A pull-forward happens when buyers purchase earlier than they normally would, usually because they expect higher prices or a shortage. Sales that would have come later arrive early, which lifts one period and takes away from the next.
Pull-forwards distort the data. A strong quarter may reflect stockpiling and not underlying demand, and the following weak quarter may be the hangover. Analysts therefore look at several periods together.
IDC said that vendors and channels bought ahead of memory-driven price hikes, which inflated first-half 2026 shipments and left the third quarter short of demand. Omdia titled its report on the quarter as a 21% fall in PC shipments as pull-forward demand subsides. Omdia forecast a further 24% year-over-year fall in the fourth quarter, and Counterpoint forecast 27%.
Smooth results over two or more quarters before judging demand, and look for signs that customers bought ahead of a price change.