Despite a brief existence, Amazon Prime Day has made a tremendous impact since its inception.
Welcome to Amazon Prime Day season!
Amazon Prime Day has quickly become one of the most significant shopping events in the world. Since its inception in 2015, Prime Day has evolved from a one-day event to a global shopping phenomenon that rivals Black Friday. Each year, Prime Day brings more deals, more innovation, and increased participation from shoppers and sellers alike.
Let’s take a look at the evolution of Prime Day, from when it started to its impact over the years.
Prime Day 2015
The first-ever Amazon Prime Day touted more deals than Black Friday.
Have you ever asked yourself, ‘When did Prime Day start?’ The first-ever Prime Day took place on July 15, 2015, to celebrate 20 years since Amazon.com launched and 10 years of Prime. Lasting 24 hours, the first-ever Prime Day features participation from 9 countries, including the U.S., UK, Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada, and Austria.
Sales outpaced the previous Black Friday, which was the biggest Black Friday to date. Customers purchased hundreds of thousands of Amazon devices, furthering their reach with items such as the Echo, Kindle, and Fire TV Stick. For many, this sales event introduced Amazon Alexa, a voice-activated virtual assistant AI, into households worldwide.
Amazon sellers who utilized Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) experienced an unprecedented amount of sales, as unit sales grew nearly 300% worldwide.
Prime Day 2016
After an astonishingly successful debut, the hype over the sales spectacle only grew for its sequel. The original 9 countries participated yet again and added Belgium to its reach.
Despite some users reporting checkout issues, likely a result of the massive influx of consumer traffic and consumers checking out at such a rampant rate, Prime Day 2016 was a success of epic proportions.
Over the course of the record-setting sales day…
- over 2 million toys were purchased
- more than 1 million pairs of shoes were bought
- 200,000+ headphones were sold on the platform
After selling 24,000 Instant Pot pressure cookers in 2015, that number ballooned to 215,000 in the same 24-hour span. Prime subscribers purchased an average of one Alexa-exclusive deal per second.
Prime Day 2017
How do you follow up on the sensation of the first two Prime Days? You expand it from 24 hours to 30 hours. All the while running one-day sales specials across Amazon categories in the five days before Prime Day officially began on July 11th.
Did the extended length put a damper on the excitement? Of course not!
More new Prime members joined on Prime Day 2017 than any single day in Amazon history to this point. This statistic highlights the mutually beneficial brilliance of Prime Day, as it rewards its customers while simultaneously promoting the Prime service.
Partially thanks to the record-setting sales event, the Prime subscriber base grew to the 100 million milestone in 2017.
In 2017, the number of countries participating in the Prime Day grew, with Mexico and China joining the fun. Orders on the Amazon app more than doubled the 2016’s mobile orders, marking a turning point in how customers shop.
Prime Day 2018
After Prime Day 2017 proved the sales event didn’t need to be confined to just one day, it was expanded to 36 hours and was the most extensive global shopping day and a half in Amazon history.
Small and medium-sized Amazon businesses exceed $1.5 billion in sales. After acquiring Whole Foods in the previous year, Amazon included the grocery store with Prime deals for the first time ever.
Continuing to innovate, Prime Day 2018 saw the debut of Prime Day Launches for new product launches and Unboxing Prime Day events in select cities. Unboxing Prime Day saw local celebrations in certain cities, with special entertainment. The Unboxing event in New York saw a live concert headlined by Ariana Grande.
However, expanding to grocery stores and holding concerts by pop superstars didn’t come at the expense of Prime Day’s signature lightning deals and mega markdowns.
Customers purchased more than five million items in each of the following categories: Toys, Beauty, PCs and Computer Accessories, Apparel and Kitchen products. Prime members purchased over 300,000 Instant Pot 7-in-1 pressure cookers in the 36 hours.
Prime Day 2019
Amazon Music got in on the Prime Day celebration with a concert from music superstar Taylor Swift.
For the first time ever, Prime Day became a full two-day event, lasting 48 hours on July 15th and 16th. The list of participating countries doubled from the original 9, with 18 unique countries included.
Sales exceeded the previous Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. Over 175 million items were purchased and Amazon devices such as the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick, and Fire TV Stick 4K saw top-selling deals.
The 48-hour event was even headlined by 10-time Grammy award winning superstar Taylor Swift.
An estimated $7.16 billion worth of goods were sold on Prime Day 2019.
The massive amount of goods sold shows just how far Amazon has come in only a few years, with sales and Prime subscribers expanding so rapidly.
