Prime Day History
In 2015, Amazon decided to mark its 20th anniversary by holding a special event with a number of sales and promotions available only to Amazon Prime members. The company marketed it as a day of “more deals than Black Friday.”
Initially, it was a 24-hour event that didn’t go down too well, as most of the items on sale were ones that were not in high demand. Despite the relatively unsuccessful beginning, Amazon Prime Day grew each year. Now, eight years later, Amazon Prime Day is a two-day event that many, in fact, view as a summer Black Friday.
With this year’s Prime Day just around the corner (July 11-12, 2023), we’ll take a look at the event’s prior success and how you, as an online retailer, can benefit.
Amazon Prime Day Sales
As we already mentioned, the first Prime Day wasn’t a huge success, generating under $1 billion in sales. This may sound like a lot, but that’s less than an average day on Amazon. That number grew steadily and, as expected, increased significantly in 2019 when the company prolonged the event to two days. In 2022, Prime Day sales reached $12 billion.
According to a Numerator survey, the reasoning behind Prime Day purchases was as follows:
| Types of Purchase | Share of Respondents |
|---|---|
| “Items for myself or my household” | 60% |
| “Everyday goods I’d be buying anyways” | 27% |
| “Large ticket items I’d purchase only on sale” | 20% |
| “Gifts for non-holiday occasions” | 16% |
Check out Amazon statistics for 2023 to learn everything you need to know to succeed in selling on this popular marketplace.
Selling During Prime Day
As an online retailer, Prime Day can be a great way to sell on Amazon successfully. Bear in mind that you’re not the only one looking to benefit from this event. You’ll need to do your best to promote your products and offer a competitive discount. If you need help with your marketing efforts, check out these Amazon marketing tools and services.
This is a great way to sell some of your more expensive products that don’t attract too many purchases otherwise. Still, that doesn’t mean you can flog anything. Unpopular items are unpopular even on Prime Day. But, many people buy items at discounted prices they wouldn’t have bought at the full price.
In 2022, household essentials and health & beauty were the two top-selling categories during Prime Day. Consumer electronics were also topping the list, so that’s something you should consider adding to your inventory to make the most out of the upcoming event. According to Statista, these were the top-selling categories:
Key Takeaways
Amazon Prime Day is an ever-growing sales event that rakes in billions of dollars every year. What started off as an anniversary celebration turned into a massive event that spans two days. With consumers paying for discounted items they wouldn’t normally buy, you can benefit from the event and make a great profit for the weekend.
If you have products from the best-selling categories, you’d be wise to make sure your items are available on Prime Day and dedicate special marketing efforts to it. Consider doing deals of the day and lightning deals and prepare your product pages to stand out. Good luck!
Leave a Reply