As much as we love talking about our own shopping finds on the Strategist, we’re equally as interested in what our readers are buying. So, we’re using this as an opportunity to take a bird’s-eye view, analyzing the shopping trends and patterns that emerged during the previous 12 months. We took a peek at your virtual shopping carts to answer some of our most nagging questions, like: Which famous person’s essentials most captivated Strategist readers this year? And who was the hardest-to-shop-for person on readers’ gift lists? Here’s a closer look at how you shopped in 2024.
What were our top sellers every month?
Unlike last year — when the Zimasilk pillowcase dominated as our best seller for six months straight — almost every month of this year brought a new best seller. At the beginning of the year, the Zimasilk stayed at the top, but in March, as sandal season approached, you started to think about foot care, even breaking with your pedicurist for O’Keeffe’s, a foot cream so moisturizing that one writer says she no longer needs salon pedicures. At the beginning of April, a rare total solar eclipse was visible throughout North America, and tons of you snagged a five-pack of glasses from Lunt Solar, which appears on the AAS’s trusted brands list.
The summer was a time to refresh your linens with Quince’s percale sheets, which earned our Best in Class crown and were the most popular in June and August. But in July, we saw a recurring best seller in CosRx’s snail-mucin essence, which can only be thanks to Amazon’s Prime Day. Another beauty item soared to the top during Prime Day 2.0 in October: Laneige’s lip balm is regularly on sale, but this time around, it was even cheaper than usual. And in November, with temperatures dropping and the holidays nearing, it was time to improve your bedscape (perhaps before guests arrive) with the affordable Beckham Hotel Collection pillows.
But the real notables were a flexible foam phone stand, the Flight Flap, which appeared in January. Meanwhile, in September, the Nearockle cable straps set was a top seller after we asked 13 professional organizers about the one item they tell every client to buy.
It was the year of protein, and readers were shopping that way.
Our writer Jeremy Rellosa’s shopping guide to the best protein powders was our top-read Best in Class story, and the Now Sports powder, our favorite affordable choice, was the one readers added to their carts. Rellosa likes mixing the unflavored powder with water and drinking it straight, but if that doesn’t sound appetizing, you can also add it to yogurt-granola bowls — Rellosa says he barely notices a difference in taste when he does.
Many of you just wanted a good night’s sleep and splurged on a fancy mattress pad to get it.
This year, our sleep writer, Amelia Jerden, tested a range of products for a project about cooling sleep gear. One item that stood out to our readers was the Eight Sleep Pod 4 — a temperature-regulating mattress cover. Jerden penned a review of its cooling power and explained how it pumps water through tiny tubes to cool (or heat) your bed. The device can also track sleep-health metrics like your heart rate and sleep stages, plus it has vibration and thermal alarms for the deep sleepers out there.
You also wanted to know how other people slept — in particular, a polyamorous throuple from Florida.
To find out more about how the trio fell asleep and stayed asleep — and the products they use — our writer Kitty Guo spoke to Rachael and Aaron Meir, who, several years into their marriage, decided to open up their relationship. Rachael wanted to explore her bisexuality, and through Bumble, the couple met Kasey Kershner and eventually became a committed polyamorous triad. “The No. 1 question we get,” Aaron says, “is how we sleep.” The three share a king-size bed, but their sleeping arrangements require a bit more adjustment and compromise. One item Rachael and Kasey use in their bedtime routines is a melatonin-based sleep spray, which our readers purchased in droves.
This year, you picked our brains.
We launched our new “Strategist Brain” series, where staffers share the stores they’ve stopped into, stuff they’ve spotted, and extra tidbits from stories they’re working on. Our very first edition, which was written by our writer Lauren Ro, was the most-read edition to date. In her piece, Ro wrote about her favorite notebook: one from National Brand that a former boss of hers bought in bulk. “I love its compact size and green college-ruled paper,” says Ro.
We answered your trickiest, most specific shopping questions about wardrobe basics, skin-care products, and under-$50 gifts in real time.
