Amazon Prime Day is a global shopping event created by Amazon to offer massive discounts and limited-time deals across nearly every category of their products from electronics, beauty, home, and fashion to groceries, books, and services. It’s like a shopping holiday for Prime members.
Here are interesting things you probably didn’t know about Prime Day:
1. About Prime Day
Prime Day was first held on July 15, 2015, not as a clearance event or a holiday promotion, but to celebrate Amazon’s 20th anniversary. The 24-hour sale was exclusive to Prime members in just nine countries including the US, UK, Japan, Germany, and France.
Fast-forward to today, and Prime Day now runs for four days, reaches over 20 countries, and brings in billions in sales.
Unlike Black Friday or Cyber Monday — both tied to the end-of-year holiday season — Prime Day is an event Amazon created from scratch. It’s strategically scheduled in mid-July, during the retail industry’s slowest period.
According to experts like Dr. Ross Steinman, a consumer psychologist, Prime Day gives Amazon a “mid-year jolt” at a time when shoppers are usually disengaged.
READ ALSO: US: Online spending set to hit $23.8bn during Amazon Prime Event
2. Prime membership sign-ups, not just sales
One of Amazon’s secret strategies is using Prime Day to gain new subscribers, not just push products. The 30-day free trial often draws in millions of new users who sign up just for the deals and many end up sticking around.
3. Some of the best selling items are basic
While flashy tech grabs headlines, it’s not unusual for everyday household items to dominate sales. In past editions, toothbrushes, bed sheets, and baby wipes ranked among the most purchased products proving people love stocking up on essentials at discounted rates.
4. It creates shockwaves in the retail world
Prime Day doesn’t just affect Amazon, competing retailers like Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and even Jumia in Nigeria now launch their own counter-sales to ride the Prime Day buzz. It has transformed from an Amazon-only event to a global shopping ripple effect.
5. Alexa users get special deals
Amazon gives an edge to customers who use its voice assistant, Alexa. By saying “Alexa, what are my Prime Day deals?”, users can access exclusive offers before they appear online, an added incentive to keep people inside the Amazon ecosystem.
6. Test lab for Amazon’s innovations
Amazon uses Prime Day to quietly roll out new product lines, test delivery systems, and promote in-house brands like AmazonBasics or Solimo. Many of the things Amazon pushes during Prime Day are not just discounted, they’re strategic experiments for what might work at scale.
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