Retail giant Amazon set a new record in sales during its two-day annual “Prime Day” promotion this week, with its U.S. customers spending a whopping $14.2 billion online, an 11% increase compared to the same period last year.
According to data from Adobe Analytics, during Amazon’s Prime Day event on July 16th and 17th, U.S. consumers collectively spent $14.2 billion on the company’s website, an 11% increase from last year’s $12.7 billion, surpassing expectations and setting a new record.
Adobe Analytics, a subsidiary of Adobe specializing in market analysis, tracks online consumer behavior of all retailers in the United States during Amazon’s annual summer sales event.
Amazon did not disclose how much money it made during the 48-hour sales frenzy, but the e-commerce giant based in Seattle announced on Thursday (July 18th) that Prime members purchased items across more than 35 categories, completing millions of transactions, surpassing the volume of any previous Prime Day event.
In a statement released on its website, Amazon stated that compared to Prime Day 2023, the number of Prime members participating in this year’s two-day shopping event increased by millions. In the three weeks leading up to Prime Day, the number of customers registering as Prime members reached a record high, adding millions of new members globally.
Doug Herrington, the executive in charge of Prime and online shopping at Amazon, said in a statement, “Prime Day 2024 has been a huge success, thanks to the millions of Prime members around the world turning to Amazon for great deals.”
Amazon noted that Prime members had the opportunity to purchase products from well-known brands such as Sol de Janeiro, Apple, and Dyson, as well as from small businesses like TruSkin, ALOHA, and Blueland, allowing U.S. members to choose from a wider range of products from small businesses than ever before. Independent sellers (mostly small to medium-sized enterprises) expanded the selection for Amazon customers, selling over 2 billion items during the Prime Day event.
Amazon launched Prime Day in 2015 to attract new customers. Prime members pay $139 annually to enjoy benefits such as free shipping and video streaming.
According to data from market research company Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, as of March, approximately 180 million Amazon shoppers in the United States were Prime members, an 8% increase compared to the same period last year.