Prime Day 2020
Better late than never, Amazon Prime Day kicked off on October 13th in place of the regular mid-July date due to complications resulting from the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic.
More than ever, Amazon emphasized its commitment to helping small businesses recover from the unforeseen consequences of COVID-19. Amazon offered a $10 credit to use on Prime Day when members spent at least $10 on items sold by select small businesses within the platform.
Prime Day 2020 was yet another enormous worldwide sales event. The mid-October start date proved interesting to see how it stacked up against the usual July deals. Industry experts forecasted Prime Day 2020 to crush the competition yet again.
Prime Day, taking place so close to Black Friday, undoubtedly stole some of the thunder from Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and had the potential to change what we know of the holiday shopping season.
As traditional retailers faced struggles presented by COVID-19, ecommerce appeared poised to dominate the holiday season. With an extended shopping void due to the delayed Prime Day, the appetite for deals was at an all-time high.
Prime Day 2021
Prime Day 2021 set new records, continuing the trend of exponential growth and innovation. With the addition of Sweden and Poland, Prime Day’s reach extended to 20 countries. Amazon integrated augmented reality (AR) shopping experiences, allowing customers to visualize products in their homes before purchasing.
Small and medium-sized businesses thrived, generating over $2 billion in sales. Amazon also focused on sustainability, offering deals on eco-friendly products and emphasizing their commitment to a greener future. Prime members enjoyed exclusive access to newly launched products, making this Prime Day one of the most exciting yet.
Prime Day 2021 was more than just deals; it was a global celebration of shopping innovation and environmental responsibility.
Prime Day 2022
Prime Day 2022 continued to break barriers and set new standards in the e-commerce world. With 48 hours of non-stop deals, this year’s event saw the introduction of virtual try-ons for fashion items, enhancing the online shopping experience. Over 25 countries participated, with Brazil and Turkey joining the ranks.
Amazon’s commitment to supporting small businesses was stronger than ever. They dedicated promotions and showcased storefronts that offered unique products from local entrepreneurs. The integration of voice shopping through Alexa continued to rise, with millions of orders placed via voice commands.
Prime Day 2022 not only drove sales but also solidified Amazon’s position as a leader in retail innovation and customer experience.
Prime Day 2023
Prime Day 2023 pushed the boundaries of technology and customer engagement. This year was a 72-hour event, which featured the debut of Amazon’s AI-powered shopping assistant. This provided shoppers personalized deal recommendations based on user preferences and past purchases.
The expansion to 30 countries, including South Africa and the UAE, highlights Amazon’s commitment to global growth. Customers enjoyed immersive shopping experiences with virtual reality (VR) product demos and interactive live streams from their favorite brands and influencers. Check out the Prime Day live streams for an engaging shopping experience.
Sales from small and medium-sized businesses surged, reflecting Amazon’s ongoing commitment to promoting entrepreneurial success. Prime Day 2023 was not just a shopping event; it was a testament to the future of retail, driven by innovation and customer-centric strategies.
Prime Day 2024
Amazon announces that Prime Day 2024 was the biggest Prime Day event ever with record-breaking sales and more items sold than any previous year. Prime members shopped millions of deals across over 35 categories and saved billions globally during the two-day event on July 16 and 17. The event also helped draw in millions of new Prime memberships in the weeks leading up to Prime Day.
Amazon’s CEO, Doug Herrington, credited the event’s success to Prime members, employees, delivery partners, and sellers. Members also enjoyed significant savings on Amazon devices, subscriptions, and grocery deliveries. Prime day 2024 enhanced the shopping experience by rolling out new features like Amazon Inspire and the AI-powered shopping assistant, Rufus.
Prime Day 2024 key takeaways:
- Record Sales: This was Amazon’s biggest Prime Day event ever, with record sales and more items sold than any previous Prime Day.
- Billions Saved: Prime members globally saved billions on deals across every category during the 48-hour event.
- 200 Million Items Sold: Independent sellers, most of which are small and medium-sized businesses, sold more than 200 million items during Prime Day.
Where does Prime Day go from here?
As Amazon continues to expand its reach, there truly is no limit to how expansive Prime Day can be! Who would’ve thought that a Taylor Swift concert would headline Prime Day? Or that Prime Day would be in grocery stores, as it is with Amazon-owned Whole Foods?
The possibilities are endless, and the Prime subscriber base continues to expand in the U.S. and around the world. Check out the following article for more insights on Amazon’s global growth and approved sellers.
