Did Meta’s Holiday Deals Miss the Mark This Year?
Despite launching a new, improved Quest 3S headset, slashing prices on the Quest 3, and having a high-profile game with recognizable IP ready for Black Friday, Meta’s virtual reality sales seem to have stumbled compared to last year.
Data from Amazon US indicates that ≈146,000 Quest headsets flew off online shelves in the 30 days surrounding Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024. This represents a 14% dip compared to the ≈170,000 Quest headsets sold during the same period in 2023.
This dip is somewhat surprising considering the strategies Meta deployed. While last year’s holiday shopping season saw the older Quest 2 headset on offer, this year featured the newer Quest 3S with a significant price cut, alongside the Quest 3.
"That year’s Black Friday deal on the most popular version of the headset (128GB) was just $250 with a $50 gift card, making the headset essentially just $200," reports the original source.
This year, Meta pushed the Quest 3S (128GB) model for $300 with a $75 gift card, representing an essentially $225 purchase.
While the price difference isn’t drastic, other factors could be contributing to the sales figures. Broader economic conditions and promotions for competing products are likely playing a role.
Interestingly, the sales ratio between the Quest 3S and Quest 3 mirrored that of the Quest 2 and Quest 3 in 2023, hovering around 3:1.
It’s unclear whether this represents a blip or a trend, and analysts will likely dissect these numbers in the coming weeks to determine the implications for Meta’s VR ambitions going forward.
