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There are five fewer days between Black Friday and Christmas Day compared to 2023. Here’s how retailers — and consumers — are preparing themselves. Over the past several years, the timing of holiday deals has been pulled forward to start earlier in the season.
Amazon, Target and Walmart even pegged their recent fall sales events as the kickoff to the holiday season. And this year, the early arrival of holiday sales might be more critical as retailers grapple with fewer selling days between Black Friday and Christmas Day.
Despite Black Friday falling later on the calendar, the overall season is still expected to result in big sales for retailers. The National Retail Federation expects retail sales in November and December to rise between 2.5% and 3.5% compared to last year, reaching up to $989 billion. Other firms have predicted similar increases, with Deloitte projecting sales to grow by up to 3.3% year over year and Forrester anticipating sales to grow 3.7%.
Here’s a look at how retailers — and consumers — are preparing for a shorter holiday season.
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But as the season progresses — and delivery windows get smaller — consumers may opt to shop in stores.
“With fewer days between Black Friday and Christmas, retailers will face increased pressure to ensure timely delivery, offer additional discounts, and adjust inventory levels,” said Darpan Seth, CEO of Nextuple, an omnichannel order management advisory and technology firm.
Retailers’ response
Aside from rolling out early holiday promotions, retailers should be adapting various strategies like offering seamless shopping experiences across multiple channels, improving inventory management, enhancing logistics and fulfillment to ensure timely deliveries and using personalized marketing, Seth said via email.
On the marketing front, several retailers, including Old Navy...
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View the full Retail Dive article: It’s a shorter holiday season. Does that matter?
