The insight: Prime Day got off to a strong start, according to Adobe data, despite alternative reports of a dip in spending.

Shoppers spent $7.9 billion online during the first 24 hours of the sale, a 9.9% increase YoY. That made it the single-largest ecommerce shopping day so far this year—and put the four-day event on track to reach $23.8 billion in online sales, the equivalent of two Black Fridays-worth of spending.

Behind the numbers: Conditions are ripe for a strong Prime Day showing—and not just because the event is twice as long as last year.

Tariff concerns are influencing shopper behavior. While Amazon Prime Day—and the growing assortment of competing sales—have already turned July into the new December, fears of rising prices and empty shelves are pushing consumers to stock up on essentials and get an early start on back-to-school and holiday shopping.

• Nearly half (45%) of Amazon Prime members who planned to shop the event said they were looking to buy items in anticipation of tariff-related price hikes, per a Tinuiti survey.
• That was reflected in the early Prime Day data: Spending for appliances and electronics—two categories hard-hit by tariffs—rose 135% and 95%, respectively, compared with average daily sales in June 2025, per Adobe.
• Back-to-school categories like kids’ apparel, school supplies, and dorm essentials also had a sizable uptick in demand.

The growing array of competing events could also be contributing to the overall increase.

• While Momentum Commerce—which manages ecommerce sales for 50 brands—noted a 41% YoY decline in Amazon sales on the first day, Adobe’s upbeat figures suggest that more Prime Day spending is shifting to retailers like Walmart and Target.
• 49% of Amazon Prime shoppers have or plan to shop Walmart Deals, while 38% have or will shop Target Circle Week, per Numerator.

Our take: The early Prime Day enthusiasm is an encouraging sign for Amazon, which is counting on the event to not only boost sales but also unlock additional ad revenues.

It could also be a good sign for retailers running competing sales. While we ultimately expect the longer sales period to benefit the ecommerce giant, shoppers’ growing awareness of other events—and propensity to comparison-shop—could help retailers like Walmart and Target grow their share of an increasingly lucrative shopping period.

Go further: Read our report on Amazon Prime Day 2025.