The traditional holiday shopping season, once confined to the final two months of the year, is undergoing a dramatic shift. Thanks to the rise of early promotions and sales events, the holiday shopping period now extends well into October, allowing consumers an earlier start on their gift-giving and festive preparations. This transformation is not only changing our perception of the holiday season but also reshaping consumer behavior and retail strategies.
Historically, the holiday shopping frenzy began with the Cyber Five—a five-day stretch from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday—marking the peak of retail sales. In 2023, these days alone accounted for 16.2% of total U.S. holiday retail e-commerce sales, with Cyber Monday generating a record $13.23 billion in sales, making it the biggest online shopping day of the year.
However, the landscape of holiday shopping is evolving. In 2022, Amazon introduced a second Prime Day event in October, known as the Prime Early Access Sale. The success of this event led to the Prime Big Deal Days in October 2023. Not to be left behind, other major retailers like Walmart and Target also launched their own October sales events. This has set the stage for what is likely to be a permanent extension of the holiday shopping season.
The trend is clear: October sales are extending the holiday season and potentially diverting some sales from the traditional Cyber Five period. As retailers adapt to this shift, the October surge is becoming an integral part of the holiday shopping calendar.
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