Amazon’s annual Prime Day, an increasingly lucrative shopping event, came and went this past week to the tune of more than $14 billion globally and more items sold than ever before. The resulting data offers insight into which fashion categories are currently drawing the most demand.
In the U.S., Prime Day sales were up 8% year-over-year on the second day of the event. But what’s more notable was the 14% increase in discount rates, averaging 24% off. At the same time, there was a 14% increase in products’ average selling price. Apparel was among the highest discounted category, at an average of 27%.
Amazon itself has been experimenting with deeper discounts and is reportedly testing out a new ultra-discounted section of the site meant to compete with the super-low prices of retailers including Shein and Temu. Discounting and increased pressures from ultra-fast-fashion brands have been a thorn in the side of many fashion retailers like H&M which have struggled to compete.
Another notable development during Prime Day was that two of the three top-growing categories were general footwear and active footwear. After a cooling-off period for sneakers in 2023, the last three months have seen several sneaker brands bounce back.
For its part, On saw a 39% sales growth year-over-year in the quarter ending in May. Meanwhile, in the same period, Puma reported that its DTC sales had increased by 13%, marking a return to growth in the U.S.
Amazon has managed to bring on big brands like Coach, which began selling on the platform last year. It’s also worth noting that Amazon backed Saks’s buyout of Neiman Marcus earlier this month. With Prime Day becoming a bigger event every year and customers increasingly seeking discounts, Amazon’s prominence in fashion will likely grow.
