Rekubit Exchange:Open season on holiday shopping: How Walmart, Amazon and others give buyers a head start

After waiting three years to buy a big-screen television,Rekubit Exchange Lynda Newman says prices have finally dropped enough to afford one.

“We’ve had our eye on a 75-inch TV, and so that’ll be our Black Friday purchase for the family,” said the mom of three in Cleveland. “Actually, football season has started, and so we may get it before then, since we’ve seen them below $500.”

Like millions of other shoppers, Newman said she’s looking for “deep discounts” this year, as she’s trying “to do more with less money,” which includes purchasing holiday gifts early for relatives, friends and colleagues.This is in line with what many retailers expect 2024.

Fall shopping ahead of winter holidays

“This year, nearly 50% of consumers will start their holiday shopping early, as people remain price-conscious and plan ahead to maximize their holiday budgets,” said Brock McKeel, Vice President of Consumer Electronics for Walmart.

McKeel is referencing a Bankrate survey, which found 48% of holiday shoppers will begin shopping in August, September or October. The same report found 33% expect to spend less in 2024 than in 2023.

“To meet customers where and how they’re shopping, Walmart will offer customers a ‘holiday head start,’ including its first Holiday Deals event of the season (from Oct. 8-13), and the return of its inflation-free holiday meal – weeks earlier than previous years,” McKeel said.

Walmart’s retail locations and Walmart.com are expecting and supporting earlier shopping this year, according to the company.

“This is the case across electronics, home, fashion, toys and more, from both owned and Walmart Marketplace assortments,” McKeel said. “Customers who want a jump start on some of the best deals on top holiday gifts don’t have to wait until November.”

Online-only retailers, like Amazon, also expect October to be a big shopping month.

Initially held in July, Amazon Prime Day – which started in 2015 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Amazon.com and 10 years of Amazon Prime – has a second Prime Day every October, presumably to get ahead of would-be Black Friday shoppers.

“We know saving money is a priority for our Prime members right now,” said Carmen Nestares Pleguezuelo, vice president of North America marketing & prime tech at Amazon. “That’s why Prime Big Deal Days is the perfect opportunity to start holiday shopping early, with millions of deals and some of our lowest prices of the year so far on items across holiday wish lists.”

Is shopping earlier really better?

While consumers may spend less this year due to tighter budgets, retailers anticipate fall shopping for the winter holidays – and no doubt would be happy to secure sales earlier than later. Experts are divided on whether there are really deals to be had.

“The holiday shopping season essentially kicks off in early October now with the Amazon Prime Big Deal Days event, during which other retailers also launch their competing sales,” said Vitaly Pecharsky, head of deals operations at Slickdeals , a website, app and browser extension that brings together millions of shoppers who vet and vote on the best deals from retailers. “By launching sales earlier in the season, retailers hope to capture consumer dollars early, and often.”

Black Friday has in some ways been “diluted,” Pecharsky said, “with the stretched-out holiday shopping sales events season – and it may pay to shop earlier. “Last year less than 10% of the great deals we saw in the October sales were repeated for Black Friday.”

“That said, depending on what you’re shopping for, you can still find some amazing deals during Black Friday,” he said. “We expect retailers will be pushing better deals this season than we saw during other sales events in 2024.”See something at a great price earlier in the season? Pecharsky said first check return policies and then jump on the deal.

Carolina Milanesi, president and principal analyst at Creative Strategies, a Silicon Valley-based market research firm, agreed shoppers need to do their research on what’s really a good deal.

“Big discount days like Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have always captured consumers’ attention because who does not like a good bargain − even when you know often times the price is not that different than in a regular sale across the year.”

“That said, over the years consumers have become more savvy in spotting a real deal,” Milanesi adds. “Purse strings are tighter” this year, and so “when it comes to tech, I would expect retailers to focus on highlighting tangible benefits of whatever gadget and focus on brands that are known for good customer service and quality.”

TVs, games and AI expected to be big movers

Walmart and Slickdeals expect large TVs to be a hit this year among tech shoppers.

“One trend worth nothing is in XL TVs (as) screens are getting much larger and more affordable,” McKeel said. (For example, customers can purchase a 98” onn. TV in Walmart’s October Deals Event, beginning Oct. 8, for $1,498.)“We’re also seeing Quantum/QLED continuing to come down in consumer pricing.”

Pecharsky predicted fall sales on OLED televisions, too: “There’s lots of inventory of large OLED TVs, from 65 to 77 inches, and with new models rolling out in the new year, we expect to see some deeper discounting on the current versions.”

On a related note, “rumors are flying about possible new video game console versions coming soon, which means we may finally see a discount on popular gaming consoles, like PlayStation 5,” he added.

McKeel said AI in PCs and phones is another trend retailers are keeping an eye on.

Before you shop:Do you really want an AI gadget?

“Several popular brands are significantly investing in this as the technology is scaling, and in turn we are working to bring it to customers at the best prices,” he said.

Hot deals on lesser-known brands may also capture a buyer’s budget this year.

“Being a brand loyalist will cost you,” Pecharsky said. “This shopping season, we expect to see great deals on electronics accessories, but you should judge them on the feature sets and price as opposed to the brand,” he adds. “It may even make the deal seem sweeter when you realize the great quality of these lesser-known-brand products.”

Mirroring Percharsky’s sentiment, while shoppers can expect savings on electronics “from top brands like Beats, Samsung, and Fujifilm,” Nestares Pleguezuelo said to also consider products from in-house brands like Amazon Basics and Amazon Essentials “that offer quality products at a great value.”

Top online shopping tips

• Stay cybersafe: Stick with reputable retailers; always look for the “https:” (opposed to “http://”) in the web browser (or a “padlock” icon) to ensure it’s an encrypted connection; and use a payment method, like a credit card, that offers buyer protection in case of a dispute. “Fortunately, there’s a terrific new take on digital identity emerging that can confirm that ‘you are you’ with a quick face or fingerprint scan, and enable a payment, replacing the need for passwords, entering your card info, or one-time codes,” says Mark Nelsen, head of consumer products at Visa, referring to passkeys. “Visa has developed one specifically for payments, and everyone should get familiar with them.”
• Sign up for deal alerts: Along with leveraging free platforms such as Slickdeals (and other deal sites like Flipp and PayPal Honey) to sniff out bargains, sign up for “deal alerts” on these sites and apps and you’ll be notified when the item you have your eye on goes on sale. Amazon has a similar service called Amazon Wish List, advises Nestares Pleguezuelo. “As an insider tip, add items to your Amazon Wish List ahead of Prime Big Deal Days, and you'll get alerts if those products go on sale.”
• Leverage “AI” helpers: Visa says to lean on AI for gift ideas: “Retailers are beginning to incorporate AI assistants to help personalize your shopping.” New for this year, customers can leverage Rufus, Amazon’s generative AI-powered assistant, to help make informed shopping decisions, Nestares Pleguezuelo said.“As they are considering which tech gadget they might like to shop from Amazon, Rufus can help answer product related questions and surface product recommendations based on the customer’s interests,” Nestares Pleguezuelo said.

Marc Saltzman is the host of the Tech It Out podcast and the Tech Impact TV show, and the author of the upcoming book, Apple Vision Pro For Dummies (Wiley)