Spending on the first day of Amazon Prime Day rose +5.3% year-on-year as shoppers snapped up promotions and discounts, figures from Adobe Analytics suggest.

Its data showed that U.S. online spending alone reached $8.3billion on Tuesday, the first day of the ecommerce giant’s 4-day sales bonanza. Adobe said that this online spend meant that Tuesday (23 Jun) was one of the biggest ecommerce trading days ​of the year so far.

“The incomparable value of Prime keeps growing, and this year is no exception,” said Jamil Ghani, VP of Amazon Prime, adding that the sales period remains “the biggest shopping event of the year.”

Deals extend beyond special purchases to everyday items

Among the most popular categories driving sales on the first day of Prime Day were electronics and homeware, according to Adobe’s data. However ​it said purchases of everyday ​essentials ⁠also ticked up, as consumers used the promotional event to secure discounts on day-to-day items.

With consumers adopting more cost-conscious shopping strategies to make their budgets work harder, Akeneo’s data shows that 43% of consumers will use AI to bag the best bargains across Prime Day, both on and off the Amazon platform.

62% plan to compare prices across retailers before making a Prime Day purchase, with just 9% trusting deals without verifying them, while 55% will shop across multiple retailers, rather than relying exclusively on Amazon.

“Consumers aren’t shopping on instinct. They’re comparing products across channels, validating purchases and using AI to make smarter buying decisions,” said Romain Fouache, CEO of Akeneo.

A race to the bottom: Discounts risk diminishing loyalty

While the size and shape of Prime Day is growing, research from invent.ai warns major discounting events are conditioning consumers to shop more tactically.

As shoppers increasingly opt for one-off and price-led purchases, rather than engaging with brands long-term, this risks eroding loyalty and hurting already squeezed margins as retailers chase short-term sales, it said.

“Behind the surge in discount-driven sales, many retailers are realising that blanket discounting around Prime Day doesn’t move the needle on building loyalty,” said Farid Mohsen, VP of Strategic Accounts at invent.ai.

61% of UK consumers in its study said securing good deals during Prime Day delivered a short-term “price fix”, but didn’t contribute to brand loyalty, while 50% said retailers’ discounting strategies make them less loyal overall, as they increasingly focus on price over brand affinity.