Prime Day 2019 saw sellers exceed £1.61 billion in sales worldwide, marking it the biggest Amazon shopping event ever for third-party sellers. However, how did the 48-hour shopping bonanza perform in the Anglosphere markets?
A new analysis by research group Hitwise took a close look at how Prime Day performed in the UK, US and Australia.
UK market
The report says Amazon focus in the UK mainly aimed at expanding their loyalty Prime networks. The findings from the Prime Day 2019 point to the success of this mission. More than 80 thousand UK shoppers signed up to Prime membership each day over the two-day shopping event. That’s a 147% growth compared to last year’s statistic.
The UK saw Amazon devices dominating the top 10 most-purchased categories. Amazon’s product popularity grew from six most purchased items in 2018 to eight in 2019. This year, new editions to the top 10 included the Echo Show, Amazon’s miniature smart home TV and speaker, and Amazon’s ever-popular Kindle Paperwhite.
Despite Nintendo Switch topping searches, the PlayStation Classic was the top-purchased console. While little discount was offered on the Nintendo Switch, the price of the PlayStation Classic was slashed from £89.99 to £15.99 on Prime Day.
US market
In the US, Amazon’s dominance is clear. The conversion rate surpassed 10% during Amazon’s 2019 Prime Day in the US. Even though visits dropped slightly, the strong conversion rate indicates that Americans were more direct in their Prime Day shopping journeys.
Total transactions finally reached over 20 million, which was 2 million more transactions than on Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. The share of among the top 50 US retailers was 72% the 2018 holiday season and rose to 86% on Prime Day. This year’s performance solidifies Prime Day as a key retail event within the US.
AU market
After an underwhelming launch in December 2017, Amazon has had another shot at Australia this year. Initial Prime Day figures show that activity has finally shifted to their local site, with visitors and buyers rising by 50% YoY. Conversion rates have dropped from 7.2% to 6.3%, indicating that more browsing behaviours are now occurring on Amazon’s local site.
Gaming and tech-dominated searches, with the Nintendo Switch, once again topped Australia’s list.
Compared to other markets, non-tech searches were trending in Australia. Searches for “Tommy Hilfiger” increased by 400 places, thanks to 50%+ discounts on selected products. Amazon’s ambitions to take on the Aussie supermarket duopoly were well-publicized when cheaper household staples were added to their offering in October last year. Searches for “Omo”, as a result, have entered the top 10 this year.
“Amazon is after global dominance. Their intentions were clear with extending Prime Day by an additional 12 hours this year, and slashing prices by over 50% on hot products, particularly their own devices. They’re in a different strategic position in each market – from sheer dominance in the US, growing presence in the UK, to market entry mode in Australia. Initial Hitwise figures, including visits, transactions, sign-ups, and buyers, show that each market is responding positively to these flash sales and promotions.”
– Hitwise.
