The company announced Monday (Nov. 9) its week-long “early Haul-iday” event, featuring things like “$1 flash deals” all week and millions of products priced under $10, along with exclusive “$0.11 steals” on Nov. 10 and 11.
“We’ve always focused on offering customers the lowest prices across the widest selection, and Amazon Haul is another way we’re making holiday shopping more affordable,” said David Forsythe, vice president of Amazon’s North American seller business.
“Whether customers are decorating their homes, dressing the family for festivities, hosting a holiday gathering, or filling up stockings, there’s so much to discover on Amazon Haul, with millions of products at ultra-low prices and new deals dropping all season long,” Forsythe added.
The announcement noted the rapid pace of customer adoption, with the number of people making purchases via Haul increasing by almost 350% year over year. Amazon is also expanding the marketplace’s selection by more than 25 times to upwards of 10 million products.
This is happening at a time when—as PYMNTS wrote last week—“Black Friday has developed a scheduling problem,” as it “keeps arriving before Friday.”
Black Friday falls on Nov. 27 this year, with Cyber Monday following on Nov. 30. All the same, “retailers are already warming up the discount machinery,” the report said. “With Amazon and Walmart running sales events throughout the year, it’s reasonable to wonder how much distinction remains in the Thanksgiving shopping ritual. Quite a lot, judging by the spending.”
Adobe’s numbers for last year’s holiday season placed online Black Friday purchases in the United States at $11.8 billion, up 9.1% from 2024. Cyber Monday came to $14.25 billion, the year’s biggest day for online shopping.
Frequent promotions have given shoppers more occasions to spend, while these two dates still “concentrate substantial demand,” the report said. “What’s changing is the calendar, the access rules and, occasionally, the merchandise.”
Walmart’s holiday schedule includes Early Black Friday Deals Nov. 12-15, Black Friday Deals Nov. 23-29 and Cyber Monday offers Nov. 30-Dec. 2, with select deals for Walmart+ members.
Target’s Early Black Friday Sale took place last week, while Amazon is hoping to entice shoppers with early deals prior to Black Friday.
“The implication for merchants is straightforward,” PYMNTS wrote. “Waiting until Thanksgiving risks arriving after customers have allocated their budgets. Black Friday has become a rolling competition to capture the purchase first.”
