Retail sales, especially e-commerce, were elevated during the most recent Prime Day—a four-day affair this year. The shopping extravaganza accounted for more than $24 billion in U.S. online retail sales, up 44 percent over 2019. Strategic social media influencers played a key role in sales skyrocketing. They were able to convert shoppers at a rate ten times better than visual social media such as Instagram or TikTok.
This year’s Prime Day event, which took place in July, registered double-digit growth in all major product categories. It was office supplies that most drove the charge with an astounding 105% surge in sales. Electronics trailed right behind with a 95% increase, and books saw an 81% increase. Other groups featured similarly excellent outings from the U.S. Tools & home improvement took the lead at 76%, followed closely by home & garden at 58%, and baby & toddler products at 55%.
Influencers represented close to a fifth of all online retail sales gone through this high shopping season. Their power to connect with consumers, convince and convert them remained a highly effective tactic. Influencer-driven sales were up 15% year-over-year. This trend addresses the need for increasing social media marketing within the retail industry.
Beyond influencer marketing, paid search was critical to success on Prime Day. It netted a 28.5% share of U.S. e-commerce sales, representing a 5.6% year-over-year increase. Influencer campaigns combined with targeted paid search made for a perfect storm. That powerful combination fueled record-breaking sales throughout the entire event.
Sarah has been an intrepid TCR reporter since TechCrunch, where she was a senior reporter, since August 2011. Prior to that, she spent more than three years at ReadWriteWeb. She is an expert in the IT sector. From banking to retail to software, she worked in many different fields before making the jump into journalism.
