It doesn’t matter much to retailers, who used the early holiday sales to try and sell products before most shoppers had picked out their Halloween costumes. But it indicated that shoppers are motivated by deals, no matter what they’re for. After two years of limited discounts, shoppers are showing they’re willing to hold out for a bargain.
Brands step in. “We made too many,” the bike maker Specialized said on its website, telling customers they could “save BIG.”
Rakuten, an online platform that offers offers and customer rewards, said retailers’ participation in Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions was the “biggest in the past three years”.
Natalie Rodriguez, 47, who works for the Indiana Department of Revenue, said the products on sale were not what she wanted to give for Christmas.
“I am really aware of the deals that are coming up now. I like to see who gets my money first. Am I taking advantage of it because I see it was a deal?
“During the Amazon sale, I had 150 things in my cart and saved it for later, but I didn’t see anything comparable to what I would think is a Black Friday deal. When I was a kid, Black Friday was super cheap, like 80 or 90 percent off. Most of what I saw was 30 and 40 percent on some items. It’s like, “No, I just fit,” especially if it’s not an essential item. Crest Whitestrips were a lot, but I don’t need them now.
“All I got was a $50 gift card with a $10 bonus on it.”
Finally arriving on time
For years, spurred in large part by Amazon, consumers became accustomed to fast shipping—often within two days or less. The pandemic turned that upside down. A shortage of drivers and inventory forced people to plan ahead.
This year, industry experts are not expecting another Shipageddon. There are more than enough delivery drivers and warehouse workers to meet the demand. Shippers should be able to deliver 110 million packages per day, nearly 20 million more than customers expect to order, according to ShipMatrix, a consulting firm.
“Because of what has happened to global supply chains in recent years, people are stretching the holiday season over a longer period of time,” said Jamil Ghani, Amazon Prime vice president.
