According to Amazon, the company's Amazon Prime members saved over $1 billion through millions of deals during the two-day holiday launch of Prime Big Deal Days, marking a strong start to the 2023 holiday shopping season.
GLOLast week, Amazon and Walmart engaged in fierce competition, both vying to capture the loyalty and spending of shoppers.
On October 11, Amazon wrapped up its Prime Day event, and the results are now available.
According to Amazon, the company’s Amazon Prime members saved over $1 billion through millions of deals during the two-day holiday launch of Prime Big Deal Days, marking a strong start to the 2023 holiday shopping season.
During this 48-hour shopping extravaganza, Prime members ordered more than 150 million items from Amazon’s independent sellers, many of which were small and medium-sized businesses.
On the opening day of the event, Amazon revealed that products from small businesses, such as Clean Skin Club’s Clean Towels, Hula Home’s Spray Bottle, and PicassoTiles’ 100 Piece Set, became some of the top-selling items in the United States.
This is the second consecutive year that Amazon has kicked off the holiday shopping season with a two-day exclusive shopping event for Prime members.
Doug Herrington, CEO of Worldwide Amazon Stores, stated, “This event outperformed last year’s holiday kickoff event, with more Prime members shopping this year. Millions of Prime packages in the U.S. have already been delivered, and we’ll continue to offer fast, free delivery across our wide selection throughout the holidays.”
But Amazon’s announcement didn’t just focus on sales; it also emphasized speed.
Amazon’s event featured over 25 million purchases eligible for same-day or next-day delivery by U.S. Prime members. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of items reached their destinations within four hours of being ordered. On the first day of the event, the fastest delivery in the U.S. happened in Ohio, where an order placed at 7:20 a.m. was delivered in just 54 minutes, reaching the doorstep by 8:14.
Amazon and Walmart’s Strategies
During its Prime Day event, Amazon prioritized personalization for Prime members by simplifying the process of discovering deals that matched their preferences. They offered customized suggestions based on consumers’ past purchases, browsing history, and items saved in their lists.
Amazon also mentioned that Prime members could gain early access to select products with invite-only deals expected to sell out quickly. They could also choose the delivery option that best suited their needs and receive deal-alert notifications related to their recent searches and viewed items. Owners of Alexa devices had the option to receive deal notifications from Alexa up to 24 hours in advance for eligible items saved to a wish list, cart, or items saved for later. They could even instruct Alexa to remind them when a deal became available or make the purchase on their behalf.
In contrast, Walmart did not acknowledge Walmart+ members or give them any special treatment but promoted “online deals up to 60% off” and enlisted John Legend for a campaign.
Difference Between Memberships
Walmart+ and Amazon Prime are subscription services with varying pricing and benefits. Walmart+ costs $12.95 per month or $98 per year, while Amazon Prime is priced at $14.99 per month or $139 per year, with both offering a 30-day free trial.
Amazon Prime provides fast delivery, including one-day delivery for over 10 million items, same-day delivery for qualifying orders, and two-hour grocery delivery for a minimum $150 purchase. Walmart offers free two-day shipping on orders of $35 or more for all customers. Walmart+ eliminates the $35 minimum requirement for next-day, two-day, and standard shipping but doesn’t apply to third-party sellers. Walmart also offers one-hour grocery delivery with a $35 minimum order and a $5.99 fee for orders below $35.
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