Year in Review: How Strategist Readers Shopped in 2023
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As much as we love talking about our ownshopping findson the Strategist, we’re equally interested in what our readers are buying. And while we regularly round up your favorites in our monthly “Your Shopping Cart” feature, at the end of the year we like to take a bird’s-eye view, analyzing the shopping trends and patterns that emerged during the previous 12 months.
So we took a peek atyourvirtual shopping carts to answer some of our most nagging questions, like: What was the most purchased item on Black Friday? Which famous person’s essentials most captivated Strategist readers this year? And did we beat our record for the most expensive item ever sold on the Strategist? Here’s a closer look into how you shopped in 2023.
What were our top sellers every month?
Let’s go big-picture first. Here is the top-selling product from each month — as determined by quantity purchased rather than the amount of money spent.
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TheZimasilk mulberry-silk pillowcasedominated our readers’ shopping carts in the second half of2022, so it’s not a huge surprise that it continued its victorious reign into 2023. It remains a compelling dupe for much more expensivesilk pillowcasesfrom brands like Slip and Parachute, and our beauty writer, Tembe Denton-Hurst, deemed it our pick for best affordablesilk pillowcase.
Another recurring best seller wasCosRx’s snail-mucin essence— a favorite of our beauty columnist, Rio Viera-Newton. (In fact, 2023 marked thesixth anniversaryof Rio’s popularGoogle Doc, which she sends to her friends who want to know her skin secrets, and this was the only product that appeared on the first and most recent versions of her list.) But it seems that our readers were most interested in it when it went on sale: It appeared in the top spot in July and in October, thanks to Amazon’stwodifferentPrime Dayevents — and it showed up a third time in November, when it was on sale for Black Friday at the cheapest price we’ve ever seen.
The one-hit wonders included our favorite travel pillow, theTrtl, in September. The fast-moving card gameDutch Blitzwas a top seller in December, when gift guides dominated our site — meaning that it might have been one of the presents in yourstockingthis Christmas.
Speaking of the holidays, who was the hardest-to-shop-for person on readers’ lists?
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Magnoloran LED Photo String Lights
This year, thousands of you wondered what to get theteenage girlin your life — and for many, the answer was these string lights to decorate their room and display photos. These first appeared in our2019 teen-girl poll, so it’s good to know there are some things that don’t change, even four years later. We’ve been told these twinkly lights are a great way to improve a drabdorm roomtoo, so it’s something she’ll have to bring along to college.
Which story was the one readers couldn’t wait to tell their friends about?
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You were invested in thin-lipped-woman Annie Hamilton’s week of unrequited love — and herquest for plumper lipsusing Ourself’s $145 Lip Filler while on a romantic weekend with a paramour. The plumping treatment uses no needles, just some hyaluronic acid, and it did improve the shape and color of herlips. “They’re a little swollen and they’re a bit rosier. They just look livelier than usual,” Hamilton writes. But, unfortunately, she wasn’t so lucky with the date.
What was the most expensive thing anyone bought?
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In2018,2020,2021, and2022, various high-end Kahunamassage chairssecured first-place titles — but this year, a new (and more luxurious) massage chair entered the chat. It’s Luraco’s i9 Max Chair, and it’s officially the single most expensive item purchased by a Strategist reader. Ringing up at around $15,000, it offers a range of features, including a scanning function, adjustable armrests, full-body stretching technology, and a touchscreen tablet for complete control of every massage.
What about people with expensive taste? What were they buying?
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We love to askfamous peopleabout the things that they can’t live without, and this year,Sofia Coppolaprovided the most-read edition of ourshopping column. Interestingly, though, the item that drove the most clicks wasn’t her $615 menswear button-up or her $75 exfoliating mask. It was the least-expensive item on her list: the Yorkshire Gold black tea that thePriscilladirector drinks every morning. Coppola says her friend, ateasommelier, recommended it, and now she’s very attached to brewing it — so much that she brings it wherever she’s traveling. “I look forward to it in the morning and I drink tons of it, then I’m sad when I have to stop drinking it at the end of the day,” Coppola says. “It gets me through my shoots.”
Which Best in Class story was … the best in class?
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We’ve never thought of ourselves as juiceheads, but our writer Jeremy Rellosa’s deep dive into thebest protein powderswas our most-read guide. His best overall pick,Now Sports powder, was the clear reader favorite. It contains 20 grams of whey protein isolate, and because it’s unflavored, the powder tastes more like whatever it’s mixed with. That’s why Jeremy likes adding it to his yogurt-granola bowls.
So, we’ve got tea and protein oats. Were there any other breakfast items that readers enjoyed?
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Ferrero Pocket Coffee Espresso
If you count in sweet-treat form, then yes. Though we published it in January, Caroline Weaver’sode to Pocket Coffee— an Italian chocolate that contains a shot of liquid espresso inside — remained our most-read single-product ode all year long. Each box contains five individually wrapped chocolates that Weaver says give her “a late-afternoon boost” and satisfy her afternoon craving for another cup ofcoffee.
The Strategistis designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the bestacne treatments,rolling luggage,pillows for side sleepers,natural anxiety remedies, andbath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
