Online spending across all retailers in the US hit $26.4 billion during Amazon.com Inc.’s annual Prime Day sale, according to Adobe Inc., narrowly beating the firm’s earlier estimate of $26.3 billion.
The four-day event ended Friday, with competitors such as Walmart Inc. and Target Corp. hosting overlapping promotions. Total spending for the period was up 9.3% from last year’s Prime Day sale held in July, according to Adobe, which tracks visits to retail websites.
Discounts across retailers were similar to those offered last year, with the steepest in electronics and apparel, which both averaged about 24%, according to Adobe. Shoppers continued to utilize “buy now, pay later” credit features, which represented 6.6% of all orders, according to Adobe.
The event offers clues about the health of consumers and their willingness to spend, so multiple firms monitor its performance.
Consumer research firm Numerator said the average household spent a total of $143 on Amazon during the four days as of 4 p.m. Friday in New York, down 8.3% from last year’s event. Top-selling items included protein shakes, trash bags and cat treats, according to Numerator, which looks at spending from more than 59,000 households.
Global marketing firm PMG, which also keeps tabs on Prime Day, said discounts on Amazon were shallower this year compared with last year’s sale.
Amazon, which doesn’t release specific spending metrics regarding Prime Day, issued a statement Saturday saying it was “pleased with the positive customer response.” Earlier this week, Amazon issued a statement saying external data sources regarding Prime Day are “often inaccurate.”
