Another “record” Prime Day — minus the records 🧾 [MDSR #51]

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Million Dollar Sellers
July 25, 2025

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Hot Off The Presses 📰

Another record-breaking Prime Day is on the books — but the math isn’t totally mathing.

You could say that Prime Day 2025 was a tale of two sales. Amazon stretched the event to four days only for Day 1 sales to promptly tank by 41%. But by the finale, U.S. online spending hit a whopping $24.1 billion, outpacing forecasts and rebranding mid-July as “Black Friday in July.”

Still, Amazon withheld its usual sales stats, raising eyebrows across the seller community. No mention of total units sold. No product breakdown. Just vague victory laps and lots of optics.

As the dust settles, many sellers are left wondering if the juice was worth the squeeze after reports of only 4.9% Prime Day sales growth on the platform itself. 

In the background, macro uncertainty is rewriting Q4 strategy. The de minimis exemption is on its way out, and new retaliatory tariffs from the U.S. are threatening rates as high as 70%. Just in time for the holiday buying season. Even the luxury world isn’t immune. Aspirational spending is down, and Q4 is looking less opulent than usual. 

And now new players are entering the… chat. That’s right, OpenAI is coming for your cart, too. ChatGPT will soon let users buy products mid-convo, taking a cut in the process. Amazon and Walmart, consider yourselves on notice.

And don’t forget the feds. The FTC issued warnings to Amazon and Walmart over phony “Made in USA” claims, calling out specific sellers in the process. If your origin labels are even a little fuzzy, now’s the time to double-check.

Meanwhile, Amazon’s AI project Starfish is rewriting product listings using data scraped across the web — aiming for “complete, correct, and consistent” content. What could go wrong?

Logistics-wise, good news: the FBA max box length is up to 36 inches, a win for oversized inventory and packaging efficiency.

And on the cloud side, Amazon’s Anthropic partnership is driving serious revenue for AWS, while new AI agents debut in their enterprise marketplace. Sell stuff, sling servers — Amazon’s doing both.

Whether you’re scaling up or retrenching, the second half of 2025 is shaping up to be a stress test — for margins, for message control, and for staying relevant in an increasingly unpredictable market. 

And if Prime Day was any indication, even the biggest eCommerce event of the year is no longer a guaranteed win.

So, how did it play out for you?

📊 Quick Poll: How did Prime Day 2025 impact your profits?

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Million Dollar Advice 💸 

If rising ad costs and shrinking margins have you rethinking your growth playbook, you’re not alone. In 2025, top Amazon sellers aren’t just spending less to acquire customers — they’re getting smarter about how they do it. 

From better targeting and creative testing to tapping into brand collaborations and affiliate programs, the savviest operators are lowering CAC without slowing down sales.

Want to grow profitably this year? Start here ⤵️

Lower Customer Acquisition Cost Practical Strategies

Before you can even think about slashing your customer acquisition costs, you need to get brutally honest with your numbers.

www.mds.co/blog/lower-customer-acquisition-cost

Demystifying the Prime Day stats 🔮

Confused by all the Prime Day headlines? You’re not alone. Here’s a breakdown of key takeaways from Momentum Commerce and Numerator to help sellers separate fact from fluff:

🔄 Strategic Shifts in Discounting (via Momentum Commerce) 🔄

  • Total Prime Day sales were up 4.9% compared to last July’s combined Prime Day + halo period.

  • 25.6% of listings were discounted — a slight increase from 23.6% last year.

  • But average discount depth dropped to 21.7% (vs. 24.4% in 2024), signaling more cautious promo strategies.

  • Brands ramped deals throughout the four-day event, peaking in the final 48 hours.

  • Momentum observed a “strategic, paced approach” — fewer doorbusters, more methodical spend.

🛒Shopper Behavior Insights (via Numerator) 🛒

  • Average order size: $53–$57; multi-order households spent ~$156 across the event.

  • 66% of orders were under $20, while just 3% topped $100.

  • Top-selling categories: Household Essentials, Health & Beauty, Consumer Electronics.

  • 67% of Prime Day shoppers reported high satisfaction, but 57% price-checked Walmart and Target before purchasing.

  • Demographic snapshot: Mostly suburban women aged 45–64, with nearly 90% identifying as repeat Prime Day participants.

TL;DR: Yes, it was a “record” Prime Day — but that record came from more days, not necessarily stronger margins. Brands leaned into tighter discounts, consumers held out for better deals, and price-checking was the norm. 

Prime Day 2025 was big… just not for everyone.

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Did you see that post 📲

Shameless self-plug 🔌 

Business Insider did a deep dive on the Million Dollar Sellers crew — and yes, we’re blushing.

Until next time ✌️

As always, thanks for sticking with us until the end. 

If you’d care to share your thoughts on this newsletter, we’re all ears. Just hit reply to sound off. 

See you next time with more of the latest and greatest content you need to succeed this year 🔥

Sincerely, 

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*To qualify, you must be a full-time seller or brand owner and do at least 1 million in verified annual revenue. Will Amazon’s Returnless Resolutions solve the returns debacle? [MDSR #30]