Canadian online retailers outside Amazon experienced notable sales growth during the Prime Day period, according to data from Salesforce.
Analysis based on the activity of 1.5 billion shoppers globally across Salesforce's Commerce Cloud and related products showed that deal-focused Canadian consumers increasingly turned to retailers beyond Amazon in their search for bargains during the Prime Day sales window in early July.
Focus on value
According to Salesforce, shoppers in Canada demonstrated a pronounced attention to discounts, both at Amazon and elsewhere, in the lead-up to Prime Day. The data highlighted that in the three days before Prime Day officially began, Canadian retailers who launched pre-Prime Day promotions benefitted from early demand, registering sales growth of 9%, 3%, and 13% on consecutive days.
Caila Schwartz, Director of Consumer Insights at Salesforce, noted the overall trend in North America, stating, "Sales growth for North American non-Amazon retailers increased 1% year-over-year during last week's Prime Day events and by 9% in Canada. The strongest growth came during the final two days in Canada, where retailers recorded sales growth of 16% and 23% respectively. Shoppers who were holding out for a bargain from Amazon, clearly went elsewhere as the week went on, and what makes it even more impressive, is that the average discount level being offered was down 2% from last year."
Reduced discounts, increased growth
The data reveals that even though average discount levels in Canada were lower than last year - falling to 20% this year from 22% last year - retailers still achieved sales growth. This indicates that consumer demand was robust, despite the less aggressive discounting environment compared to the previous year.
Globally, non-Amazon retailers registered year-over-year sales growth of 8% overall during Prime Day, with the United States recording a modest 1% gain. In contrast, Canada saw more pronounced growth at 9%, driven by significant momentum in the final two days of the event with 16% and 23% increases, respectively.
Top performing categories
The Salesforce data also identified the strongest global sales growth by category during the Prime Day period. Handbags and luggage led with a 30% increase, followed by food and beverage at 27% and sporting goods at 25%.
The results underline a proactive approach among Canadian retailers, who are leveraging major shopping periods like Prime Day to run promotional campaigns before and during the event, capturing early demand and responding to consumer expectations for value.
"Sales growth for North American non-Amazon retailers increased 1% year-over-year during last week's Prime Day events and by 9% in Canada. The strongest growth came during the final two days in Canada, where retailers recorded sales growth of 16% and 23% respectively. Shoppers who were holding out for a bargain from Amazon, clearly went elsewhere as the week went on, and what makes it even more impressive, is that the average discount level being offered was down 2% from last year."
The findings reflect a wider trend among shoppers to seek out options across the broader retail landscape during key online sales events, rather than limiting their search for deals to one major retailer.
