Half of Amazon Spring Sale Shoppers Bought Health and Beauty Products

To further increase its already substantial share of the retail market, last month Amazon announced its first Big Spring Sale.

The sale ran from March 20 to March 25, and although the eCommerce giant likely anticipated it would move a lot of merchandise and boost first-quarter earnings, PYMNTS Intelligence data showed the event was a bit underwhelming.

This is not to suggest the sale was a flop. As PYMNTS Intelligence’s “Amazon Spring Sale Turns Deal Seekers Into Prime Members” showed, 28% of U.S. consumers participated in the Big Spring Sale. It was especially successful in capturing the attention of Amazon’s true believers, as 38% of Amazon Prime subscribers purchased items over the five days.

However, PYMNTS Intelligence’s report — based on surveys with more than 7,400 U.S. consumers — also revealed that a lack of awareness probably undermined final tallies. Forty-two percent of consumers who didn’t participate told PYMNTS Intelligence the reason was they simply didn’t know the sale was happening.

For many of those in the know, however, it was a reason to spend. On average, Amazon Big Spring Sale shoppers bought six items during the sale period, which is one item less than consumers typically pick up during Amazon Prime Day. Not only did shoppers buy fewer items, they bought far fewer big-ticket items such as home appliances, electronics and furniture. Instead, shoppers used the sale to stock up on day-to-day items like clothing, accessories, beauty and health products. Fifty-one percent bought health and beauty products, making that the highest-selling category for the five-day event.

Other popular categories included tool and garden supplies, groceries, sporting goods and auto parts. In other words, essentials. The popularity of such basics suggests that shoppers might still be smarting from the big-ticket purchases they made over the holidays, so they used the March sale to concentrate on cheaper, smaller essentials more befitting springtime activities.

For all PYMNTS retail coverage, subscribe to the daily Retail Newsletter.