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- Companies emailed consumers 12 times as many Black Friday ads and deals this year than in 2020.
- Supply-chain issues are pushing companies to kick off Black Friday sales earlier.
- Reduced inventory could mean this year's holiday price cuts won't be as deep as previous years.
This fall's Black Friday shopping season could be the priciest – and most advertised – yet.
Companies are flooding their customers' inboxes with 12 times as many Black Friday ads than last year as retailers push people to kick off holiday shopping early, according to data provided to Insider by the software company Klayvio.
A slew of supply-chain issues – from crisis-level traffic jams at ports to severe labor shortages in the transportation industry – have forced retailers to slash their sales and have nudged consumers to shop earlier than ever to snag deals and avoid shortages of popular holiday products.
With lighter inventories and shipping delays, companies have less incentive to offer deep discounts this year. Adobe projected that holiday discounts this year will range from 5% to 25% in 2021, down from the 10% to 30% that people are used to in a typical year.
Over half of retail executives worry that holiday orders will arrive late as the supply-chain crisis makes it harder for retailers to stock up on inventory ahead of the peak shopping season. Supply-chain experts have predicted that stores will feel pressure especially among in-demand items, like toys.
"There will definitely be weeping children this holiday season," Joel Bines, managing director of retail consulting firm AlixPartners, recently told the Financial Times.
Classic holiday products like Thanksgiving turkeys and natural and artificial Christmas trees are also expected to be in short supply this year.
The crisis has been fueled - in part - by people spending skyrocketing amounts on online orders, so you can help ease supply-chain issues by buying from local small businesses and buying presents from thrift shops or secondhand stores.