Those who procrastinate their holiday shopping until the last minute may want to reconsider their strategy as Panic Week approaches. According to new data from ecommerce accelerator, Pattern, shoppers can expect to pay an average of +11% more for items in Amazon's most popular shopping categories during the week leading up to Christmas. 

Why it matters

‍Often referred to as “Panic Week,” the week before Christmas is slowly evolving into a “Panic Month” due to rising prices and shipping struggles throughout December. Not only are prices up in December compared to November, but fulfillment issues such as out-of-stock items and shipping delays may jeopardize timely delivery — especially for popular items. 

What we’re seeing

‍Our team analyzed the average price for products in the most popular holiday shopping categories on Amazon for every day of the holiday shopping season in 2023 from November 1 – December 31. Here is how prices are projected to increase during Panic Week 2024 for the top 10 product categories on Amazon compared to Black Friday and Cyber Monday based on our findings from last year: 

• The price of products in the Tools & Home Improvement category increased by 17% during Panic Week compared to Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2023
• Beauty & Personal Care +16%
• Health & Household +12%
• Shoes & Jewelry +12% 
• Sports & Outdoors +12%
• Home & Kitchen +11%
• Office Products +11%
• Books +6%
• Toys & Games +5%
• Electronics +4%

‍The takeaway

‍Holding off your holiday shopping until the last minute could end up costing you significantly more versus planning out your purchases to take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Not only will this help maximize your holiday budget, but ordering products earlier will help you avoid shipping delays and inventory issues that could prevent you from enjoying a merry Christmas.

Pattern is the world’s top ecommerce accelerator and the largest global seller on Amazon. For this analysis, our data science team analyzed pricing data across the most popular shopping categories on Amazon to understand the impact of holiday shopping trends on consumers. If you’re interested in using insights like these to inform your ecommerce strategy, reach out to our team online today.