Prime Day Early Access Sale Recap: Sales, Ad Results, and Takeaways

Inflation Drove Affordable Gift Category Sales This Prime Event

Compared to previous weeks, PEAS saw more than 100 million items ordered and tens of millions of Prime members participating, according to Amazon. Driving 25% more sales than an average Amazon week, the top categories Prime members purchased from include apparel, home, and toys, with an emphasis on lower-priced products and affordable gifts. 

Feedvisor data corroborates this statement, showing a 10% increase in sales compared to the weeks leading up to PEAS. However, compared to Prime Day, there is a 22% decrease in overall sales, which is expected due to the recent economic challenges.  

Consumers have become more cautious and deliberate with spending as September prices hit another 40-year high, with common necessities bearing the brunt of the increases. According to NPR, electricity prices are up 15.5%, grocery prices are up 13%, and rent is up 7.2%, leaving little room for non-essential spending.

During PEAS, Feedvisor data shows the Arts & Crafts category had a 31% increase in sales as consumers purchased lower-priced gifts.

According to Feedvisor data, the top 3 categories by sales for PEAS are Home & Garden, Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry & Watches, and Beauty & Health. The Toys category saw an impressive 7% increase compared to July’s Prime, with popular products being playsets and dolls. Other top products included Halloween costumes, boots, fall/winter apparel, Christmas decorations, and self-care products.  

The average basket size was lower for PEAS, averaging around $30.49 compared to $31.30 for Prime Day. According to Numerator, 44% of orders placed were for $20 or less, while 10% of orders were for more than $100, indicating shoppers were not spending heavily on this event. 

Overall, performance was mixed among our clients, with 1p vendors seeing a slightly higher performance than 3p merchants. 

Ad Spend and Ad Sales Were Down Compared to July’s Prime

Ad spend for PEAS was much lower than July’s Prime Day, with a shorter timeframe for sellers to plan ahead and Q4 sales planning already begun. Advertisers were moderate when it came to spending on this new event, while others chose to save their budgets for the bigger Cyber 5 week. 

Between inflation and rising storage and shipping costs, ad spend decreased by 43% compared to Prime, with a majority spent on the first day of the Amazon Prime Early Access Sale. On average, ad sales decreased by 10% compared to Prime Day. 

The Arts and Crafts category had the highest percentage of sales from ads at 132%.

This category also had the highest ad spend compared to Prime (536% increase). Still, the return on ad spend dropped 63%, showing the immense competition that sellers in this category faced this time of year, as more and more consumers are hoping to get a head start on holiday cards and gifts before prices rise again. Ad cost of sale (ACoS) also increased (174%). 

Of the top 5 categories, Home & Garden had the highest percentage of sales from ads, with a 21% increase compared to July’s Prime. Ad spend was up 66% in this category, while return on ad spend (ROAS) was down 24%. This is a very competitive market with sought-after products for which consumers are on the hunt, especially as the same products in-store appear to be at a higher price point. Electronics also saw a boost with a 5% increase in ad sales, while ad spend for this category was up 13%. 

Across the top 5 categories, ACoS increased 38% compared to Prime Day 2022, while RoAS showed an incremental increase of 1%. The Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry & Watches category saw the most significant increase in RoAS (24%), while Food and Groceries saw a 12% bump.