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For the fourth year in a row, Amazon broke records on its company-invented shopping holiday, Amazon Prime Day.
Although the online shopping event was bugged by an early glitch that prevented shoppers from accessing the website, “shoppers spent an estimated $4.2 billion…up 33 percent from a year ago,” according to estimates from Wedbush Securities Inc. that were provided to Bloomberg.
The top-selling categories were pet products, sporting goods, groceries and beauty items, Bloomberg reports.
In addition to Amazon smart home devices, the top-selling items in the U.S. were the Instant Pot 6 qt 7-in-1 Multi Use; 23 and Me DNA Test; and the LifeStraw Personal Water Filter, Amazon reports.
Amazon says small and medium-sized businesses taking part in Prime Day saw more than $1 billion in sales.
“Prime Day offers us a unique opportunity to thank Prime members with our best deals,” says Jeff Wilke, CEO worldwide consumer for Amazon. “Extending Prime Day to a day and a half this year allowed us to further reward members with unbeatable deals, access to exclusive new products and unforgettable experiences that highlight the many benefits of a Prime membership.”
On July 26, the company announced financial results for its second quarter, with sales up 39 percent to $52.9 billion, Amazon reports.
