Amazon Prime Day 2018 saw over £3 billion spent at Amazon in 36 hours

Vaughn Highfield June 30, 2017

Amazon Prime Day has been and gone and it looks like it could have been the biggest sale in Prime Day history for the ecommerce company. While staff strike over poor work conditions as Amazon owner Jeff Bezos is simultaneously announced the world’s richest man, Prime Day is estimated to have seen shoppers spending over $4.2 billion (£3.3 billion) through the retailer. That’s 33% up on last year’s sale, according to estimates from Webush Securities Inc analyst Michael Patcher.

Amazon Prime Day 2018 saw over £3 billion spent at Amazon in 36 hours

Amazon doesn’t disclose revenue from its Prime Day event, which took place over a 36-hour period this July. However, Bloomberg reports that Patcher based his estimates from the scant information the company did release – specifically that it shipped more than 100 million products and small and mid-sized businesses sold over $1bn (£77 million) worth of goods in the first 24 hours of Prime Day.

Prior to Prime Day, analysts Coresight Research estimated the sale would see $3.4 billion (£2.6 billion) spent at Amazon.

So, it’s clear that Prime Day was a success, but if the online sale completely passed you by, we’ve put together everything you’d ever need to know about Prime Day so you don’t end up missing another one next year!

READ NEXT: What is Amazon Prime?

Amazon Prime Day: What is it?

Amazon Prime Day started in 2015 as Amazon celebrated its 20th birthday by slashing the prices of hundreds of its products and offering customers the chance to grab some good old bargains. In true Black Friday/Cyber Monday-style, the online retailer has continued the tradition of Amazon Prime Day every year since.

In a nutshell, Amazon Prime Day is an exclusive sales extravaganza reserved for Amazon Prime members. As a result, to get involved in the big day, you’ll have to sign up for a Prime Membership or a 30-day free trial to unlock Amazon’s juicy offers.

You can sign up for an Amazon Prime membership here. And, as an added bonus, Prime members can currently claim three free months of Kindle Unlimited.

And it’s a great opportunity for Amazon to get more people signed up to its Amazon Prime service, too. In an open letter from Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos recently revealed this tactic has paid off after he revealed the service now has more than 100 million subscribers, and shifted five million Alexa devices in 2017.

Prime Day 2018 saw discounts on everything from Samsung TVs and best-selling blenders to pet supplies and Amazon’s own products, including the Amazon Echo and Fire tablets. Plus, Amazon decided to extend the day to a day and a half, giving us 36 hours of savings. We’re expecting even bigger things for Prime Day 2019.

Amazon Prime Day 2018: When is it?

In 2018, Amazon Prime Day took place from noon on Monday 16 July to midnight on Tuesday 17 July.

It’s unclear when Prime Day 2019 will take place but you can expect it to sit around the first or second week of July 2019.

Amazon Prime Day 2018: What deals to expect

Amazon is offering the biggest savings on its own products during the big sale, including its Fire tablet and Fire TV Stick, as well as the Kindle and Amazon Echo products. In addition, you can expect hundreds of thousands of deals on tech, gadgets and other categories including beauty and home.

Can’t wait till July? Don’t worry, Amazon drops daily discounts on its site. These offers can see you save a hefty chunk on everything from TVs and soundbars to hot tubs and electric toothbrushes. But you’ll have to be quick to bag a bargain, as Amazon’s deals of the day last for 24 hours or while stocks last. You can check out Amazon’s lightning offers on their deals page here.