Study examines wider impact of Amazon Prime Day

6/28/2019
Online consumers change their behavior for what has become “Black Friday in July.”

Digital marketing platform Bazaarvoice has conducted a study of 1,000 U.S. consumers and more than 6,000 retail sites (including top U.S. retailers) that are part of its network. With numerous other retailers now offering July online sales events to compete with Amazon Prime Day, Bazaarvoice saw a 21% increase in visitor traffic during Prime Day 2018 in comparison to typical traffic. Additionally, the number of shoppers increased by 15%, and the number of orders increased by 11%.

Looking ahead to July 2019, outside of Amazon, consumers plan to shop at Walmart (44%), Target (40%), Best Buy (24%), and Macy’s (18%) around Prime Day, which takes place July 15-16 this year. Shoppers indicate that they shop outside of Amazon because they find better sales (32%) and because other retailers have physical stores nearby (31%).

Shoppers rank customer reviews as one of the most important factors influencing their “Black Friday in July” shopping. Four in 10 (41%) respondents said customer reviews were their primary method for planning out their “Black Friday in July” shopping. Almost half (44%) of shoppers indicate that Amazon’s recent issues with fake product reviews will impact their participation in Prime Day shopping; while 37% will be more cautious when they shop at Amazon, and 7% won’t participate in Prime Day at all.

Nearly half (48%) of “Black Friday in July” shoppers plan to take advantage of the sales for their holiday purchases. In general, consumers are primarily planning to buy apparel (51%), home goods and appliances (48%), and consumer electronics (44%).

According to Bazaarvoice Network data, during Prime Day 2018, these same categories saw significant spikes in total order numbers. Apparel and accessories, as well as kitchen appliances, both saw a 41% increase in orders, and smartwatches and wearables saw a 20% increase.

Bazaarvoice advises that mid-July is now one of the busiest times of the shopping season and serves as a precursor to holiday shopping. To prepare accordingly, Bazaarvoice recommends that brands and retailers should offer competitive pricing, take advantage of their brick-and-mortar presence, and showcase influential, authentic review content.
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