A s this issue is going to print on July 10, we find ourselves smack in the middle of Amazon’s yearly Prime Days sale. This year, the online giant moved from a one-day format to a four-day format, offering shoppers extra opportunities to stock up on products during a time when many Americans are clutching their wallets a little more tightly. With tariffs and economic uncertainty on everyone’s mind, it’s not all that surprising to see Forbes’ July 9 preliminary report that Amazon’s Prime Day sales were off to a slow start. Momentum Commerce, which oversees Amazon sales for major retailers PERSPECTIVE I BY KATIE KAILUS THE Q4 CRYSTAL BALL
representing $7 billion in spending on the platform, reported that early sales were down nearly 14%. However, analysts suggest this decline may be due to the event being stretched across four days this year, reducing urgency. While Amazon’s stock initially dropped 1.8% on July 8 — the first day of the sale — Adobe Analytics predicted consumers will spend $23.8 billion during the event, an increase of $9.6 billion over 2024’s sales. Outside of Amazon, Goldman Sachs has estimated consumer spending to grow just 0.9% Q4-over-Q4 in 2025. That’s down from 3.1% in 2024.
This raises an important question: Could the MI industry be facing slower sales — and potential tariff-related supply delays — in Q4? According to Brian Douglas, co-owner of Cream City Music in Brookfield, Wisconsin, the answer is no. “We feel that our Q4 is going to be as good, but likely, even better than last year’s Q4,” Douglas shared. “I’m predicting that holiday spending will provide a meaningful ‘pressure release’ valve for people everywhere during these troubling times, barring any major world catastrophe between now and then. “Tariff-related price increases are far from ideal, but I anticipate that customers will adjust by Q4,” he continued. “These changes won’t impact my purchasing approach unless there’s a noticeable decline in SKU velocity across specific brands. In those cases, I reduce orders for the underperform- ing items and reallocate resources to SKUs with stronger performance. This is consistent with my standard process, so while tariffs may influence what I order, they won’t change how I make those decisions.” Justin Sims, general manager of Sims Music in Columbia, South Carolina, also expressed optimism. “If things continue on the path they’re on so far this year, we predict a big fourth quarter,” he said. “We’re pacing ahead of last year so far. We plan to stock up big, as usual, for the holidays, even with higher pricing. I don’t stress over the tariff price increases, as we’ve seen 10 price increases since COVID anyway.” Regardless of sales forecasts, MI suppliers have a plethora of new product coming down the pipeline for Q4 — and we’ve highlighted some 50 of those new gear items in our Fall Product Preview, which starts on page 37. Flip through this issue, circle products to stock up on and make a plan as we head towards September. The holidays will be here before you know it. MI
8 I MUSIC INC. I AUGUST 2025
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