Earliest Holiday Shopping Events Pit ‘Christmas Creep’ Against ‘Sales Fatigue’

The so-called “Christmas Creep,” where holiday shopping and sales events start earlier and earlier each year, has become so entrenched in retail circles that it even has its own Wikipedia page that dates the trend back to the mid 1980’s.

Today, the notion of “Black Friday” and starting your shopping the day after Thanksgiving seems as nostalgic as free gift wrap and sitting on Santa’s lap. Even the eCommerce industry’s more contemporary answer to the shopping shift — Cyber Monday — is more than 15 years old now, yet is conspicuously held after its older counterpart rather than ahead of it.

While Target and Amazon are fully on board the Creep train with their respective upcoming Deal Days and Prime Early Access Sale events, the question remains — given all that is happening in the world and economy at the moment — whether consumers feel the same way.

“Considering how much I don’t like Christmas creep, it’s odd that I’m ok with Halloween taking over October,” Twitter user Joe Regan posted Monday (Oct. 3).

Love/Hate the Creep

While that tweet may speak to the collective consciousness of many American consumers, it clearly conflicts with the thinking in the retail industry which is desperately trying to navigate its third consecutive year of holiday upheaval.

“We’re excited to bring the Target holiday magic to help guests get into the spirit of the season with our first holiday savings event,” Target Chief Growth Officer Christina Hennington said in a press release Monday, reminding customers that its earliest Deal Days ever will kick off Oct. 6 this year.

While Target has made no secret about its intentions to aggressively address its excess inventory problem, which it first flagged in May and reiterated in August during its first- and second-quarter earnings reports, the nation’s third-largest retailer has steadily rolled out an evolving response. Not only has it been increasingly promotional with mark downs and order cancellations but has also inked a new toy partnership with FAO Schwartz, announced plans to hire 100,000 seasonal workers, and made a concerted effort to speed up order delivery and omnichannel fulfillment through its stores.

“Our holiday-ready team will make it easy with an exceptional store experience, and our fast and free same-day fulfillment services,” Hennington said in the release, which also touted its extended Price Match Guarantee feature that will protect customers and provide peace of mind should the cost of a purchased product decline between now and Dec. 24.

For its part, Amazon has been equally outgoing in its efforts to stir up excitement for its newly named members-only sale and has put a heavy emphasis on upgrading the technology and interconnectivity with its stable of devices.

In addition, the eCommerce leader also just announced the launch of Amazon Access, which it describes as a “one-stop-shop for customers to explore programs, discounts, and features that make shopping on Amazon even easier and more affordable.”

“Given the tough economic climate, with many facing rising costs on essential needs, we want our customers to know about all the accessible offerings available on Amazon, no matter their circumstances,” the blog post read, a reflection of the sheer volume of options that consumers are faced whether shopping in or outside of its dominant online marketplace.

But Will They Buy?

To be sure, all the hype, gadgets and marketing muscle in the world can only go so far, especially if consumers aren’t in a festive frame of mind and prepared to spend.

According to PYMNTS data, 70% of consumers have shifted away from discretionary purchases and towards essentials. In short, the latest move in the Christmas Creep phenomenon has created a seen-it-all-before environment that comes at a time when consumers are far less loyal to brands than they are to finding the best deal and are better equipped than ever to do so — whatever time of year they’re shopping.

“Knowing your customer is more critical than ever in today’s digital economy,” PYMNTS survey of 2,030 consumers for the “At The Checkout: Deal Chasers Versus Loyal Customers” report done with checkout.com showed.  “The global reach of eCommerce gives shoppers access to an unprecedented variety of merchants. It also gives them the ability to compare prices and offers, making customer loyalty an increasingly scarce and valuable commodity.”

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