Demand is now reacting in hours … not months.

New retail data out of 2025 shows something uncomfortable for planners.

Buying behavior has become a lot less seasonal and way more volatile.

Shopping patterns now shift hour to hour.

Promotions start earlier and earlier as retailers chase confidence that never quite settles.

This a genuine behavioral change.

The Robin Report describes a retail environment where timing assumptions no longer hold.

Holiday peaks blur. Launch windows stretch or even implode.

Demand flares briefly, and then ices up, without warning.

For product makers, this smashes a lot of comfortable habits.

If demand no longer follows clean seasonal arcs, then launch timing has to become less about calendars and more about sensing.

Like a real person, with intuition, empathy and strong Spidey senes.

Early engagement signals matter more than choreographed bursts.

Inventory decisions need faster feedback loops.

Waiting to “see how it performs this quarter” is gonna be too slow.

The winners adapt by shortening cycles.

Smaller initial runs.

Modular releases.

Messaging that can pivot quickly when attention spikes unexpectedly.

Teams that treat demand as a live signal, not a forecast, reduce both missed opportunities and excess stock.

Want to make your product irresistible? That’s what we do as product marketing consultants at Graphos Product, helping innovators turn need-driven ideas into market-ready successes.