Star Wars Fatigue Increases Year Over Year
Consumer Demand for Star Wars Products on the Decline
Despite spikes in demand for Star Wars products on Star Wars Day (May the 4th), online demand for Star Wars merch overall has seen a steady decline from 2020 – 2024 according to new data from ecommerce accelerator, Pattern.
Why it matters: With May the 4th coming up, online retailers can expect a jump in demand for Star Wars products; however, despite new shows and movies slated for release, it seems that fans of the franchise are feeling fatigue instead of “the Force.”
What we’re seeing: Consumer demand for Star Wars products jumped by 404% on Star Wars Day 2023 compared to the rest of the year, proving that the unofficial holiday still holds major sway for fans.
Yes, but: Demand for Star Wars merchandise dropped by 22% from 2022 – 2023. In fact, consumer demand for Star Wars products has seen a decline every year since 2020, according to our data:
- Consumer demand for Star Wars products decreased by 8% from 2021 – 2022
- -23% from 2020 – 2021
Why the fatigue? With six new seasons of various Star Wars shows released in 2023 alone, consumers may be growing tired of the franchise. Viewers now have a deluge of content to consume in order to be fully up-to-date. The above numbers reflect sentiments expressed by many Star Wars fans: There’s too much Star Wars content, and not enough of it is high quality.
The takeaway: While May the 4th continues to provide a major boost in interest for Star Wars products among fans, overall demand for franchise merchandise has been on the decline since 2020. As fans continue to grow weary of new releases and constant content, interest may continue to dwindle year over year.
Pattern’s data science team analyzed consumer demand (or the number of people searching for a given item during a given period) on Amazon during every day of 2020 – 2024 so far to understand how consumer demand for Star Wars products is shifting. If you’d like to leverage insights like these to strengthen your ecommerce strategy, contact our team to learn more.