US ONLINE sales during Amazon.com’s Prime Day shopping event rose 6.1 per cent to US$12.7 billion from last year, as inflation-hit Americans hunted for discounts on the e-commerce platform, Adobe Analytics data on Thursday (Jul 13) showed.

Shoppers spent US$6.3 billion on the second day of the big sale as deep discounts on products such as toys and appliances drew in customers who have otherwise cut their non-essential purchases due to rising prices.

Amazon said over the two-day event, Prime members bought more than 375 million items worldwide and saved more than US$2.5 billion on several deals, making it the biggest Prime Day event ever.

The second day saw an increase in sale of back-to-school items including stationary and office supplies, said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights.

“The numbers came in the range that we anticipated,” he said. Online sales on Jul 12 for appliances were up 52 per cent compared to average daily sales in June, while apparel was up 24 per cent and stationary and office supplies was up 76 per cent.

Average order size rose to US$54.05 from US$52.26 last year during the two-day event, according to data firm Numerator.

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Adobe data on Wednesday had showed that US online sales during the first day jumped nearly 6 per cent to US$6.4 billion from a year ago.

On the second day, consumers were most enticed by 14 per cent discount for electronics and 12 per cent for apparel and toys, Adobe said.

“Last year we saw discounts in the mid single digits... (this year) we have them in the higher single digits, almost a bit into the double digits,” Pandya said.

Amazon has also offered for the first time Prime Day travel discount, partnering with travel booking site Priceline, while its loyalty programme members were also given access to “invite-only deals” in the weeks leading up to Prime Day.

Rival retailers including Walmart, Best Buy, and Target are also providing greater discounts.

Separately, about 900 Amazon workers at a warehouse in Coventry, in Britain are striking for three days during the Prime Day shopping event over a pay dispute, which Amazon said will not cause any disruptions for customers.

Adobe’s data relies on direct consumer transactions based on over 1 trillion visits to US retail websites. REUTERS