In just its third year of existence, Amazon Prime Day 2017 drove all-time sales records for Amazon while posting huge gains from the previous year. By featuring aggressive promotions on both hot-sellers and everyday products, Amazon captured the attention and interest of American shoppers to the tune of $1 billion in sales, according to industry estimates. The creation of this midsummer shopping holiday has fundamentally changed shopping patterns leading into the important back-to-school season, and marketers are responding with new strategies to take advantage of opportunities to sell on the platform and compete more effectively in an increasingly Amazon-driven retail environment.
- Amazon Prime Day continues to grow quickly, boasting year-over-year gains of 60% each of the past two years.
- Amazon Prime membership has surged past 50 million households in the US, as consumers continue to respond to incentives such as free two-day shipping, and access to Prime Video, Prime Music and Prime Reading.
- While Prime Day is ostensibly a drive for new Prime memberships, it is also about deepening relationships with existing Prime members and expanding the influence of the broader Amazon ecosystem. Heavy promotion of exclusive Amazon products, services and content all contribute to the company’s considerable ecommerce leadership position.
- Despite Amazon’s own success with Prime Day, competing retailers and brands selling on Amazon are also finding ways to capitalize during this emerging shopping event and beyond.
- Sellers are using effective Amazon marketing strategies to maximize Prime Day sales while positioning their products for the back-to-school and holiday seasons. Competing retailers are using their own marketing campaigns to capture incremental midsummer shopping demand.
