Foreword
Amazon’s Prime Day, one of the biggest events in global ecommerce, was expanded this year from two days to four. The goal was to give customers more time to browse the millions of deals available across Amazon’s platform. However, early reports suggest that the first day of the expanded sale did not meet expectations.
According to Momentum Commerce, which manages online sales for 50 brands across a variety of product categories, first-day sales fell by 41 percent compared with the opening day of Prime Day last year. Many shoppers appear to have delayed purchases, waiting to see if better deals would appear later in the sale period. The urgency that typically drives early sales may have been diluted by the extended timeframe.
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Sellers reported that although the four-day event offered more time to attract customers, the overall impact on sales was modest when compared with last year. Some retailers noted small increases in sales over the full period, but the first-day figures highlight a significant drop in immediate demand.
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This development underscores the importance of urgency in online shopping. Scarcity, limited-time offers, and concentrated sale periods often drive higher conversion rates, while extending events too far can reduce this effect. Amazon’s decision to lengthen Prime Day may also indicate a shift in consumer behaviour, with shoppers becoming more deliberate and strategic in their purchasing decisions rather than reacting to time-sensitive offers.
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Analysts will be watching closely to see whether this trend continues in future sales events. Brands participating in Prime Day will need to adapt their marketing strategies, potentially focusing more on mid-event promotions, targeted email campaigns, and personalised offers to maintain momentum across longer sale periods.
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