The quick take
Holiday shopping is starting earlier again this year, and shoppers remain price-sensitive. Retailers are leaning into value messaging, longer promo calendars, and sharper pricing in October and November. Forecasts point to cooler overall growth with consumers cherry-picking deals. In this environment, pricing intelligence is not optional. It is how you protect margin while staying competitive across a longer season.
Holiday growth is expected to slow this year as shoppers stay value-driven according to Mastercard’s 2025 outlook reported by Reuters.
What changed in 2025
- Earlier promos, longer season. Retailers kicked off October tentpoles and category pushes to capture demand before Black Friday. This front-loads the season and raises the bar for staying price-competitive throughout October and November.
- Value over velocity. Consumers are cautious and selective. Analysts expect slower headline growth and more cherry-picking of truly compelling offers.
- Everyday value gets airtime. Big-box players are using high-visibility price moves on staples to anchor a value narrative going into the holidays.
- Promo fatigue is real. Shoppers ignore weak offers and wait for meaningful price breaks on priority items, which compresses conversion into sharp price windows.
Why pricing intelligence matters more than ever
- You need continuous competitive visibility, not weekend snapshots. With promos starting in October, competitors will rotate markdowns by category and channel. Real-time monitoring helps you see price moves the day they happen and respond before you lose the basket.
- You must target discounts, not blanket them. Forecasts call for slower growth, which makes margin discipline critical. Pricing intelligence highlights where a 5–10% cut flips you to price-leader status and where you can hold price because competitors are constrained.
- You should align everyday value with event spikes. Anchor SKUs can tell a strong value story all season, while limited-time promotions create conversion spikes. Intelligence clarifies which SKUs should anchor, which should spike, and when.
How hoppr iq helps with price intelligence
- Competitor price and promo tracking across retailers and marketplaces, refreshed on-demand during events.
- Trend dashboards that show rank-shifting price moves, price gaps, and leadership share.
- Alerts and guardrails so your team reacts to meaningful changes instead of scanning pages.
Keep exploring pricing intelligence insights
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