Amazon Drives 115% Rise in Ecommerce Ad Spend During Q3

| Douglas P. Clement

Spending on ecommerce ads rose 115% in the third quarter compared to last year, and was up 51% over Q2, driven largely by Amazon, a seasonal surge for Prime Day and a strong back-to-school season. A new Q3 report from Marin Software also showed that mobile continues its dominance.

Walmart sign

Walmart Again Reports 37% Growth in Ecommerce During Q2

| Daniela Forte and Mike O'Brien

Walmart reported a 37% increase in ecommerce sales in Q2, the same as in Q1 and supported by strong growth in grocery, as its massive digital investments and focus continue to pay off in its locked battle with Amazon. The company is projecting full-year ecommerce growth of 35%, leveraging its huge store base for fulfillment.

Prime Day by the Numbers: 175 Million Items Ordered and Other Cool Stats

| Mike O'Brien

Prime Day saw 175 million items purchased by Prime members over the two days, according to Amazon, eclipsing its 2018 Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales combined, while analysts pegged total GMV at $6 billion to $6.2 billion. See what other interesting statistics we found to paint a picture of the concocted “Christmas in July.”

Large Retailers See 64% Prime Day One Sales Lift; Glitches Repeat

| Mike O'Brien

Large U.S. retailers over $1 billion saw a nice Prime Day bump on July 15 according to data from Adobe Analytics, with a 64% increase in sales vs. a typical Monday, up from 54% last year. Smaller retailers under $5 million, meanwhile, realized a smaller 30% sales lift, Adobe said. Meanwhile, some checkout glitches recurred this year.

Prime Day Expected to Hit $5.8B in Sales; 250 Retailers Joining the Party

| Mike O'Brien

Prime Day, running for 48 hours on July 15-16, is expected to generate $5.8 billion in global sales, with an estimated 250 retailers drafting in its wake as more of them realize the huge potential. Also, Prime membership has grown to 105 million in the U.S., and electronics, home goods and apparel are the hot categories.

Half of U.S. Consumers Visiting Amazon During Prime Day Experienced Issues

| Mike O'Brien

A survey by JDA Software found that more than half of U.S. consumers – 52% – ran into technical difficulties during Prime Day. Of that group, 27% either gave up without making a purchase or bought less than they had planned. Amazon is also facing allegations of raising prices on some products, with the FTC looking into it.

Amazon Prime Day Sales Up 24% from Last Year

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon said Prime Day was another big winner, calling it the biggest shopping day in its history, with more than 100 million products purchased by Prime members during the 36-hour extravaganza that stretched from mid-afternoon on July 16 to the early morning hours of July 18 on the east coast.

Merchants Looking to Strike Gold Inside, Outside Prime Day

| Mike O'Brien

As Amazon Prime Day 4.0 is set to run for 36 hours Monday and Tuesday, merchants are making last-minute preparations on ads, promotions, pricing and Prime eligibility. Others are looking to create their own buzz, drafting on an extended ecommerce holiday projected to grow by 40% to $3.4 billion. See what else is in store.