year-end sales battle; year-end shopping season
Refers to the intense competition among retailers during the year-end shopping period, often involving major sales campaigns.
See also: 年末商戦
The year-end sales battle has begun, and every store is offering big discounts.
This year's year-end shopping season started earlier than usual.
Synonymous; both refer to the year-end sales competition. 歳末商戦 uses 歳末 (year-end) while 年末商戦 uses 年末 (year-end), with no significant difference in meaning or usage.
Compound of 歳末 (さいまつ, 'year-end') and 商戦 (しょうせん, 'sales competition').