Amazon Prime Day 2026 generated record-breaking sales, but the real story lies beneath the headlines: behaviors that signal what retailers should expect heading into the holiday season.

• Despite discounts largely matching 2025 levels, only 59% of shoppers said they were satisfied with deals, down from 68% last year, per Numerator data.
• "Consumers are getting harder to please,” our Zak Stambor said on a recent episode of "Reimagining Retail.”

The average household spent $143.45 during the event, down from $156.37 last year, and the average price per item sold dropped to just $23.23, compared to $24.59 in 2025, found Numerator.

This decline isn't driven by falling prices; it reflects what consumers are buying.

"The composition of what people buy on Amazon or during Prime Day has fundamentally changed," our analyst Sky Canaves said. "Some of the top-selling items are things like pet treats, protein shakes, trash bags, really everyday items that people do wait for the sale to stock up on."

Amazon's grocery push signals a broader retail strategy

2026 was the first year that Amazon’s same-day grocery delivery service was available to members, which potentially helped to boost Prime Day sales.

In markets where this service is available, nine of the top 10 selling items are fresh and perishable goods, according to Amazon.

"Delivering a single carton of eggs or a gallon of milk that are added on to online orders isn't really a profitable business, grocery is already such a low margin business," Canaves said. "But I think they're making the bigger longer term play to become a grocer of choice on a regular basis for more consumers."

The grocery expansion serves multiple strategic purposes beyond immediate sales. It creates habitual shopping behaviors, with Stambor noting that "it is so easy when you order a carton of eggs and it shows up an hour later, or two hours later, it makes you go back to Amazon."

This grocery play positions Amazon to capture more advertising dollars from CPG brands. By becoming a regular destination for grocery purchases, Amazon can attract advertisers not only at the point of purchase but further up the funnel across its entire ad network, a critical move as the company continues building its retail media dominance.

Lessons for retailers heading into the holidays

With Prime Day serving as a bellwether for holiday shopping, retailers should pay attention to several key takeaways.

1. Stand out from the competition

About half of shoppers comparison shop off Amazon during Prime Day, meaning retailers must participate in the "Black Friday in July" phenomenon with competitive offers. However, they shouldn't simply mirror Amazon's approach.

"Target has been doing a pretty good job with merchandising this year, leaning into its private labels, and partnering with a whole number of interesting brands," Stambor said. "Focus on those because those make Target different."

2. Use physical stores to your advantage

"Retailers with a store presence don't do enough of leveraging that space to create experiences, and make this Prime Day shopping season more than an online sales event," Canaves said, suggesting product demos, gifts with purchase, sampling, or entertainment to differentiate from Amazon's convenience play.

3. Start early

After shifting its July Prime Day into June, Amazon may also move its October Prime member sale up to late September, creating more separation from Black Friday and focusing on strong-performing categories like grocery, essentials, and beauty rather than holiday gift-giving.

Retailers should focus on building awareness earlier in the shopping cycle and finding creative ways to make offers appealing beyond simple percentage discounts.

"You could find some creative ways to create bundles or different types of offers that might appeal to consumers and convince them to spend," Stambor said.

With AI tools now enabling retailers to track shopping intentions before purchases occur, the opportunity exists to personalize offers more effectively and target items consumers are actively considering, a capability that will become increasingly important as shoppers continue prioritizing planned purchases over impulse buys.

Listen to the full episode

We prepared this article with the assistance of generative AI tools and stand behind its accuracy, quality, and originality.

This was originally featured in the Retail Daily newsletter. For more retail insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.