When one reader asked for a classic and affordable white button-down for “someone who spills on themselves a lot,” our answer — the Everlane the Boxy Oxford — landed in many of your carts. As for skin care, it seems many of you are in the market for a non-slimy hand cream. Our suggestion: O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Cream, which is non-greasy and less than $10 and would make a nice inexpensive gift. Speaking of under-$50 gifts — did you find an Owala water bottle in your stocking this year?
No matter the year, when it comes to gifting, some recipients are trickier to shop for than others.
Thousands of you couldn’t figure out what to get the teenage girl in your life last year, but it was teenage boys who stumped you this holiday season. Of course, every teenage guy is different, but it turns out this sunset lamp is a great middle ground for gamers and athletes alike. They’re popular among freshmen college students we’ve chatted with, too, so they can pack this one for their dorm.
Our team of deal-hungry writers and editors scoured the internet for the best discounts all year long, but on-sale gifts stole the show.
You were most excited to see our favorite on-sale Mother’s Day gifts, specifically those that our deals editor, Sam Daly, says are “thoughtful gifts that only look like you spent a lot.” Your gift of choice was a crafter-approved label-maker that’s compatible with vinyl, paper for stickers, iron-on decals for clothing, and more than 50 other crafting materials.
We couldn’t get enough of our biggest (celebrity) fan’s favorite things — and neither could you.
Jason Schwartzman’s nearly three-hour conversation with Ro yielded many delights, such as the magnets that he amazes himself with by “seeing how close they can get before they flip and suck onto each other.” He’s also gone through many Blusmart laminators because, as he says, “I like trying to laminate things you’re not really supposed to laminate … I’ll just keep adding to see how far I can get.” The one-person Boggle book was the most popular thing on his list, though, according to your purchases (and the reader who asked, “Why have I not made Boggle more important in MY life?”). Another reader comment captured what we were all thinking when we reached the end of the list: “Jason, tell us more! More! More!”
Editor’s note: Schwartzman’s Boggle book is currently unavailable.
A couple other famous people’s carts captured your attention, too.
While Joanna Goddard and Kate McKinnon both filled their lists with useful items, Goddard’s leaned design-y and McKinnon’s leaned practical. They aligned in the wardrobe-basics category, where the most popular items were Goddard’s Jockey underwear and McKinnon’s Nike socks, both of which they buy on repeat, respectively. “It’s such a life improvement to start your day without a hassle,” Goddard says of her life post-Jockey-purchase. McKinnon felt similarly about her go-to socks: “Life starts at the feet, and you need a good foundation,” she says. “The trick is to get a 35-pack of these socks. I don’t think you can actually buy 35 of them, but you get enough so you always have socks. And those socks will always be thick and delicious.”
You shopped from our newsletters more than ever before.
This year, we treated our newsletter subscribers to the most special stuff we’d usually save for ourselves, like rare deals, early access to articles, and one-of-a-kind eBay finds in our daily, Secret Strategist, and Beauty Brief newsletters. We also launched a brand-new newsletter — the Strategist Sale Alert — for readers who can’t get enough of our deal hunting and want a digest of all the best sales we write about each day. With all this inbox activity, it’s no surprise that you shopped from your email more than ever before.
Pants were especially popular among our newsletter subscribers, especially our Secret Strategist and Strategist Daily readers who bought Wendy Goodman’s pull-on pants and a tried-and-true Alo leggings dupe, respectively. In the beauty world, you all had a hard time resisting the most recent Sephora Savings Event. Though the whole site was discounted, it was the Ceremonia Guava Rescue Hair Heat Protectant Spray that was purchased the most. “I blow-dry my hair at least twice a week, and this has become my heat protectant of choice,” Strategist writer Ambar Pardilla says of the spray. “It’s got guava-fruit extract (which is sweet-smelling and offers sun protection), blue agave (for smoothing), and avocado oil (for split ends) — a combination that keeps my hair looking shiny.”
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
