Amazon Prime Day 2021: The Recap

by | Jun 29, 2021 | Amazon

Amazon Prime Day 2021 took place on June 21st and 22nd. Now, just a week after the event wrapped up, we can turn our heads to the data and learn how the event really went down. 

But before we dive into this year’s outcomes, let’s refresh on what was going on prior to Amazon Prime Day 2021

Prior to Prime Day 

Last year’s Amazon Prime Day was postponed from summer 2020 to October of that year due to the Coronavirus. 

However, if you think COVID-19 negatively disrupted Amazon at all throughout the course of the pandemic, think again.  

Amazon experienced a surge of online sales from the very start of COVID-19, and the momentum hasn’t stopped. In fact, Amazon reported a profit of $8.1 billion during Q1 2021. When compared to the $2.5 billion they profited in the year prior, you can begin to see just how much the global pandemic shook up the marketplace. (Source: link)

At a high-level, Amazon’s increased profit and revenue can be attributed to changes in consumer behaviors that were provoked by the Coronavirus. At the same time, it is important to remember that these consumer trends didn’t just evaporate when the vaccine became available. People are still online shopping more than ever, and are turning to marketplaces like Amazon to do everything from start their search inquiry to check out their cart. 

So, with all of this in mind, it was widely expected that Prime Day 2021 would be yet another hit. 

And it appears that these predictions were right…. 

How Did Prime Day 2021 Pan Out?

1. Big Spend.

Consumers and sellers alike pumped unprecedented amounts of spend into this year’s Prime Day event. 

According to Digital Commerce 360 and other data providers

  • More than 250 million items were purchased worldwide during Prime Day 2021 
  • Shoppers spent more than $1.9 billion on purchases from small businesses
  • Sellers increased Sponsored Products spend by 16%
  • Sellers increased Sponsored Brands spend by 22% 
  • CPC increased  by 19% for Sponsored Products ads 
  • CPC increased by 4% for Sponsored Brands ads 

2. Video Made an Appearance.

Advertisers for Amazon Prime Day 2021 leveraged video display ads like never before. According to Tinuiti, this year’s participating brands allocated 25% of their total Sponsored Brands budgets to video-formated ads. 

3. Drumroll for Display Ads. 

Amazon Prime Day advertisers may view Sponsored Products ads and Sponsored Brands ads as their bread and butter. However, Sponsored Display and DSP have proven to pack a serious punch, especially during Prime Day. 

In fact, this year’s Sponsored Display ad spend surged 51% in comparison to Amazon Prime Day 2020.

eAccountable Prime Day Participation & Wins 

eAccountable pushed through another successful Prime Day with big wins for a number of clients. 

This year, 65% of eAccountable clients participated in Prime Day by running some form of a discount over the 2-day period. Additionally, over 50% of those who participated saw all-time record revenue on Prime Day 2021. 

Queue round of applause. 

But be sure to save some congratulatory gestures for the following Prime Day 2021 wins. eAccountable clients, both those who participated in the event and those that did not, witnessed  increased traffic, orders and revenue throughout the 2-day event. 

Here’s what we found: 

1. Traffic

As expected, Amazon Prime Day 2021 provoked surges in traffic across the two day period. Below is data on how traffic fluctuated for eAccountable’s clients during the event. 

  • eAccountable clients that DID participate in Prime Day saw, on average, 158% increase in traffic (compared to the average traffic per day over the 30-days prior).
  • eAccountable clients that DID NOT participate in Prime Day saw, on average, a 39% increase in traffic (compared to the average traffic per day over the 30-days prior).

2. Orders

Here’s how average order quantity on Prime Day 2021 unfolded for all eAccountable clients: 

  • eAccountable clients that DID participate in Prime Day saw, on average, 278% increase in orders (compared to the average orders per day over the 30-days prior).
  • eAccountable clients that DID NOT participate in Prime Day saw, on average, a 50% increase in orders (compared to the average orders per day over the 30-days prior).

3. Revenue

Here’s what average revenue increase looked like for all of our clients, both those who participated in the Prime Day event and those who did not: 

  • eAccountable clients that DID participate in Prime Day saw, on average, 249% increase in revenue (compared to the average revenue per day over the 30-days prior).
  • eAccountable clients that DID NOT participate in Prime Day saw, on average, a 48% increase in revenue (compared to the average revenue per day over the 30-days prior).

How do these numbers compare to Amazon Prime Day 2020 ? 

For eAccountable clients who were actively selling on Prime Day in 2020, revenue in 2021 was up by an average of 643%. Only one client was down Y/Y. 

And as an added Prime Day bonus, the Y/Y growth of eAccountable clients on Prime Day from 2020 to 2021 greatly outperformed the Y/Y increase in total sales on all of Amazon.com, across that same period of time. 

4. Overall Performance

For an even more abbreviated rundown on how eAccountable’s clients performed during this year’s Prime Day event, check out the following data points. These reports include all eAccountable clients, including those that did and did not actively participate in Amazon Prime Day 2021. 

  • On average, eAccountable clients saw a 178% increase in revenue over Prime Day (compared the average revenue per day over the 30-days prior).
  • On average, eAccountable clients saw a 197% increase in orders over Prime Day (compared the average orders per day over the 30-days prior).
  • On average, eAccountable clients saw a 116% increase in traffic over Prime Day (compared the average traffic per day over the 30-days prior).

Prime Day 2021… Part II? 

Whether or not the rumors hinting at a second Prime Day 2021 reign true, you know that the 2022 event is sure to be on the calendar. 

If you felt overwhelmed, stressed or simply unprepared throughout Amazon Prime Day 2021, ensure you are appropriately equipped for the next Prime Day opportunity. This not only requires your business to set aside adequate preparation time for the event, but demands you seek out the Amazon support you need. 

So on your next Prime Day debut, drop us a line at amazon@eaccountbale.com, and one of our Amazon experts will be in touch.