Prime Day 2018 a mega hit, Profitero

Amazon’s sales nearly tripled during Prime Day 2018, compared to average daily sales the week leading up to it, according to Profitero.

More than 100 million products were sold during the 36-hour promotional event. Amazon’s deep discounts on its own brand electronic gadgets paid off big, further extending the reach of its voice-assistant platform. For example, sales of the Alexa-integrated Cloud Cam shot up 1,386% (15X higher than normal) on Prime Day when it was offered at $59.99 (half off the regular price of $119.99). Another bestseller — Fire TV with 4K Ultra HD and Alexa Voice Remote — had a 306% sales lift.

Whole Foods stores were brought into the fold this year, with Prime members receiving a $10 Amazon credit when they spent $10 at Whole Foods starting on 11th July through the end of Prime Day. Amazon also took steps to feature and promote its growing online grocery offering. As a result, its grocery sales more than doubled that of a typical day.

Despite Prime Day’s success, Amazon US can take some cues from the UK to do even better next year. For example, grocery sales in the UK far surpassed the US by a large margin (+153% UK vs +108% U.S). Grocery shoppers were courted with a 30% off a first “subscribe & save” order and free shipping for Prime Pantry orders.

“‘Contrived’ online shopping events like Prime Day are proven to drive significant spikes in traffic and sales volume during times of the year that historically may not have been seasonal peaks,” says Keith Anderson, SVP of Strategy & Insights at Profitero. “Brands that sit on the sidelines run the risk of losing market share that’s hard to win back later. On top of that, they lose the opportunity to use Prime Day as a testing ground to learn what works — and doesn’t work — as we approach the all-important holiday season.”