US Prime Day online sales hit USD $24.1bn, mobile drives growth

Adobe has released its analysis of the U.S. Prime Day event, highlighting that online sales reached USD $24.1 billion between July 8 and July 11, representing a 30.3% year-on-year increase.

Sales figures

According to Adobe's report, the sales during this Prime Day period surpassed the combined totals for two Black Friday shopping days in the 2024 holiday season, which totalled USD $10.8 billion. Adobe described this outcome as setting a new benchmark for the summer shopping period.

The findings are based on direct online transaction data, analysing over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, 100 million stock-keeping units (SKUs), and 18 product categories.

Mobile transactions

Mobile shopping was a key driver of transactions. The report found that mobile devices accounted for 53.2% of all transactions, contributing USD $12.8 billion in online spend.

Categories and products in demand

Competitive discounts across a wide range of retailers encouraged consumer spending in several product categories. Appliances saw a 112% increase in online sales compared to the average daily sales in June 2025. Other categories with significant growth included office supplies (up 105%), electronics (up 95%), books (up 81%), tools and home improvement (up 76%), home and garden (up 58%), and baby and toddler products (up 55%).

The products that performed strongly included kids' apparel (up 250%), home security products (up 185%), refrigerators and freezers (up 160%), games (up 160%), headphones and speakers (up 155%), car seats (up 145%), luggage (up 145%), vacuum cleaners (up 140%), power tools (up 135%), computers (up 125%), washers and dryers (up 125%), smartphone accessories (up 120%), storage furniture (up 120%), televisions (up 90%), small kitchen appliances (up 90%), and exercise equipment (up 80%).

Back-to-school spending

Prime Day has aligned with back-to-school shopping, with many families taking advantage of deals. School supplies, such as backpacks, lunchboxes, binders, and calculators, rose by 175%. Purchases for dorm essentials, including microwaves, mini fridges, linens, mattresses, cleaning products, and storage, increased by 84%.

Technology and influencer impact

The event also saw a dramatic rise in the use of generative AI and social influencers in the shopping process. Generative AI-driven traffic to retail sites, measured by clicks from shoppers using AI-powered assistants, increased by 3,300% year-on-year. Despite its modest share relative to channels like paid search and email, the surge illustrates growing adoption.

"Shoppers are increasingly using generative AI-powered chat services and browsers as a shopping assistant. During the Prime Day event, generative AI traffic to U.S. retail sites (measured by shoppers clicking on a link) increased by 3,300% YoY. And while AI-driven traffic remains modest compared to other channels (paid search, email), the growth shows the impact of AI on shoppers looking for deals or specific product details."

Social influencers played a significant role, with affiliate and partner channels, including influencers, accounting for 19.9% of revenue - an increase of 15% year-on-year. According to Adobe's data, influencers converted shoppers at a rate 10 times higher than social media overall. Paid search remained the top driver, with a 28.5% share of revenue, up 5.6% year-on-year.

Discounts and consumer behaviour

Retailers offered heightened discounts to appeal to price-sensitive consumers. Apparel discounts peaked at 24% off, compared to 20% during last year's Prime Day. Electronics saw discounts average 23%, toys 19%, televisions 18%, appliances 17%, furniture 16%, computers 13%, and sporting goods 11%.

The strong promotional environment saw consumers opting for more expensive goods. Adobe found that the share of premium-priced products sold rose by 20% compared to average levels year-to-date. In electronics, this share increased by 57%. There were also notable increases in appliances (36%), sporting goods (30%), furniture (28%), toys (19%), personal care (13%), and apparel (11%). By contrast, categories such as grocery and home and garden saw consumers focus more on lower-priced items.

Pay later trends and inflation

The proportion of orders using Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) arrangements increased to 8.1%, up from 7.4% in 2024, totalling USD $2.0 billion and representing 33.3% growth year-on-year. Survey data from Adobe indicated that consumers primarily used BNPL in categories including apparel, electronics, home goods, and health and beauty.

Adobe highlighted that increased spending during Prime Day was driven by genuine demand rather than higher inflation. The Adobe Digital Price Index showed that online prices had fallen for 34 consecutive months, down 2.1% year-on-year in June 2025. The company noted that if online inflation were accounted for, the overall growth in consumer online spending would be even greater.