Prime Day 2025 Kicks Off With Solid Sales Despite Mixed Early Signals

Despite initial uncertainty, Prime Day 2025 is off to a strong start, with US consumers spending $7.9 billion online across all retailers on the first day alone — nearly 10% more than last year, according to data from Adobe Analytics, Axios reports.

What began as a mid-summer sales promotion has become a major economic barometer. Prime Day now offers a window into consumer behavior, retailer pricing power, and broader trends in e-commerce strategy. The four-day event — expanded this year from the traditional two days — comes at a time of high interest in how inflation, discounting, and competition are shaping spending patterns.

By the Numbers

• Adobe projects total online spending will hit $23.8 billion between July 8 and 11, equivalent to two Black Fridays in sales volume — a 28.4% year-over-year increase.

• This is the first time Amazon’s Prime Day spans four days, up from the usual two.

• Walmart, Best Buy, and Kohl’s also launched extended competing promotions.

Some third-party trackers saw early softness. Momentum Commerce, which oversees performance for about 50 Amazon sellers, reported a 41% drop in sales for its clients compared to the first day of Prime Day last year. CEO John Shea suggested this may reflect consumer hesitancy, as shoppers browse and add to carts while waiting for better deals later in the event.

He also noted that average discounts fell slightly, to 21% this year from 24% in 2024.

Despite this, Shea emphasized that overall Prime Day sales were still expected to grow year over year.

An Amazon spokesperson dismissed Momentum’s findings as “highly inaccurate,” noting that consultancies without access to internal Amazon data often draw misleading conclusions. Jamil Ghani, VP of Amazon Prime, told Bloomberg TV the company is “really pleased by the engagement” and customer response so far.

Data from Numerator shows:

• Two-thirds of Prime Day orders have been for items priced under $20, reflecting a focus on everyday essentials like dish soap and protein shakes.

• The average household spend was $106, a modest decline from last year.