Prime Day Loses Its Spark as Sales Nosedive 41%

Core Insights - Amazon's sales dropped 41% on the first day of its four-day Prime Day event compared to the first day of last year's two-day event [1] - Momentum Commerce's CEO suggested that the decline in sales was due to consumers adding items to their carts but delaying purchases for potentially better deals [2] - Amazon's Vice President expressed satisfaction with shopper engagement and noted that the extended duration of Prime Day was in response to consumer demand for more time to explore deals [4] Sales Performance - The first day of this year's Prime Day saw a significant sales drop, but there is potential for overall sales to surpass last year's event due to the longer duration [2] - Last year's shorter Prime Day encouraged quicker purchases to avoid missing discounts, contrasting with this year's consumer behavior [3] - Adobe reported that Prime Day's kickoff surpassed Thanksgiving 2024's eCommerce spend of $6.1 billion, with 50.2% of sales made via mobile devices [5] Market Context - Prime Day, alongside Walmart's Walmart+ Week, is viewed as a test for consumer spending amid economic uncertainty and declining consumer confidence [6] - Retailers are closely monitoring consumer behavior changes due to global tariffs and economic conditions [6]