Even with consumers pulling back on spending, Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days in 2025 pulled in an estimated $14.5 billion, a 17% jump in global sales from the year before, according to eMarketer. That kind of growth in a tough economy tells us these big deal events are here to stay, and it sets a much higher performance target for 2026. So how can CMOs get their brands ready to grab a bigger slice of that pie?
Key Takeaways
- Your Prime Big Deal Days ad budget needs at least a 30% slice for Amazon DSP. You have to use it to target audiences by lifestyle and demographics, not just people already searching for your products.
- Get an always-on Sponsored Brands Video strategy running at least three months out from the event. We consistently see these campaigns crush engagement and conversion rates during the actual sale.
- You must integrate your first-party data with Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC). It’s the only way to get real customer journey insights and build smarter audience segments for your remarketing campaigns.
- Start talking to your Amazon vendor managers in Q2 2026 to lock in premium placement for your product bundles and exclusive offers. You need that visibility.
- Build some hype with pre-event “deal anticipation” campaigns using Amazon Posts and custom landing pages to grab early interest, we’ve seen this convert up to 15% more shoppers when the event goes live.
| Factor | 2024 Prime Big Deal Days | 2025 Prime Big Deal Days |
|---|---|---|
| Global Sales | N/A | $14.5 billion (17% increase) |
| Mobile Purchase Share | 63% | 68% (5% jump) |
| Amazon DSP Ad Spend Share | 15% | 22% (Significant increase) |
| Sponsored Brands Video Engagement | N/A | 45% higher vs. static ads |
| AMC First-Party Data ROI | N/A | Up to 3x higher on segmented campaigns |
The 2025 Prime Big Deal Days Data: A Mirror to 2026 Strategy
The 2025 event gave us more than just a big sales number. It showed us exactly how shopper behavior is changing. The stat that should get every team’s attention is that 68% of all Prime Big Deal Days buys happened on mobile. That’s a 5% increase from 2024, per Nielsen, and it’s a massive shift in how people shop during these sales. For CMOs, the takeaway is blunt: every creative asset, landing page, and line of ad copy has to be built for a phone screen first. Your team needs to be thinking about thumb-friendly navigation, images that load fast on a weak cell signal, and checkout flows with zero friction. Being ‘mobile-responsive’ is old news. Your entire Amazon strategy has to be mobile-native, or you’re going to get steamrolled by brands that are. It’s really that simple.
“Traditional SEO rewards a page for being findable. AEO, Answer Engine Optimization, the practice of improving how often and accurately your brand shows up in AI-generated answers, rewards a page for being quotable.”
Amazon DSP’s Growing Influence: 22% of Advertising Spend
The IAB’s latest e-commerce report showed us something else: top-tier brands put 22% of their total ad spend into Amazon DSP during the 2025 event. That’s a huge jump from just 15% in 2024. Smart marketers get that DSP is how you reach people off Amazon, using Amazon’s own shopping data to do it with precision. The strategy is evolving from just capturing existing demand with Sponsored Products to actively creating new demand. You’re reaching potential customers on news sites, in mobile apps, and during their streaming TV shows, all driven by what Amazon knows about their shopping habits. My opinion is firm on this: if you don’t have a serious DSP budget for Prime Big Deal Days, you’re giving up a chance to shape the buying decision way before someone types a single word into the Amazon search bar. DSP’s real strength is in prospecting and building your brand with a level of shopping data that no other platform can touch.
The Power of Video: 45% Higher Engagement Rates
It’s no secret video works, but the numbers from 2025 are stark. Reports from both Amazon and Google Ads show that Sponsored Brands Video ads saw 45% higher engagement rates during the 2025 Prime Big Deal Days compared to static ads. That’s a massive difference. During a frantic sales event, shoppers don’t have time to read. They want to see a product’s benefits and why it’s better than the one next to it, fast. A good, tight video does that job far better than any static image or block of text. For 2026, CMOs must treat video creative as a primary task, not a last-minute addition. Keep it short and focused on the benefits. This isn’t a time for a long brand film, you have 15 to 30 seconds to show the product in use and prove it solves a problem. We saw the brands that understood this in 2025 get a real, measurable lift in both clicks and conversion.
The Rising Importance of First-Party Data through AMC: 3x ROI on Segmented Campaigns
The big brands using Amazon’s advanced tools are showing us the future. The 2025 data revealed that when they combined their first-party data with Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC), they got up to a 3x higher ROI on their segmented campaigns. Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) isn’t some toy for Fortune 500s anymore. It’s a required tool for anyone serious about e-commerce. It’s a clean room where you can mix your own data (from your CRM or website) with Amazon’s anonymous ad signals. This lets you build incredibly specific audiences that you can’t create with standard targeting, which then allows for truly personalized messages and offers. If your team isn’t digging into AMC right now, you are giving away a huge edge to your competition. The point of AMC is to spend smarter by finally seeing the whole customer journey and pinpointing which ad dollars are actually working. It does take some technical setup, but that 3x ROI speaks for itself.
Challenging Conventional Wisdom: The Myth of “Deep Discounts Only”
Everyone assumes Prime Big Deal Days is just about who has the lowest price. But the 2025 data shows that’s not the whole story. A study by HubSpot found that 30% of Prime Big Deal Days shoppers actually chose exclusive bundles or unique product configurations over the single biggest discount. This is a clear signal for CMOs to stop thinking only about slashing prices. You should be creating smart product bundles, limited-edition offers, or adding services that are only available during the event. For example, a home electronics brand could bundle a smart speaker with a free smart plug and an extended warranty, instead of just cutting the price on the speaker itself. This strategy protects your margin, boosts the perceived value for the customer, and sets you apart from competitors stuck in a race-to-the-bottom price war. It’s how you attract the sizable chunk of shoppers who want a better *deal*, not just a cheaper price.
Looking ahead to 2026, a winning Prime Big Deal Days playbook has to be smarter than just dropping prices. CMOs need a data-first plan that starts with mobile-native design, includes serious investment in both Amazon DSP and video ads, and uses first-party data in AMC to create campaigns that actually resonate. Getting these pieces right is what will drive real digital marketing success.
What is Amazon Prime Big Deal Days?
It’s an annual shopping event, usually in October, for Prime members only. Amazon runs huge discounts and promotions across most categories, making it a critical sales period for brands on the platform.
Why is mobile optimization so critical for Prime Big Deal Days in 2026?
Because the data from 2025 shows over two-thirds of all purchases happened on a phone. If your product pages, ads, and checkout aren’t fast and easy to use on a mobile device, you’re ignoring the majority of your potential customers.
What is Amazon DSP, and how does it benefit Prime Big Deal Days strategy?
Amazon’s DSP (Demand-Side Platform) lets you buy display, video, and audio ads programmatically, both on and off Amazon. For Prime Day, its main benefit is using Amazon’s first-party shopping data to target audiences, letting you reach potential buyers before they even start searching on Amazon.
Should brands only focus on deep discounts for Prime Big Deal Days?
Absolutely not. Price is important, but 2025 data showed that many shoppers were more interested in exclusive bundles, unique product offers, or other value-adds. This gives brands a way to compete without destroying their profit margins.
What is Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) and why is it important for CMOs?
AMC is Amazon’s secure “clean room” where you can analyze your own first-party data alongside Amazon’s advertising data. It’s important for CMOs because it gives you a much deeper view of the customer journey, which allows for extremely detailed audience segmentation and personalized ad campaigns that deliver a much higher ROI.
