What Shopify Brands Can Learn from Amazon Prime Day Before Peak Season

Gabriella Sanchez

·

August 8, 2025

When it comes to ecommerce, Amazon is the gold standard for both operational prowess and customer experience. And their annual Prime Day event – a misnomer that now features four solid days of deals – is when they pull out all the stops.

Prime Day 2025 was their biggest sales event to date, with an estimated $24.1B in U.S. online sales during July 8–11. The average household spent $156.37 across the event, with most placing multiple orders.

There’s no doubt that Amazon’s Prime Day event represents a masterclass in peak season execution – so, as your brand plans for the Black Friday - Cyber Monday peak season shopping window, let’s explore their approach and see what lessons we can learn from the leader in ecommerce.

While a Shopify brand like yours may not have Amazon’s scale, you can easily adopt its tactics to deliver a seamless, high-converting customer experience.

Ready to build a playbook for maximizing your brand’s profitability for 2025’s Peak Season? Let’s get started.

Prime Day 2025: Data-Backed Insights

First, let’s set the scene with some additional context about Amazon’s Prime Day sales event and why it’s so impactful. Then, we’ll dig into takeaways that you can use in your own business, regardless of its size.

Key Consumer Trends from Prime Day

So what does consumer spending look like in 2025?

In May, McKinsey found that most shoppers were reining in their spending due to concerns about economic pressures. Their survey found that 43% of shoppers were anxious about high inflation rates, and 29% were concerned about tariff policies.

As a result, more than 60% of shoppers said that they planned to change their spending habits, or already had. Of those, 54% said they planned to cut back on non-essential spending, 48% would purchase fewer items overall, and 43% anticipated switching to lower-priced alternatives for their staple products where possible.

In this context, Amazon’s record-breaking Prime Day event showcases how brands can succeed when they’re intent on delivering superior value and seamless experiences to their customers.

Price-conscious shoppers

Given the economic backdrop, it’s not surprising that customers were especially price-sensitive this year: 67% of items purchased in the event were below $20.

That said, Amazon was able to optimize engagement with these value-conscious customers to drive recurring purchases over the course of the event: While baskets were smaller, with an average order value of $53.34, the average household spend was $156.37.

Stocking up on essentials

The top-growing category was Baby Products by a mile (a 554.21% jump from the previous year!), followed by Consumer Electronics and Beauty & Personal Care – illustrating that purchases were largely driven by need rather than desire. (After all, while you might be able to get by another year with your current flatscreen TV, you won’t be leaving the hospital after giving birth without a car seat in place!)

Mobile sales lead the way

Increasingly, shoppers are making more of their purchases than ever on their mobile devices. That trend was on full display for the Prime Day sales event, with customers completing 53.2% of all sales on their smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.

Record-breaking sales in spite of budgetary concerns

Given the cautious outlook for consumers, it’s even more remarkable that Prime Day’s sales generated a new record. The promotion’s $24.1B revenue beat projected growth of 28.4%, with a remarkable 30.3% YoY growth rate.

What factors contributed to Prime Day 2025’s success? Amazon can credit its globally known brand and huge consumer base, of course. But the event also hinged on savvy promotional strategies and flawless execution across every consumer touchpoint – and while you may not be able to replicate Amazon’s scale, you can draw from these strategies to optimize your own Peak Sales event success.

Lessons Shopify Merchants Can Take Away

When your brand is planning your own Peak Event sales campaigns, hone in on these key tactics to help maximize customer engagement and increase spend:

Build a best-in-class CX

At Amazon, customer satisfaction is an obsession. The brand takes every effort to eliminate friction from every customer touchpoint – including one-click checkout, same-day shipping, instant customer support, and box-free returns options.

Optionality is key to the customer experience: Shoppers can learn about products or place orders however they’re most comfortable, whether that’s on the site, on the mobile app, using the Amazon TV app, or even using voice command to place an order on an Amazon Alexa device. This singular focus on delivering a superior omnichannel customer experience has helped Amazon become a behemoth in online shopping – and ensures record-breaking sales at events like Prime Day.

Discount intelligently

It goes without saying that the steeper the discount, the more products you’ll sell. But does that just mean that you’re driving sales at the expense of your profit margins?

Instead, follow Amazon’s lead and offer smarter promotions. For instance, during the Prime Day event, Amazon runs a series of “Lightning Deals,” or limited-time and limited-quantity deep discounts on specific products.

