Skip to main content

Prime Day spending just hit a new record

Online shoppers splashed the cash and spent a record amount during Amazon’s latest Prime Day event, which spanned July 16 and 17.

Anyone perusing the pages of Digital Trends this week will have been well aware of deals galore, with some pretty remarkable discounts offered on a range of tech gadgets and other items.

Pulling together a bunch of data, Adobe Analytics found that online shoppers spent $7.2 billion on Tuesday, marking an 11.7% year-on-year increase. On Wednesday, the second day of Amazon’s Prime Day sale, shoppers were almost equally enthusiastic, forking out $7 billion online, up 10.4% year on year. That adds up to a total spend of $14.2 billion, marking an 11% year-on-year increase across the two days and setting a new record for Amazon’s Prime Day event, which has been running since 2015.

Adobe found one of the growth drivers to be consumers’ desire to upgrade or add new electronics and home furnishings to their homes.

“Online sales for the electronics category are up 61% across the two-day event (compared to average daily sales in June 2024), driven by products including tablets (up 117%), televisions (up 111%), headphones and Bluetooth speakers (up 105%), fitness trackers (up 88%), computers (up 80%), smartphones (up 71%), and cameras (up 60%),” the research company said.

Adobe noted that shoppers “embraced shopping on smaller screens” over the two days, with about half of the total value of purchases made using mobile devices rather than desktop computers, representing an 18.6% increase from last year.

The research also suggested that $84.4 billion will be spent in the full month of July, representing 8.2% growth over the same time last year.

To arrive at its figures, Adobe Analytics analyzed commerce transactions online, covering over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, 100 million SKUs (stock keeping units), and 18 product categories.

While Amazon’s Prime Day event is officially over for this year, there are still a few bargains to be had, if you’re quick.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Why you should opt for slow shipping this Prime Day
Amazon worker packaging products.

It's hard to not get sucked into the capitalist vortex on Prime Day. Just look at those deals and try to keep your credit card in your wallet. But if you can't resist the urge to buy something, you should at least consider opting for slower shipping. it might sound silly, since Amazon offers free two-day shipping for Prime members, and foregoing this perk could seem like a waste of your monthly subscription fee. But hear me out -- just because you can get your items delivered in two days doesn't necessarily mean you should. Here are a few good reasons to consider opting for slower delivery:

The first and perhaps most urgent reason is the environmental benefits. Transportation remains America's top source of emissions, clocking in at 27%. Roughly a quarter of that comes from freight trucks like those used by Amazon, and 8% from planes. In the air, Amazon makes about 160 flights a day with its fleet. Once those flights have made their deliveries, Amazon's trucks will often take smaller, less efficient loads in order to meet two-day delivery times. After all, trucks can't wait around for more shipments to come in so they can make more stops.

Read more
Prime Day mattress deals live blog: the lowest prices today
This is an image of a family snuggled together on a Dream Cloud bed.

The Prime Day deals have, and while synonymous with discounts on tech like TVs and laptops, it's actually not a bad time to buy a mattress if you're in need of an upgrade. Sure, the Fourth of July would have been the time to buy if you missed out on Memorial Day, but we won't look this gift horse in the mouth. Here are all the best Prime Day mattress deals, as they happen live.

LiveLast updated July 16, 2022 1:19 AM

Read more
Amazon eying October for another Prime shopping event, reports say
best amazon tech deals 5 25 2017 online tablet shopping

This year’s Prime Day sale starts on July 12, though new reports suggest Amazon is also planning another Prime shopping event for later in the year.

The e-commerce giant has been telling sellers about a “Prime Fall Deal Event,” according to reports from CNBC and Business Insider.

Read more