Inside Amazon’s first four-day Prime Day, the retail giant stretched the sale into a marathon and it didn’t exactly come out sprinting.
The first half was sluggish. Shoppers held off. Carts stayed full but un-clicked. By Day 3, though, the deals hit harder, and the buying frenzy took off. The result? A late surge that powered $24.1B in U.S. eCommerce sales, up over 30% year-over-year.
And while Amazon had a strong finish, the slow start says a lot about where buyer behavior is headed and what merchants need to do to keep up.
Why the Early Days Fell Flat
People didn’t pounce. They peeked. Day 1 sales were down 41% compared to 2024. Even with average discounts of 21.4%, shoppers waited.
But Amazon adjusted. By Day 4, those discounts ticked up to 21.9%, and the crowd came running. On Day 3 alone, Amazon’s sales jumped 165% compared to the same day last year.
Shoppers were treating Prime Day like a wishlist party. Add to cart now, deal-hop later. And nearly half of them were checking prices at Walmart and Target while they were at it.
What This Means for Merchants
1. Slow starts don’t mean dead deals
You don’t have to front-load every promotion. Drop the big stuff later in your sale, and use the early days to tease and test.
2. Urgency is a finisher, not a starter
Time limits, flash deals, and low-stock alerts still work, but timing is everything. Hit that go button when customers are ready to click.
And here’s the truth: shoppers are always comparing. Whether it’s pricing, shipping speed, or reviews, they’re stacking your offer against everyone else’s. That means dynamic pricing, transparent delivery windows, and thoughtful positioning are what keep carts from getting abandoned.
What Amazon Got Right (That You Can Too)
They didn’t panic when sales were slow. They turned up the heat gradually. They let the hype build. Customers had time to browse and bite. They kept the momentum going with deeper deals and strong product variety.
And yeah, Amazon has the muscle to run a four-day sales-a-thon, but smart sellers can still play the long game without blowing the budget.
Your Turn to Prime the Funnel
You don’t need four days. You need a smarter strategy. One that lets you schedule and stack your deals without chaos. One that shows clean shipping options with real delivery timelines. One that automates the behind-the-scenes madness, from routing to fulfillment. And one that actually scales, whether you’re running a weekend flash sale or a month-long promo marathon.
Ordoro helps you run lean, ship smart, and adapt on the fly. Set fallback carriers. Automate order routing. Keep your customers happy, even when the big guys are hogging the headlines.
Prime Day is Amazon’s holiday, but every day can be your biggest day when your ops are dialed in. Especially with insights from inside Amazon’s first four-day Prime Day.
Start your free trial and see how easy smart fulfillment can be.