Amazon Prime Day spending is down year over year, according to market researcher Numerator, as consumers put more emphasis on everyday essentials than categories, such as electronics, traditionally associated with big sales events.
Top categories that Prime Day buyers reported purchasing include apparel and shoes (31%), household essentials (30%), health and wellness 28%, beauty and cosmetics (26%) and home goods (24%).
Just 14% of shoppers reported purchasing consumer electronics, including televisions and smartphones, down 5 points from 2025; and only 9% said they purchased smart home devices, Numerator reported.
Meanwhile, the Reuters news service pointed out that not all parties think the Amazon event is lagging, citing Adobe data that pointed to stronger results for categories, such as electronics and appliances, as part of a 5% first day year-over-year spending advance to $8.3 billion. Numerator had day one down.
Numerator, on the other hand, noted that its live Prime Day tracker had household spending down across the board for the first two days of the Amazon event, while sentiment from verified Prime Day shoppers suggested they viewed this year’s deals less favorably than those in prior years. In a high inflation environment, consumers are purchasing lower-ticket everyday essentials, comparing prices across competing retailers and participating in multiple summer sales events, Numerator maintained.
Prime Day 2026 spending is down across important metrics versus the first two days of the 2025 event, Numerator asserted, with average household spending at $105, a 17% slide from $126 at the same point in 2025.
The average Prime Day order totaled $47, down 18% from $57 during the comparable period in 2025, Numerator added. Seven in 10 items purchased sold for less than $20, and average spend per item of $23 was down 9% from $25 a year prior.
Awareness of Prime Day remains high, but consumers indicated that they were less motivated to shop the event compared to how they felt last year because of deal satisfaction and economic conditions, with 34% saying they have been more cautiously spending, up three points from 2025. Although 94% of shoppers polled knew Prime Day was taking place before making a purchase, only 41% said the event was their primary reason for shopping on Amazon, down from 52% in 2025. In all, 62% of shoppers said they were extremely or very satisfied with this year’s deals, down from 67% last year.
As rivals launch their own sales events, 53% of Amazon shoppers compared prices across retailers. Walmart was the most commonly checked retailer, cited by 67% of consumers polled, followed by Target (40%), and club retailers ( 29%). Some 73% of consumers said they also had shopped or planned to shop at another retailer’s summer sales event or promotion, including Walmart Deals (49%), Target Circle Deal Days (33%), and Costco Summer Sales (21%). Low-income shoppers were more likely to opt for Walmart Deals, cited by 56% of such consumer compared to 45% of high earners. In contrast, high-income shoppers were more likely to choose Target Circle Deal Days (41%) as opposed to low income shoppers (26%).
As they continue to evaluate retail artificial intelligence, 20% of Prime Day shoppers reported using AI-powered shopping tools or features during the event, including 30% of Gen Zers and Millennials. Among consumers using AI-powered tools while shopping on Prime Day, 41% used them to find deals or discounts and 36% used them to research products.