Running promotions like Lightning Deals help you create a sense of urgency – customers know that they only have a limited time to buy, if they’re even able to obtain the item, so they’re far more likely to complete a purchase during the promotion. And, because you’ve restricted the amount of stock available for the discount, you’ll be able to make sure that you’re not offloading so much product at a deep discount that you’re likely to hurt your profit margins.

Communicate with transparency

Amazon knows that customers don’t want to lose sight of their order for even a moment – so they provide transparent order tracking and delivery notifications for every package, from the moment the order is confirmed until the moment it arrives at the shopper’s doorstep.

Customers can track all orders, regardless of shipping method, through a unified dashboard via website, app, email links, or Alexa. The branded order tracking portal aggregates data from Amazon’s own logistics network and major carriers like FedEx and UPS and provides shoppers with automated updates at every stage of the delivery process, with options for push notifications, SMS and email updates, and Alexa voice updates. This proactive communication keeps shoppers informed at every stage, and instills confidence around the online order process.

This level of transparency doesn’t stop at delivery – it should extend to returns too.

As brands shift away from free returns to protect margins, transparency becomes even more important. Instead of surprising customers with a return fee after the fact, give them the option to opt-in for a free return earlier – right at checkout. With a small add-on fee, shoppers can secure peace of mind before they buy, helping you offset costs without damaging the post-purchase experience.

Ensure hassle-free returns

Amazon’s seamless returns experience reduces the anxiety around making an online purchase, ensuring that more shoppers confidently complete the sales process. Amazon’s products are typically returnable for a full refund for 30 days, and the brand provides a range of return options to prioritize customer conveniences: Shoppers can choose between mailing in their items, or dropping them off at a location in Amazon’s extensive retail network, including UPS Stores, Kohl’s, and Whole Foods.

Even better, customers generally receive their refund as soon as the item is scanned in for delivery, rather than being forced to wait until it is received at the warehouse. Seventy-seven percent of customers check a brand’s return policy before making a purchase, so Amazon’s savvy returns strategy is yet another way to boost conversion rates and build trust in the brand.

Reward your loyal customers

It’s worth mentioning that not just anyone can shop the Amazon Prime Day event – it’s reserved only for paying Amazon Prime members, which currently number more than 180 million in the U.S. alone. The cost of the annual membership ($139, though discounts are available) rewards members for their loyalty with benefits including free shipping, Amazon Prime music and TV streaming services, and access to the killer deals available at Amazon Prime shopping events. By setting up a paid VIP membership with special offers and benefits, you’ll be able to encourage brand loyalty and make your shoppers feel valued.

Next up, let’s look at how to put these strategies into action to help your brand’s Peak Season sales event break records, too.

Peak Season Prep Checklist: Amazon-Inspired Tactics for Shopify Brands

Gearing up for Black Friday-Cyber Monday, Back to School Shopping Season, Memorial Day Weekend, or another Peak Season shopping event?

Then it’s time to take some tips from Amazon to build a best-in-class customer experience for your shoppers to maximize conversion and drive customer loyalty. Here’s your guide to getting started:

• Set transparent delivery expectations: When a customer places an order, they shouldn’t have to guess when it’ll arrive. Provide them with accurate delivery estimates that are updated in real-time, based on data from the shipping carrier, so that they can have confidence in the delivery process.
• Run flash sales and bundled promotions: Drive demand among your customers with exclusive, limited-time discounts on popular products, ensuring that you get a high volume of shoppers browsing your sales even if they can’t nab the deal. Once they’re there, you can entice them with additional promotions, such as BOGOs and bundled deals, to increase your sales volume. 
• Optimize your returns experience: Turn the traditional cost center of returns into a loyalty driver with a seamless returns experience that your customers will love. Make it easy for shoppers to choose a refund, but equally simple for them to exchange the product for another selection – by incentivizing exchanges, you’ll be able to retain more revenue from each transaction and maintain high customer loyalty rates.
• Prepare your ops team for demand spikes: If you’re counting on record-breaking sales, you’d better make sure the day-of crowds won’t break your site or send your team spiralling. Ensure that your web hosting bandwidth can handle high volumes, stock up on inventory, and empower your CX team with technologies that can help them scale to meet demand so you won’t hit speed bumps during your big event.
• Enhance post-purchase engagement: Keep your customers engaged throughout the order and delivery process with branded tracking, offering personalized promotions that can encourage upsells. By fostering proactive communications across all the channels your customers use (email, SMS, in-app messaging), you’ll be able to heighten excitement around their purchase and your brand.
• Reward repeat buyers: Boost your customer loyalty with a high-value VIP program, with offers such as VIP-only deal access, free shipping, and other special perks. Encouraging customers to sign up in advance for a paid membership program will help you boost your profit margins and keep your retention rates high.
• Personalize your customers’ offers: Draw from your customer data to present personalized product recommendations and upsell opportunities during your sales event, based on other products the customer has shown interest in. By delivering highly relevant promotional offers, your customers will be more likely to convert and to spend more with your brand. 

