionally all necessities.
Numerator reviews the highest classes customers say they purchased in the course of the first day of Prime Large Deal Days have been attire and footwear (26%), family necessities (26%), house magnificence & cosmetics (22%), well being & wellness objects (21%), and residential items (21%). These are much like numbers reported in Numerator’s July Prime Day survey.
Additionally: Over half of vacation tech customers involved by value hikes and tariffs, CNET survey finds
With turbulent financial situations, the upcoming vacation season, and rising inflation, it is no shock that customers centered on necessities. In response to CNET’s survey, almost 87% of these planning to buy tech merchandise this 12 months stated they’re apprehensive about rising prices attributable to tariffs and inflation, and the supply of well-liked merchandise, just like the Nintendo Change 2.
A transfer from flagship tech to cheap devices
Lacking from Prime Day procuring developments described above is flagship tech. ZDNET’s personal top-selling Prime Day merchandise from Prime Large Deal Days yielded related outcomes. Although some purchases included discounted laptops and TVs, the most well-liked merchandise for ZDNET readers have been cheap devices and gizmos — primarily beneath $100.
Additionally: The highest 10 merchandise our readers purchased throughout Prime Day 2025 (no. 1 remains to be fairly odd)
Our readers’ high buy was a $15 ear digital camera instrument. Smaller sensible units rounded out nearly all of the checklist: a streaming stick, an AirPods cleansing instrument, cheap USB-C equipment, sensible plugs, cell equipment, and on a regular basis tech objects like AirTags.
Even ZDNET’s solely outlier, the costlier Google Pixel Pill (our No. 4 top-seller), remained priced at $250 on sale.
ZDNET’s no. 1 promoting October Prime Day product is a $15 ear digital camera instrument.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Since these purchases aren’t early vacation procuring indicators, I’ve to surprise if Amazon’s fall occasion is an instance of the infamous “lipstick impact” within the type of gizmos and devices.
Additionally: Our No. 1 promoting Prime Day product wasn’t even on sale (and it is kind of weird)
What does this imply for vacation procuring?
Although CNET’s survey indicated that about half of customers plan to buy tech early between August and October, Numerator’s survey discovered that solely 23% of customers truly took benefit of Prime Large Deal Days to get a soar on vacation procuring. Of these surveyed, 55% stated they weren’t but certain what they wanted or needed for the vacations, whereas one other 32% stated it felt too early to make their vacation purchases. Christmas and Hanukkah are about 11 weeks away.
Final 12 months, the Nationwide Retail Federation reported that 45% of customers deliberate to get a head begin on vacation procuring earlier than November. This 12 months, the NRF will launch its vacation forecast on Nov. 6, a number of weeks later than in years previous.
In response to Adobe’s 2025 Cyber Week Spend Forecast, US on-line gross sales are anticipated to hit $254.3 billion this vacation season between November and December, with Cyber Monday clocking in as the most important procuring day of each the winter procuring rush and the 12 months, with an anticipated $14.5 billion in shopper spending, up 6.3% 12 months over 12 months (YoY).
Additionally: Fearful about rising tech costs? Strive these 5 simple methods to buy smarter proper now
Adobe anticipates that over half of on-line spending this procuring season will probably be comprised of furnishings, attire, and electronics classes, with the latter anticipated to rake in $57.5 billion, up 4% YoY. On the similar time, smaller classes like groceries and cosmetics are seeing fast development, with groceries anticipated to be up 9.2% this 12 months, totaling round $23.5 billion.
We’ll have to attend and see what this vacation procuring season actually seems like, however to date, early fall gross sales aren’t engaging Individuals to buy presents, and most customers use them to avoid wasting on the staple objects they use every single day. Cyber Week remains to be the commerce king, and occasions like Prime Day could have misplaced their luster.
In spite of everything, “early” vacation procuring is barely possible in the event you can afford to do it — and lots of Individuals look like feeling the squeeze.
When was October Prime Day 2025?
October Prime Day (or Prime Large Deal Days) ran from Tuesday, Oct. 7, by way of Wednesday, Oct. 8 this 12 months.
When is Black Friday 2025?
This 12 months Black Friday returns on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. Cyber Monday follows shortly after on Monday, Dec. 1.
