Prime Day was supposed to kick off holiday shopping, but was more about stocking up on essentials

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ZDNET's key takeaways

Only 23% of shoppers bought 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.

Shoppers used this week's Prime Big Deal Days sale, which ran from Oct. 7-8, to stock up on sale items and purchase everyday goods instead of big holiday gift purchases, according to a new tracking survey of over 5,000 October Prime Day shoppers conducted by data company Numerator.

Also: The best October Prime Day deals still live

In September, Amazon said the Prime Big Deal Days event was meant to launch the 2025 holiday shopping season. "Prime Big Deal Days kicks off the holiday shopping season with exclusive deals for Prime members on must-have items and popular gifts," said Carmen Nestares, vice president of North America Marketing and Prime Tech, in the September release. The sale, however, seemed to point toward a different reality.

A recent survey from our sister site CNET found that of those planning to shop early for the holidays, 56% planned to do so between August and October. However, according to the Numerator data, 28% of October Prime Day shoppers purchased everyday goods, like groceries or household items, 25% stocked up on sale items, and 45% purchased an item they've been waiting to buy on sale. The top shopped categories were also all essentials.

Numerator reports the top categories shoppers say they bought during the first day of Prime Big Deal Days were apparel and shoes (26%), household essentials (26%), home beauty & cosmetics (22%), health & wellness items (21%), and home goods (21%). These are similar to numbers reported in Numerator's July Prime Day survey.

Also: Over half of holiday tech shoppers concerned by price hikes and tariffs, CNET survey finds

With turbulent economic conditions, the upcoming holiday season, and growing inflation, it's no surprise that shoppers focused on essentials. According to CNET's survey, nearly 87% of those planning to shop for tech products this year said they are worried about rising costs due to tariffs and inflation, and the availability of popular products, like the Nintendo Switch 2.

A move from flagship tech to inexpensive gadgets

Missing from Prime Day shopping trends described above is flagship tech. ZDNET's own top-selling Prime Day products from Prime Big Deal Days yielded similar results. Though some purchases included discounted laptops and TVs, the most popular products for ZDNET readers were inexpensive gadgets and gizmos -- mainly under $100.

Also: 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 camera tool. Smaller practical devices rounded out the majority of the list: a streaming stick, an AirPods cleaning tool, inexpensive 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.

It's supposed to go in your ear -- but this one hasn't been in any!It's supposed to go in your ear -- but this one hasn't been in any!

Since these purchases don't seem to be early holiday shopping indicators, I have to wonder if Amazon's fall event is an example of the notorious "lipstick effect" in the form of gizmos and gadgets.

Also: Our No. 1 selling Prime Day product wasn't even on sale (and it's sort of bizarre)

What does this mean for holiday shopping?

Though CNET's survey indicated that about half of shoppers plan to shop for tech early between August and October, Numerator's survey found that only 23% of shoppers actually took advantage of Prime Big Deal Days to get a jump on holiday shopping. Of those surveyed, 55% said they weren't yet sure what they needed or wanted for the holidays, while another 32% said it felt too early to make their holiday purchases. Christmas and Hanukkah are about 11 weeks away.

Last year, the National Retail Federation reported that 45% of shoppers planned to get a head start on holiday shopping before November. This year, the NRF will release its holiday forecast on Nov. 6, a few weeks later than in years past.

According to Adobe's 2025 Cyber Week Spend Forecast, US online sales are expected to hit $254.3 billion this holiday season between November and December, with Cyber Monday clocking in as the largest shopping day of both the winter shopping rush and the year, with an anticipated $14.5 billion in consumer spending, up 6.3% year over year (YoY).

Also: Worried about rising tech prices? Try these 5 easy ways to shop smarter right now

Adobe anticipates that over half of online spending this shopping season will be comprised of furniture, apparel, and electronics categories, with the latter expected to rake in $57.5 billion, up 4% YoY. At the same time, smaller categories like groceries and cosmetics are seeing rapid growth, with groceries expected to be up 9.2% this year, totaling around $23.5 billion.

We'll have to wait and see what this holiday shopping season really 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 the staple items they use every day. Cyber Week is still the commerce king, and events like Prime Day may have lost their luster.

After all, "early" holiday shopping is only feasible if you can afford to do it -- and many Americans appear to be feeling the squeeze.