How Loop Helps You Prepare for Peak Season

Delivering a seamless Peak Season experience is much easier when you have the right technology in place to support your team. Shopify brands can easily integrate tech solutions from the Shopify App Store to support their operational needs, ensuring a seamless post-purchase experience for their Peak Season shoppers.

As a Shopify Premier Partner, Loop provides an array of robust features that can help you optimize your Peak Season success and deliver an Amazon-like customer experience, both during the delivery and returns process. These include:

Delivery Promise

Our Delivery Promise feature uses real-time data to provide your customers with accurate estimated delivery dates throughout the customer journey. Instill confidence in the delivery journey, and reduce the number of “Where’s My Order” customer support inquiries, freeing up your CX team to handle higher-level issues.

Checkout+

With Checkout+, you’ll be able to provide a customized experience at checkout centered around your shoppers’ needs. Customers will have the option to pay a small fee upfront to get access to free returns later. With a 70% opt in rate, you’ll be able to recoup revenue that will cover the costs of both your return shipping fees and your returns management software. With granular controls through Workflows, you can waive the return shipping fees for VIP customers or in cases involving damaged items.

Branded Order Tracking

Deliver real-time order tracking updates through a branded tracking page that integrates shipping carrier data to keep your shoppers informed with proactive updates throughout their customer journey. You’ll be able to continually re-engage your shoppers with updates via email and SMS, and encourage upsells by sharing personalized product recommendations on your tracking page. Including a FAQ on your order tracking page will help to reduce customer support inquiries, including WISMO requests.

Workflows Automation

If your brand has different rules for different types of returns, Loop’s pre-built automation templates can simplify complex logic for Peak Season. Using Workflows to set up automations will ensure that each case is handled appropriately, without the need to involve customer support resources. As a result, cases will be resolved instantly, ensuring customer satisfaction throughout the returns process.

Fraud Prevention

Returns fraud is on the rise, cutting into retailers’ profit margins. By using Loop’s fraud model algorithm to detect suspected returns fraud, you’ll be able to halt these transactions before they impact your business. You can also set up blocklists for known abusers, and create guardrails around returns inspections to help you reduce the impact of returns fraud and abuse on your brand.

Intelligent Data Insights

When you know why returns are taking place, you can take steps to reduce their incidence. By collecting returns reasons from customers, you’ll have the data insights you need from our Analytics 2.0 customized dashboards to make product development tweaks and enhance the accuracy of your product descriptions, leading to more satisfied customers and lower return rates. And now, with the launch of Return Policy Insights, you can go beyond guesswork. Access benchmarks and trends from over 5,000+ Shopify brands to build a smarter, more effective return policy with no trial and error required.

The Bigger Picture: Building Resilience for Q4

With peak shopping season on the horizon, the brands that will dominate are those that model grace under pressure. By taking lessons in customer experience and operational excellence from retail giants like Amazon, you’ll be well equipped to scale your business seamlessly to meet customer demand.

By embracing technology like Loop and other best-in-class apps in the Shopify ecosystem, you can build a robust customer journey that enhances your customer’s experience with your brand at every touchpoint, from the initial purchase all the way through the returns process. You’ll be able to leverage smart automation to scale your customer support team and empower shoppers to resolve issues quickly through self-service, delivering an improved customer experience even during high-volume shopping periods. At the same time, smart routing options and workflows can help you cut costs around return shipping and processing while reducing fraud risk, enabling your brand to recover revenue throughout the returns process.

Your brand doesn’t have to be huge to have an Amazonian impact. With the right tools at your fingertips, and a strong, customer-first philosophy at play, you’ll be poised for success through Peak Season and beyond.

Want to get prepared for Peak Season? Loop can help. Book a demo today.

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