Amazon records 60% jump in Prime Day sales, company says small vendors benefitted
by July 12, 2017 3:30 pm 418 views
As predicted, Amazon Prime Members opened up their wallets wide to help the online retailer record the biggest shopping day in its 23-year history. Amazon said sales grew more than 60% from a year ago making it bigger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The Amazon Echo Dot was the most popular purchase among U.S. Prime members during the 30-hour sales bonanza as well as the best-selling product from any manufacturer in any category across Amazon globally. Other items that sold well in the U.S. ranged from the Instant Pot Programmable Pressure Cooker to the 23andMe DNA Tests from Health Ancestry. Fire tablets and Kindle devices also sold well, according the Amazon release.
“To those customers who tried Prime for the first time and our long time members, thank you for a great Prime Day,” said Greg Greeley, Vice President, Amazon Prime. “Our teams around the world will keep working to add more and more to your membership, so Prime continues to make your life better every day. We are already looking forward to our Prime Day celebration next year.”
Amazon said more than 3.5 million toys were purchased during this year’s Prime Day event. More than 200,000 dresses were purchased by U.S. Prime members as well as 200,000 light bulbs. Prime Now members in Sunnyvale and Berkeley, Calif., and Kirkland, Wash., recorded the fastest delivery times on their online orders, which averaged 12 minutes each.
Small businesses were spotlighted and took a larger role in this year’s Prime Day event and Amazon reported record sales for many of the smaller suppliers.
“We’re absolutely thrilled – our daily sales increased by over 500 times on Prime Day. Within the first six hours, Furbo Dog Camera shot up to the No.1 Best Seller in four categories including the highly competitive pet supplies and home monitor category,” said, Victor Chang, Furbo Dog Camera, which is based in Bellevue, Wash.
Courtney LeCompte of Lafayette, La.,-based Confetti Momma, said Prime Day was a success for their business and provided a nice sales boost during these traditionally slower summer months.
Prime members polled by Amazon also shared positive sentiments about this year’s event.
“When you’re a teacher, your first priority is, and always will be, your students. Thanks to Prime Day, I bought a lot of things, thinking of my students from this past year and this next year. Magnet letters to use for practicing spelling words, stools for them to sit on while working with me at a table, and many books. I also bought some Velcro “coins” to use in the classroom. These are life savers,” said Laura McIntosh from Tucson, Ariz.
Shares of Amazon (NASDAQ: AMAZ) traded higher Wednesday at $1,006.76, up $12.63 on the day. For the past 52 weeks the share price has ranged between $719 and $1,017.