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ZDNET Highlights
- Only 23% of shoppers purchased gifts during October Prime Day.
- Meanwhile, 28% of shoppers said they purchased everyday items.
- The most popular products purchased by ZDNET readers were inexpensive tech devices.
According to a new tracking survey of more than 5,000 October Prime Day shoppers, shoppers used this week’s Prime Big Deal Days sale, which ran Oct. 7-8, to stock up on sale items and buy everyday items instead of shopping for big holiday gifts. Data powered by company Numerator,
Too: The best October Prime Day deals are still available
In September, Amazon said the Prime Big Deal Days event was intended to kick off the 2025 holiday shopping season. “Prime Big Deal Days kicks off the holiday shopping season with exclusive deals on essential items and popular gifts for Prime members,” said Carmen Nestares, vice president of North America marketing and Prime Tech. september releaseHowever, the sale seemed to point to a different reality.
A recent survey from our sister site CNET found that of those who plan to shop early for the holidays, 56% plan to do so between August and October. However, according to calibrator data28% of October Prime Day shoppers purchased everyday items like groceries or household goods, 25% stocked up on sale items, and 45% purchased an item they had been waiting to buy on sale. The top purchased categories were also all essential items.
Numerator reports that the top categories that shoppers purchased during the first day of Prime Big Deal Days included apparel & shoes (26%), home essentials (26%), home beauty & cosmetics (22%), health & wellness items (21%) and home accessories (21%). These are the same as the numbers mentioned in Numerator’s July Prime Day Survey,
Too: CNET survey shows more than half of holiday tech buyers worried about price hikes and tariffs
With turbulent economic conditions, the upcoming holiday season, and rising inflation, it’s no surprise that shoppers focused on essential items. according to CNET surveyAbout 87% of those who plan to purchase tech products this year said they are concerned about rising costs due to tariffs and inflation and the availability of popular products like the Nintendo Switch 2.
A step from flagship technology to cheap gadgets
The key technology missing from the Prime Day shopping trends described above. Prime Big Deal Days yielded similar results to ZDNET’s own best-selling Prime Day products. Although some purchases included discounted laptops and TVs, the most popular products for ZDNET readers were cheap gadgets and appliances – primarily under $100.
Too: The Top 10 Products Our Readers Bought During Prime Day 2025 (No. 1 Is Still Pretty Weird)
Our readers’ top buy was the $15 Ear Camera Tool. The list includes mostly small practical devices: a streaming stick, an AirPods cleaning tool, affordable USB-C accessories, smart plugs, mobile accessories, and everyday tech items like AirTags.
Even ZDNET’s only outlier, the more expensive Google Pixel tablet (our No. 4 top-seller), remained priced at $250 on sale.
ZDNET’s no. The product being sold on Prime Day, October 1, is a $15 ear camera tool.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Since these purchases don’t seem to be indicative of early holiday shopping, I have to wonder if the Amazon decline phenomenon is an example of the notorious “Lipstick Effect” In the form of appliances and gadgets.
Too: Our No. 1 Selling Prime Day Product Wasn’t Even on Sale (And That’s Kinda Weird)
What does this mean for holiday shopping?
Although CNET’s survey indicates that nearly half of buyers plan to make tech purchases between August and October, calibrator’s survey found that only 23% of shoppers actually took advantage of Prime Big Deal Days to get a jump on holiday shopping. 55% of those surveyed said they aren’t sure yet what they want or need for the holidays, while another 32% said they think it’s too early to shop for the holidays. Christmas and Hanukkah are about 11 weeks away.
last year, National Retail Federation It is reported that 45% of shoppers plan to start holiday shopping before November. This year, the NRF will release its holiday forecast on November 6, a few weeks later than in previous years.
According to Adobe 2025 Cyber Week Spending ForecastWith U.S. online sales expected to reach $254.3 billion this holiday season between November and December, Cyber Monday will be both the winter shopping rush and the biggest shopping day of the year, with an estimated $14.5 billion in consumer spending, up 6.3% year over year (YoY).
Too: Concerned about rising tech prices? Try These 5 Simple Ways to Shop Smarter Now
Adobe estimates that more than half of online spending this shopping season will be in the furniture, apparel and electronics categories, which is expected to grow 4% year-over-year to $57.5 billion. At the same time, smaller categories like groceries and cosmetics are seeing faster growth, with groceries expected to grow 9.2% to about $23.5 billion this year.
We’ll have to wait and see what this holiday shopping season actually looks like, but so far, early fall sales don’t seem to be enticing Americans to shop for gifts, and most shoppers use them to save on staple items they use every day. Cyber Week is still the commerce king, and events like Prime Day have lost their luster.
After all, “early” holiday shopping is only possible if you can afford to do it — and it appears many Americans are feeling the pressure.
When was October Prime Day 2025?
October Prime Days (or Prime Big Deal Days) ran from Tuesday, October 7 to Wednesday, October 8 this year.
When is Black Friday 2025?
This year Black Friday will return on Friday, November 28, 2025. Cyber Monday will soon arrive on Monday, December 1st.
