New York (CNN) — America still loves a good deal.
Consumers spent $12.7 billion on July 11 and 12 during Amazon’s Prime Day sales, an increase of 6.1% from a year earlier, according to Adobe Analytics. Walmart, Target and other retailers also offered deals to customers.
Amazon said July 11 was the biggest sales day in the company’s history, but declined to provide totals. People bought 375 million items over the two days, up from 300 million last year on Prime Day.
Adobe said it was a record two days for overall online shopping.
Online sales were driven by home appliances and toys, Adobe said. Other emerging categories included apparel and electronics.
“Prime Day has become one of the biggest e-commerce times of the year as consumers get significant discounts from a number of different retailers,” said Vivek Pandya, Principal Analyst at Adobe Digital Insights. “Record spending so far shows us that consumers are tapping into their bargain-hunting instincts.”
Elsewhere, curbside pickup accounted for 20% of online orders on July 11, according to Adobe, highlighting the staying power of a service that gained steam during the pandemic. This is a little more than last year.
Amazon celebrates Prime Day in July of each year to boost sales numbers during what are typically slow summer months. It also helps Amazon promote an early start to the back-to-school and college shopping season, according to JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth.
Since Prime Day began in 2015, other chains, including Walmart with its Walmart+ week and Best Buy with “Black Friday in July,” have also jumped on board to capture shopper spending during slow summer months.
Amazon shares on Thursday morning were up about $2 to $133.
