Prime Shoppers Buying Gifts at Lower Rates During Amazon Early Access Sale, Data Shows

Thirty hours into Amazon.com's Prime Early Access Sale — the first time the e-commerce giant is introducing a second Prime-like deal in the same year — data shows Prime members are taking advantage of the early holiday sale by buying gifts. However, the Early Access Sale's numbers are lower than Amazon's July Prime Day event, according to Numerator, a data and technology company that tracks purchase data. The average order during the Early Access Sale has been $45.90, compared to $52.26 during Amazon's Prime Day in July. Nearly half of households (47 percent) shopping the sale have placed two or more separate orders, compared to nearly two-thirds (62 percent) in July. And the average household spend during Prime Early Access Sale is approximately $90, compared to roughly $144.56 in July.

The products Prime shoppers are most frequently putting in their carts fall into the affordable gift category, according to Numerator: items like Amazon Photos Projects, gift cards, and women's apparel. Other top items include toys and games, as well as Echo Dots. Nearly one-third (31 percent) of shoppers said they purchased holiday gifts during the sale, up from 11 percent of Prime Day shoppers in July.

Total Retail's Take: Prime Day, when first introduced in 2015, solidified Amazon's position as the top e-commerce company in the world. And while the Prime Early Access Sale isn't an apples-to-apples comparison — since this is the first Early Access Sale — it will be interesting to see whether this new event brings in as many orders as Prime Day did, at 58,934, according to Numerator. During Amazon's Prime Day in July, shoppers bought more than 300 million items, making it the biggest Prime Day in Amazon's history. 

When the Early Access Sale was first announced, Amazon said it would give Prime members a chance to kick off holiday shopping season early with hundreds of thousands of deals. By setting a deal event for October, Amazon is eyeing those customers looking for discounts during a time when the economy is especially tumultuous, with inflation and price increases challenging many families as the holidays approach. Numerator found that 80 percent of Prime Early Access shoppers said inflation impacted their shopping behaviors during the two-day sale.