Prime Day's 1st 24 Hours Lifted US Online Sales 9%, Says Adobe

The first day of Amazon’s 48-hour Prime Day event spurred total U.S. e-commerce spending of $5.6 billion, up 8.7% from day one of Prime Day 2020 in October, Adobe Analytics emailed Tuesday. Sales were above Thanksgiving Day sales last year, which were under budget at $5.1 billion. Cyber Monday sales in 2020 set the e-commerce record at $10.8 billion (see 2012010042). Electronics and appliances were among the most popular categories Monday as discounts averaged 5.2% and 3%. TV prices had modest price declines of 2.5%, while computer prices averaged 8% discounts, it said. Toys had the steepest discounts at 12%. Based on Monday’s discount levels, Adobe predicted consumers will find the best deals on all categories during the upcoming holiday season. Large retailers with annual revenue above $1 billion had a 28% increase in online sales Monday; retailers grossing less than $10 million got a 22% lift, Adobe said. The average value of an online basket checked out Monday was $180 vs. the first 20 days of June at $175, Adobe said. States with lower populations had the highest online sales gains vs. Prime Day 2020, led by Wyoming (190%), New Hampshire (179%) and South Dakota (177%). The lowest year-on-year increases were in South Carolina (112%), Nebraska (116%), Alabama (114%) and Maine (123%). “The first day of Prime Day successfully accelerated spending momentum for U.S. e-commerce to new heights," in an online retail environment already having "elevated" growth due to the pandemic, said Jason Woosley, Adobe vice president-commerce product and platform.