The results are in: Amazon’s third annual Prime Day on July 11 was its biggest day ever.
The company’s made-up shopping spree, extended by six hours this year and available only to members of its $99-a-year subscription service, outshone Black Friday and Cyber Monday to smash all of its previous records.
According to Amazon, sales surged by more than 60 percent compared to the same 30-hour period a year ago and more new members joined Prime than on any single day in its history.
It wasn’t all good news, however. SimilarWeb estimates revealed that while traffic to Amazon.com on Prime Day 2017 was 5 percent higher than last year’s outing, conversions were down about 3.1%.
Nonetheless, Cowen & Co. analysts have calculated that sales on the day brought in about $1 billion for the company.
And Prime Day wasn’t just a boon for Amazon. The company called it a “record-breaking success” for small businesses and entrepreneurs worldwide, with many sellers reporting a welcome lift in sales during a traditionally slow month.
Our numbers tell a similar tale: xSellco customers experienced a twofold increase in orders on Prime Day compared to the rest of June and July to date, as well as a 185 percent increase in total order value versus last year’s edition of the extravaganza.
Breaking down that data by country, Amazon US sellers saw their sales skyrocket by more than 138 percent, while those selling on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de—two of the company’s largest markets—posted increases of 50.7% and 77.54% respectively.
That being said, consumers were clearly on the lookout for bargains: more than 60 percent of xSellco customers’ orders on Prime Day were for products priced €20 or less. In fact, only 5 percent of shoppers spent more than €100 on an item.
Notably, Prime Day orders peaked between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Amazon UK, signalling that most people scrambled to snap up deals after work.
At the end of the day, Prime Day’s main purpose is a marketing vehicle to drive Prime membership, but you can grow your Amazon business any day of the week if you win the Buy Box—that’s where 82 percent of the site’s sales happen anyway. Not sure where to start? We’ve written a master guide full of useful tips on how to win the sought-after spot. Follow our steps and you’ll be well on your way to selling more.
