--- title: "Amazon Prime Day kicks off today: online spending expected to reach $26.3 billion as retail battle heats up" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/290506061.md" description: "Amazon's 12th Prime Day will kick off early from June 23 to 26. Online spending is expected to reach $26.3 billion, a year-on-year increase of 9%. This promotion aims to test consumer resilience and enhance participation using AI tools. As the core engine for attracting members, the number of Prime members has exceeded 200 million. Although the discount levels remain the same, the retail battle is heating up, with essential consumer goods categories drawing attention" datetime: "2026-06-23T03:30:04.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/290506061.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290506061.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/290506061.md) --- # Amazon Prime Day kicks off today: online spending expected to reach $26.3 billion as retail battle heats up According to Zhitong Finance APP, on Tuesday local time, Amazon (AMZN.US) officially kicked off its 12th annual Prime Day promotion. This four-day shopping extravaganza will run from June 23 to 26, which is earlier than the usual July timeframe in previous years. Amazon stated that the timing adjustment is due to significant events this summer, including the World Cup and the 250th anniversary of American independence. The market generally expects that, against the backdrop of high inflation and consumers seeking discounts, this promotion will serve as an important window to test the resilience of U.S. consumer spending. **Sales Scale Expectations** According to predictions from Adobe Analytics, online sales during this year's Prime Day period for Amazon and its competitors are expected to reach approximately $26.3 billion, a 9% increase compared to the same period last year. Adobe also pointed out that this figure will exceed the total online sales for "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" in 2025, reflecting the increasingly prominent position of Prime Day in the retail calendar. Bank of America provided a more conservative estimate, predicting that these 96 hours will generate approximately $21.6 billion in gross merchandise volume for Amazon, a 5% year-on-year increase. The bank also mentioned that the AI shopping tools deployed by Amazon are expected to enhance consumer engagement and spending during the event. **Membership Ecosystem and Discount Strategy Drive Sales** Since its launch in 2015, Prime Day has been a core engine for Amazon to attract Prime members. Currently, the annual fee for Prime membership in the U.S. is $139, which offers services such as fast delivery and video streaming. According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, as of March this year, the number of Prime members in the U.S. reached approximately 201 million, a 3% year-on-year increase. In terms of discount levels, Adobe expects this year's promotional level to be roughly on par with that of Prime Day in 2025. Although the depth of discounts has not significantly expanded, major retailers are still attempting to stimulate consumption across a wide range of product categories. **Essential Consumption Dominates Shopping Carts** In terms of popular categories, there is strong demand for children's clothing, backpacks, lunch boxes, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, and power tools. Amazon is focusing on promoting groceries, household essentials, travel-related products, and school supplies. With the continuous expansion of same-day delivery services, the proportion of essential consumption among Prime members is steadily increasing. Analysts believe that in an environment where the inflation rate accelerated to 4.2% in May and fuel prices remain high, household budgets are under continuous pressure, and the sales structure of this event will provide key insights into consumer spending patterns. **Walmart and Target Face Off** Although Prime Day is Amazon's flagship event, competitors are not standing idly by. Walmart (WMT.US) and Target (TGT.US) have simultaneously launched overlapping promotional activities, intensifying the competition for online customers. A survey by digital marketing agency Tinuiti revealed that among consumers planning to shop during Prime Day, nearly 60% will also browse Walmart's offers, and 35% intend to visit Target's promotions However, market research firm eMarketer predicts that Amazon will still account for about 60% of online retail spending in the U.S. during Prime Day, likely achieving the highest event share since 2019, highlighting its unbreakable dominance in e-commerce ### Related Stocks - [AMZN.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZN.US.md) - [AMZW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZW.US.md) - [AMZD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZD.US.md) - [AMZU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZU.US.md) - [AMZZ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZZ.US.md) - [AMZO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZO.US.md) - [AMZY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZY.US.md) - [AZYY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AZYY.US.md) - [AMZP.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZP.US.md) - [MAGX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MAGX.US.md) - [ADBE.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ADBE.US.md) - [BAC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BAC.US.md) - [WMT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WMT.US.md) - [TGT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TGT.US.md) - [BAC-Q.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BAC-Q.US.md) - [BML-L.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BML-L.US.md) - [BAC-L.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BAC-L.US.md) - [BAC-K.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BAC-K.US.md) - [BML-H.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BML-H.US.md) - [BAC-N.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BAC-N.US.md) - [BAC-E.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BAC-E.US.md) - [MER-K.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MER-K.US.md) - [BAC-O.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BAC-O.US.md) - [BML-G.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BML-G.US.md) - [BAC-M.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BAC-M.US.md) - [BAC-B.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BAC-B.US.md) - [BML-J.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BML-J.US.md) - [BAC-S.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BAC-S.US.md) - [BAC-P.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BAC-P.US.md) - [8648.JP](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/8648.JP.md) ## Related News & Research - [Amazon Ditches Movie About OpenAI Firing Sam Altman: ‘Better Served If It Were Released By A Different Studio’](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290483422.md) - [Amazon Plans $10B Missouri Data Center Campus](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290258573.md) - [Prime Day también es para empresas: Amazon Business ofrece cuatro días de ofertas en categorías clave de compra profesional](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290431208.md) - [Kyndryl's Expanded Amazon AWS AI Deal Highlights Push Beyond AI Pilots](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290225754.md) - [Hot Off the Press – Walmart Outscores Rival Amazon in Positive News Sentiment](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290230484.md)