Amazon Prime Day 2023: all in the numbers

Launched in the US in 2015, Amazon Prime Day has spread globally to become one of the major events on the annual shopping calendar

In a tight economic environment, how did this year’s Prime Day stack up against previous events, and where is growth coming from as ecommerce grows globally? BAV@WPP, in partnership with VMLY&R Commerce leaders from across the world, have uncovered the key takeaways and implications for brands planning for the holiday shopping season and beyond. Prime observations were: 

1. Affordability rules 

With shoppers under financial pressure, and Prime Membership fees rising (+20% UK, +17% US), deals had to be genuine to compete with ever present private label offerings; and they were delivered in multiple formats – including the return of ‘wow’ deals (lightning offers and new deals every 30 minutes) and, for the first time ever, ‘invite only’ specials. ‘Buy now pay later’ also played a major role. 

2. Inspiration as well as information 

There was more emphasis on engaging shoppers, particularly through Amazon Inspire (Amazon’s answer to TikTok) an in-app feature (introduced in the US) with video of influencers showcasing products and links to purchase. TikTok itself was also used widely. 

3. Amazon gets (even more) personal

While Amazon Prime Day was a mass market event, it was executed on a hyper-personal level. Deal tiles were personalised, based on purchase habits and behaviour, rather than serving up generic offers. 

4. New Prime partners 

Beyond product and price, Amazon Prime Day also provided an opportunity to score a discount on hotel bookings, via a first-time partnership with travel company Priceline. For shoppers, this was a chance to save on experiences, for Amazon, the initiative generated incremental revenue and crucially bottom line accretive profit.