Every year it seems people are keen to downplay the success of Amazon Prime Day, pointing to low figures in 2018, the extension from 24 to 48 hours and the expansion of its international reach to say that growth figures are disingenuous – but the stats show that’s just not true…
After the 2024 event, Channel X published a chart showing the staggering growth of Prime Day over the last 10 years, which sees sales spike from a modest 34.4 million items sold in 2015 to an estimated 400 million items in 2024 (projected figures after Amazon India’s Prime Day later in the summer).
While it’s true that Prime Day has evolved – a lot – can it really be that such growth is just the result of more countries taking part, or extended hours?
Channel X says not. Taking a deeper dive into the data, they’ve analysed the total sales for the 10 Prime Days, and adjusted the figures to account for the number of participating countries and the duration of the Event – right down to calculating sales per second!
What’s the truth about Prime Day’s growth?
In a nutshell, the stats prove the Event’s stratospheric success.
In 2015, each country site averaged 44 sales per second; in 2024, that rises to a record-breaking 96 sales per second – and that’s with no China, and before figures from the India event.
Yes, figures dipped in 2018 (back to 45 sales per second), but growth has accelerated YOY ever since and shows no signs of slowing.
And better still?
It’s not just good news for the big boys – in 2024, small and medium-sized Amazon brands sold more than 200 million items during the Event; accounting for half of the total sales made.
So should you participate next time round?
We would say that’s an emphatic yes – but that doesn’t mean we’d always recommend you discount!
As we say above, exactly how you participate in Amazon Events comes down to your own unique circumstances and objectives.
But, with the stats showing such clear potential for sales, having some skin in the game is a no brainer for us.
It’s time to start working on your next Event strategy – click here to get the guidance you need from our Experts.