Quest’s 2023 Black Friday Sales on Amazon May Have Missed the Mark

Recent insights from Amazon’s US sales figures reveal that Quest headsets experienced a dip in popularity during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping bonanza of 2024 when compared to the previous year, 2023.

During this highly-anticipated shopping period in 2023, around 170,000 Quest headsets were snapped up by eager buyers over a 30-day span. Fast-forward to 2024, and that number slipped to roughly 146,000 units, marking a noticeable 14% decline. However, it’s worth mentioning that these figures are specific to Amazon and might not reflect wider retail trends.

What makes these numbers particularly eyebrow-raising is the fact that Meta had just rolled out the enhanced Quest 3S headset. Not only that, but they’d also trimmed prices on the Quest 3 and launched the much-anticipated Arkham Shadow game, centered around the iconic Batman franchise, perfectly timed for the holiday rush.

Contrast this with 2023, when Meta was still peddling the older Quest 2. That year’s Black Friday saw the popular 128GB version available for $250, complemented by a $50 gift card, effectively pricing it at $200. This deal clearly resonated with consumers at the time.

In contrast, this year, Meta’s offering was the Quest 3S (128GB) for $300, paired with a $75 gift card, bringing the effective price to $225. While the price gap may seem narrow and the value of the Quest 3S arguably justifies the additional $25, purchasing decisions are never solely driven by price. External economic factors, enticing deals on rival products, and fluctuating interest in virtual reality as a whole all play pivotal roles.

Looking at the sales dynamics between different Quest models this year, the Quest 3S outpaced the Quest 3 by a ratio of approximately 3:1. This mirrors the sales ratio observed last year between the Quest 2 and Quest 3.

Ultimately, while Amazon’s data shows a decline, there could be myriad reasons behind these changing buying patterns, making it an intriguing topic for the gaming industry to dissect further.