Online spending hits $7.9 billion at start of Amazon Prime Day, up nearly 10% year over year

[midian182]

In brief: With economic worries, tariff uncertainties, and job concerns, there was plenty of interest around online spending habits during the start of the Amazon Prime Day event. According to the latest data, the first day saw $7.9 billion spent online, a 9.9% year-over-year increase.

Adobe Analytics reports that the start of the newly extended four-day Prime Day on Tuesday marked the single biggest e-commerce day so far this year. It has surpassed the total online spending during Thanksgiving last year, when sales reached $6.1 billion.

Other retailers often launch sales events that coincide with Amazon's. Walmart, Target, and Best Buy are just some of the companies holding events this week, meaning it's a busy period of online shoppers.

Tech deals on Prime Day 2025: Our selection of discounted tech gear, PC hardware, and then some

Kashif Zafar, CEO of Xnurta, an advertising platform that serves more than 20,000 online businesses, told CNBC that home and outdoor goods showed signs of strong demand on Tuesday. Beauty and household had a slow start but picked up later.

Momentum Commerce, a company that manages online sales for 50 brands, including Beats, Crocs, and Therabody, told Bloomberg that first day sales on Amazon were down 41% compared to last year.

However, both Momentum and Zafar say that doubling the number of Prime Days to four means that buyers are taking more time to hunt down bargains on the site, rather than making impulse buys on the first day.

John Shea, Momentum's founder and CEO, said there could be a last-minute push by Amazon shoppers to make purchases as the event draws to a close. If people shop more during the last two days, his company expects a 9.1% sales increase compared to last year.

Adobe predicts that online sales across all retailers during the 96 hours of Amazon's sale will hit $23.8 billion, an amount equivalent to two Black Fridays. US online shopping reached $14.2 billion across the two-day Prime Day last year. It's news that will be welcomed by those who feared a significant downturn in spending this year.

In May, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy assured the company's shareholders that Trump's tariffs have neither increased average selling prices of items on the site nor affected consumer demand. This happened a few weeks after Amazon was blasted by the White House over a plan to show exactly how much the tariffs will increase the cost of items on its Amazon Haul site.

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Online spending hits $7.9 billion at start of Amazon Prime Day, up nearly 10% year over year

 

[GodisanAtheist]

The persistent threat of high Tarrifs without them ever materializing is creating consumer FOMO basically.

5D chess move by the Donald? Or persistent TACO Don?

Donald knows his cultists will be back to gargling his ball sack regardless of what the outcome of trade talks is.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Spending is up 10 percent, but that metric on its own means nothing. What are prices like? If prices are 15 percent higher than last year, then spending has actually decreased.

I know I've spent a bundle so far, as no local stores seem to carry the blue rays I want to watch, nor the tools I want. I remember when stores had everything...

The persistent threat of high Tarrifs without them ever materializing is creating consumer FOMO basically.

5D chess move by the Donald? Or persistent TACO Don?

Donald knows his cultists will be back to gargling his ball sack regardless of what the outcome of trade talks is.

Ad Hominems are unlikely to convince anyone of your ideas.

 

[godrilla]

Microcenter has the 9800X3D for $399 and $379.99 with membership discount. FYI
Cheaper than prime day deal.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Ad Hominems are unlikely to convince anyone of your ideas.

- This is the internet bruh, no one is actually convincing anyone else of anything. Anyone who is mentally challenged by opposing viewpoints just runs back into their echo chamber to recharge their worldview before heading out again.

I'm just here to have fun, sometimes harmless and sometimes at the expense of others.

 

[Axeia]

Can't say that I'm participating in the spending. Use a site like camelcamelcamel or a browser extension to get a price history graph and you'll soon figure out that the majority of things arn't that good of a deal.
Trying to find good ones will cost you more time than money you save.

So yeah...I stopped paying attention to prime day entirely. I'll just buy things when I need them and when they're cheap. That said if you're after Amazon's own products like an echo or Kindle etc. prime and holidays tend to have some serious discounts on those

 

[ScottSoapbox]

I saved $2 on a USB C adapter!

Yeah, Prime days are mostly unexciting or even fake sales - but I needed an adapter yesterday and hit the jackpot! LOL

 

[ScottSoapbox]

"Shoppers respond despite economic and tariff concerns"

What?!

Shoppers buy sale items in economic downturn and concerns of price increases spur sales.

How do you get to despite in the headline, Rob?