Amazon Prime Day household spending down 16%, survey says

Amazon.com Inc.'s annual Prime Day sale is off to a slow start, according to a survey conducted by market research firm Numerator.

The average household surveyed had spent about $89 as of 4 p.m. New York time, Numerator said on Tuesday, down about 16% from the same time during last year's event, which began in July.

Shoppers stocked up on things like trash bags, cat treats and makeup remover, according to the survey, which is based on more than 6,700 Prime Day orders from more than 3,600 households.

Amazon's marquee promotion - now in its 12th year - faces a squeeze. Shoppers have high expectations for steep discounts because higher gas prices have crimped their budgets. But brands and merchants are struggling to meet those expectations owing to their own rising costs and continued uncertainty regarding tariffs.

Global marketing firm PMG estimated Prime Day discounts would be shallower this year, continuing a multiyear trend. The firm analyzed discount data on tens of millions of products over the past two years.

"Third-party data on deal selection and purchasing trends are often inaccurate, as is the case with these reports.," Amazon spokesperson Maxine Tagay said in an email, adding that the company was "pleased with the early customer response." She said more than 1 million items are being offered at their lowest price so far this year and touted more than 100,000 deals discounted by at least 40%.

Almost 90% of Amazon Prime subscribers plan to shop the sale, according to an April survey conducted by the marketing agency Tinuiti Inc. But they'll also surf the web and use artificial intelligence tools to find the best deals. More than 7 in 10 shoppers said products would have to be discounted by at least 30% for them to consider it a good deal, with 1 in 5 deeming at least half off a good discount, according to Tinuiti's survey.

U.S. consumers will spend $26.3 billion online with Amazon and other retailers during the event, up 9% from last year's four-day sale in July, according to Adobe Inc., which tracks visits to retail websites. Discounts are expected to be in line with last year, when apparel and electronics sellers offered about 23% off. Adobe expects back-to-school apparel to be a leading category.

Lofty oil prices and continued tariff uncertainty made offering steep discounts difficult this year, said Josh Ketter, proprietor of Lincoln, Nebraska-based Spreetail, which sells swimming pools, trampolines, patio furniture and thousands of other products on marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart and TikTok Shop. Many of his products are made with petroleum-based plastics, so the Iran war drove up his expenses.

"Last year we still had some inventory that came in before the tariffs, so we were in a better position," said Ketter, who said his average Prime Day discount this year is in the 15% to 20% range. Shoppers are trading down to lower-cost versions of products, for instance picking the $500 swimming pool over a $1,000 one, he said.

About half of shoppers said inflation is one factor compelling them to seek deals on Prime Day, according to a survey by Numerator, which tracks online spending. The average household plans to spend about $187 during Prime Day and will compare prices on competing sites like Walmart Inc., Target Corp. and Costco Wholesale Corp., according to the survey.

Ohio retiree Patrice Kihlken browsed the sale Tuesday for discounts on summer dresses and jewelry-making supplies but came up empty.

"It's just underwhelming to me," said Kihlken, 65. "Most of the things that I looked at, they're 5%, 10%, maybe 15% off. Anything that's really nice is not on sale."

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This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 7:44 PM.