Quest’s Black Friday Sales on Amazon May Have Undershot 2023 Expectations

Amazon’s sales data from the US hints that Quest headsets didn’t quite fly off the shelves during Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2024 as they did the year before. It’s interesting to see how the numbers played out. In 2023, about 170,000 Quest headsets were snapped up in the 30-day window surrounding these mega shopping events. Fast forward to 2024, and that figure dipped to around 146,000, marking a 14% drop in sales. However, it’s important to remember that this data is specific to Amazon and may not reflect sales at other retailers.

The results are a bit unexpected given that Meta had just rolled out its shiny new Quest 3S model. To spice things up, the company also slashed the price of the Quest 3 and even introduced a big-name game, “Batman: Arkham Shadow,” just in time for the shopping season. Yet, despite these efforts, the sales didn’t quite hit the mark.

Back in the 2023 holiday rush, Meta was still leaning on its trusty old Quest 2. The Black Friday deal back then offered the most popular 128GB version for $250, plus a $50 gift card—the effective price being a sweet $200. That deal clearly hit the sweet spot for many buyers. Fast forward to the next year, and Meta’s offer on the Quest 3S (128GB) at $300 paired with a $75 gift card didn’t seem to sparkle quite as brightly, even though the effective cost was just $225.

When looking purely at the numbers, the Quest 3S certainly delivers more value for the extra $25. Yet, there’s more to consider than just price. The economic climate, deals from rivals, and even shifting interest in VR technology play crucial roles in how these headsets perform in the market.

As for how the newer models stacked up this holiday season, the sales ratio of Quest 3S to Quest 3 was about 3:1, which mirrors the ratio we saw the previous year between Quest 2 and Quest 3. It’s curious to watch how these dynamics unfold and influence the popularity of these headsets over time.