Everyday essentials dominated Prime Day purchases
Instead of splurging on luxury items, consumers used Prime Day to stock up on household necessities.
"The vast majority of what Amazon was selling were these everyday essentials, like protein shakes... Dawn Platinum dish soap. These are things that people buy regularly," said Wolff. "Clearly, they're just using these sales, taking advantage of these sales to buy those everyday products."
This practical approach to Prime Day shopping reflects broader economic concerns, with consumers looking to maximize value on items they would buy anyway.
"Why wouldn't you stock up and save a few dollars when you know you're going to buy it," said our analyst Zak Stambor.
Competing retailers are gaining traction
While Amazon is the centerpiece of July's shopping event, competing retailers are capturing consumer attention with their own sales.
- "In years past, most of the attention has been on Amazon and awareness of these competing sales has been limited, but I think that is really starting to shift," Wolff observed.
- Some 49% of Prime Day shoppers made or planned to make purchases during Walmart's Deals event, while 38% checked out Target Circle Week, according to Numerator data.
This increased awareness stems from Prime Day's longevity and extensive media coverage, including articles about competing sales. With consumers increasingly price-conscious, they're more willing to shop around for the best deals across retailers.
Ad inventory expansion drives Amazon's strategy
Beyond generating more sales, Amazon's four-day format serves another crucial business purpose: expanding advertising inventory during a peak shopping period.
"One of the understated reasons to have a longer Prime Day is about ad inventory," Stambor explained. "In prior years, they got stuck, they didn't have enough ad inventory to deliver to all of the advertisers who wanted to reach consumers' eyeballs during this marquee moment."
By doubling the event's length, Amazon effectively created more high-margin advertising opportunities, like "if Fox could double the length of the Super Bowl" to serve more ads," said Stambor.
What it means for holiday shopping
Prime Day's evolution offers insights into what retailers and consumers can expect during the upcoming holiday season.
- With economic uncertainties including potential inflation and tariff impacts looming, value-conscious shopping behaviors will likely intensify.
- Retailers will compete aggressively on pricing, while consumers will continue comparison shopping across platforms.
"I think being early is key," said Wolff. "As we saw, Prime Day has been pulling forward back-to-school spending. Well, the October sales are pulling forward holiday spending."
The extended Prime Day format is likely here to stay, with analysts predicting Amazon's October Prime event will follow a similar multi-day approach.
"If the point is to have a record Prime Day every year, you can't make it shorter at this point," said Wolff.
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