Competition during the U.S. year-end shopping season is heating up. During Amazon's "Prime Big Deal Days" promotion on October 6–7, 2026, U.S. online sales reached $9.86 billion, an increase of 8.5% year-over-year. Categories such as electronics, toys, and Halloween costumes performed particularly well, with mobile devices accounting for more than half of all online sales.

For cross-border sellers, this promotional event serves not only as a sales opportunity but also as a window to observe U.S. consumer trends and test their own operational strategies.

With Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the Christmas shopping season still ahead, sellers can draw lessons from this event to proactively adjust their product selection, promotional activities, inventory management, and after-sales arrangements in preparation for the upcoming year-end sales rush.

Three shifts in U.S. consumer behavior revealed by Prime Big Deal Days data:

1. Online spending continues to grow; opportunities remain for year-end sales

Overall, online spending maintained its growth trajectory during the event. However, for sellers, market-wide growth does not guarantee equal opportunities across all product categories. Ultimate sales performance depends on factors such as product competitiveness, the depth of discounts, advertising efforts, and consumer demand.

Therefore, rather than focusing solely on aggregate market growth, sellers should analyze their own store data to identify products with room for improvement and determine which promotional investments are worth continuing.

2. Holiday demand surges; performance varies by category

The sales performance across different categories during the event is noteworthy. According to data from Adobe, sales of electronics rose by 85% compared to the September average, toys increased by 158%, and Halloween costumes saw a massive 610% jump.

These figures demonstrate that consumer demand during promotional periods is not uniform, and holiday-related products are subject to distinct timing windows. Sellers should not base product selection and promotion strategies solely on general trends; instead, they must align their plans with their specific product categories, target audiences, and product sales cycles.

This is particularly true for products with strong holiday relevance, where consumer demand tends to concentrate within specific timeframes. Launching promotions too late risks missing the peak demand period, while overstocking could lead to excess inventory once the holiday passes. 3. Mobile devices account for over half of sales; the shopping experience cannot be overlooked

Mobile commerce was another major highlight of this event. Data shows that mobile devices contributed 52% of online sales—approximately $5.1 billion—representing a year-over-year increase of 12.8%.

This means that when preparing for Black Friday promotions, sellers must look beyond the traffic generated by ads and ensure that consumers can seamlessly complete purchases after arriving at the store via mobile. Factors such as image clarity, the ease of understanding key selling points, the clarity of promotional offers, and the complexity of the checkout process all impact the consumer shopping experience.

If ads attract a high volume of clicks but consumers abandon their purchases due to unclear page information or a complicated checkout process, the initial investment in promotion will fail to yield the desired results.

How should sellers prepare for Black Friday and the year-end sales season moving forward?

"Prime Big Deal Days" has concluded, but for sellers, the crucial step is applying the insights gained from this event to upcoming promotions.

1. Review the recent promotion and identify products truly worth the investment

After a major sales event, the first step for sellers is not to immediately prepare for the next round of discounts, but to review the sales performance of the event that just ended.

Which products saw significant sales growth? Which products generated high click-through rates but had mediocre conversion rates? Which products generated a high volume of orders but yielded unsatisfactory profits after deducting advertising fees, discounts, and logistics costs?

These questions warrant careful analysis.

For high-performing products, sellers should determine whether the growth stemmed from genuine demand, promotional discounts, or advertising spend before deciding whether to increase investment for Black Friday.

For products with poor conversion rates, sellers should investigate potential issues regarding price competitiveness, product pages, customer reviews, and ad audience targeting.

The goal of a post-promotion review is not merely to identify best-selling products, but to determine which investments actually generated profit.

2. Check inventory levels and promotional timing in advance

During the year-end sales season, inventory management directly impacts a seller's ability to capitalize on sales opportunities.

Insufficient stock for popular items could mean missing out on peak demand, while overstocking could lead to excess inventory once the promotion ends. For products with strong seasonal appeal—such as Christmas-themed items—the sales window is relatively short; therefore, it is crucial to plan inventory levels strategically by balancing product characteristics with logistics lead times.

Sellers should plan their stock levels for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the Christmas season in advance, taking into account sales volumes from this event, current inventory, restocking cycles, and historical sales performance. It is also important to distinguish between standard products and seasonal items rather than applying a one-size-fits-all stocking strategy.

Furthermore, the promotional schedule requires advance planning. Sellers should determine early on which products are suitable for early "teaser" campaigns, which should be heavily promoted during the main event, and which require a strategy that preserves profit margins.

Stocking up isn't simply a matter of "the more, the better"; the key is to align inventory levels and promotional timing as closely as possible with actual demand.

3. Optimize Product Pages and the Purchasing Experience

Mobile devices accounted for 52% of online sales during this event—a year-over-year increase of 12.8%—indicating that sellers need to re-evaluate the mobile shopping experience for consumers.

Sellers operating independent websites should focus on page load speeds, product imagery, key selling points, promotional details, and the checkout process. Meanwhile, marketplace sellers should ensure that product titles, main images, detail pages, pricing, and promotional information are clear and easy to understand.

Another often-overlooked detail is whether consumers can quickly locate information regarding shipping times and return policies.

This is particularly important during Black Friday, when consumers often compare multiple brands and products simultaneously. If purchasing terms are unclear or the checkout process is overly complicated, they may well switch to a different seller.

Therefore, sellers should simulate the entire mobile shopping journey—from landing on the product page to completing payment—before the major sale begins, ensuring a smooth experience at every step.

4. Plan for Returns and After-Sales Service in Advance

Year-end sales events bring not only increased order volumes but also a need to prepare for a potential rise in return requests.

For categories such as apparel and footwear, consumers may request returns if the size, style, or actual product experience fails to meet their expectations. If returned items are not received, inspected, and processed promptly, sellers risk missing the opportunity to resell them—even if the products themselves remain in perfect condition—simply because the processing time took too long. Therefore, when formulating sales plans for Black Friday, sellers should look beyond inventory stocking and advertising budgets to consider post-sales processes in advance: defining return handling procedures, improving product processing efficiency, and evaluating opportunities for resale.

Cross-border sellers lacking local U.S. return processing capabilities can explore professional US return warehouse services ahead of time. For instance, U-Speed’s US return warehouses offer services such as return receipt, quality inspection, and repair/refurbishment, helping sellers determine the best course of action based on the product's condition.

Of course, the method of handling returns should be determined based on product type, costs, and actual sales performance. Planning ahead ensures you can handle the surge in returns during the peak season with greater composure.

Turning the experience of one major promotion into an opportunity for future growth

Success hinges on various factors: accurate product selection, effective promotions, optimal inventory levels, smooth mobile conversion, and timely post-sales support. With Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the Christmas shopping season fast approaching, it is far better to review and adjust your strategy now than to reactively scramble once the sales begin.

Competition during the peak season is not just about securing more orders; it is about who can best convert traffic into profit and seamlessly integrate pre-sales, in-sales, and post-sales processes. The earlier you prepare, the better positioned you will be to take the initiative during the upcoming year-end sales events.