- August 3, 2018

Amazon Prime Day 2018: Key Takeaways from One of the Summer’s Biggest Retail Holidays

Chris Blakely
Chris Blakely
SVP, Digital Media
Dana Remez
Dana Remez
Manager, Analytics

Since its inception in 2015, Amazon Prime Day has fast become the summertime Black Friday or Cyber Monday, with consumers rushing online to snag the best deals. This year was no exception. Even with a series of site crashes (cue cute puppy dogs), Prime Day still proved to be one of the most active retail days throughout the year. Here are some of the key takeaways:

  • The total spending per buyer increased. The sum of desktop dollars spent per buyer increased by 39% among Prime and non-Prime buyers and 45% among Prime members specifically from Prime Day 2017 to 2018. This increase shows that Prime Day was a popular shopping day (or 36 hours to be exact) for Prime members and non-members alike.
  • Mobile is increasingly the preferred platform. Mobile visitation saw an increase of 56% from Prime Day 2017 to 2018. To put this into perspective, PC visitation saw a decrease in visitation by 14% but due to the success of the mobile platform, overall visitation still increased by 25%.
  • The Amazon Prime Day effect is real. The introduction of Prime Day has had a positive ripple effect. While Amazon saw a 327% increase in the sum of desktop dollars spent from the week prior to Prime Day, retailers like BestBuy, Walmart and Target also saw a sales lift. From the week prior to Prime Day, the sum of desktop dollars increased for BestBuy by 251%, for Walmart by 102%, and for Target by 56%. This domino effect shows the scope of Amazon’s influence on e-commerce.
  • Top product categories remain relatively consistent year-over-year with Consumer Electronics pulling in the most spend on desktop followed by Furniture, Appliances & Equipment and then Consumer Packaged Goods. Although technology continues to fortify its place in the number one spot for desktop-only purchases, there is still significant opportunity for other categories such as Home & Garden, Computer Hardware, Toys & Hobbies, and Apparel & Accessories.

Amazon Prime Day continues to be a lynchpin in the summertime retail holiday season. Despite a few website hiccups, this year’s Prime Day sustained its growth trajectory – with increased spending and visitation. But beyond its own success, Prime Day continues to highlight Amazon’s halo effect – with the 36-hour sale causing other big-name retailers to see a rise in their sum of dollars.

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Note:All data is from Comscore Custom eCommerce Reporting, July 2018.