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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Solely 23% of consumers purchased presents throughout October Prime Day.
- In the meantime, 28% of consumers mentioned they bought on a regular basis gadgets.
- The preferred merchandise bought by ZDNET readers had been cheap tech units.
Customers used this week’s Prime Big Deal Days sale, which ran from Oct. 7-8, to top off on sale gadgets and buy on a regular basis items as an alternative of huge vacation reward purchases, based on a brand new monitoring survey of over 5,000 October Prime Day consumers conducted by data company Numerator.
Additionally: The best October Prime Day deals still live
In September, Amazon mentioned the Prime Huge Deal Days occasion was meant to launch the 2025 vacation buying season. “Prime Huge Deal Days kicks off the vacation buying season with unique offers for Prime members on must-have gadgets and standard presents,” mentioned Carmen Nestares, vice chairman of North America Advertising and Prime Tech, within the September release. The sale, nonetheless, appeared to level towards a distinct actuality.
A recent survey from our sister site CNET discovered that of these planning to buy early for the vacations, 56% deliberate to take action between August and October. Nonetheless, based on the Numerator data, 28% of October Prime Day consumers bought on a regular basis items, like groceries or home items, 25% stocked up on sale gadgets, and 45% bought an merchandise they have been ready to purchase on sale. The highest shopped classes had been additionally all necessities.
Numerator experiences the highest classes consumers say they purchased throughout the first day of Prime Huge Deal Days had been attire and footwear (26%), family necessities (26%), residence magnificence & cosmetics (22%), well being & wellness gadgets (21%), and residential items (21%). These are much like numbers reported in Numerator’s July Prime Day survey.
Additionally: Over half of holiday tech shoppers concerned by price hikes and tariffs, CNET survey finds
With turbulent financial circumstances, the upcoming vacation season, and rising inflation, it is no shock that consumers centered on necessities. Based on CNET’s survey, practically 87% of these planning to buy tech merchandise this 12 months mentioned they’re anxious about rising prices on account of tariffs and inflation, and the provision of standard merchandise, just like the Nintendo Switch 2.
A transfer from flagship tech to cheap devices
Lacking from Prime Day buying tendencies described above is flagship tech. ZDNET’s personal top-selling Prime Day merchandise from Prime Huge Deal Days yielded related outcomes. Although some purchases included discounted laptops and TVs, the preferred merchandise for ZDNET readers had been cheap devices and gizmos — primarily below $100.
Additionally: The top 10 products our readers bought during Prime Day 2025 (no. 1 is still pretty odd)
Our readers’ top purchase was a $15 ear digital camera software. Smaller sensible units rounded out the majority of the list: a streaming stick, an AirPods cleaning tool, cheap USB-C accessories, smart plugs, cell equipment, and on a regular basis tech gadgets like AirTags.
Even ZDNET’s solely outlier, the dearer Google Pixel Tablet (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 software.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Since these purchases are not early vacation buying indicators, I’ve to surprise if Amazon’s fall occasion is an instance of the infamous “lipstick effect” within the type of gizmos and devices.
Additionally: Our No. 1 selling Prime Day product wasn’t even on sale (and it’s sort of bizarre)
What does this imply for vacation buying?
Although CNET’s survey indicated that about half of consumers plan to buy tech early between August and October, Numerator’s survey discovered that solely 23% of consumers truly took benefit of Prime Huge Deal Days to get a leap on vacation buying. Of these surveyed, 55% mentioned they weren’t but certain what they wanted or needed for the vacations, whereas one other 32% mentioned it felt too early to make their vacation purchases. Christmas and Hanukkah are about 11 weeks away.
Final 12 months, the National Retail Federation reported that 45% of consumers deliberate to get a head begin on vacation buying earlier than November. This 12 months, the NRF will launch its vacation forecast on Nov. 6, a couple of weeks later than in years previous.
Based on 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 biggest buying day of each the winter buying rush and the 12 months, with an anticipated $14.5 billion in shopper spending, up 6.3% 12 months over 12 months (YoY).
Additionally: Worried about rising tech prices? Try these 5 easy ways to shop smarter right now
Adobe anticipates that over half of on-line spending this buying season might be comprised of furnishings, attire, and electronics classes, with the latter anticipated to rake in $57.5 billion, up 4% YoY. On the identical time, smaller classes like groceries and cosmetics are seeing speedy progress, 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 buying season actually seems like, however to date, early fall gross sales are not engaging People to buy presents, and most consumers use them to avoid wasting on the staple gadgets they use on daily basis. Cyber Week remains to be the commerce king, and occasions like Prime Day might have misplaced their luster.
In any case, “early” vacation buying is simply possible when you can afford to do it — and lots of People seem like feeling the squeeze.
When was October Prime Day 2025?
October Prime Day (or Prime Huge 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.
