• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Retailprime day

How Prime Day stacks up against other shopping holidays

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 21, 2021, 5:56 PM ET
Video Poster

Amazon is poised to make more than $10 billion from Prime Day, its two-day shopping frenzy, which runs June 21 and 22. Does that haul make Prime Day the king of the shopping holiday hill?

Not exactly.

While Amazon’s retail event has grown big enough to spur competitors to launch their own competing sales, it still falls far behind other big shopping days.

A study from Digital Commerce 360, a market research firm, breaks down Amazon’s multi-day event compared to others held around the world. Last year, the site says, Amazon took in an estimated $10.4 billion. That’s less than 15% of the gross sales of Alibaba’s Singles Day 2020, which came in at $74.1 billion.

Chinese shoppers often dwarf the totals of U.S. customers. JD.com’s big June sale, called 618, took in $37.99 billion last year. And the period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, known as the “cyber five” for the number of days it spans, saw $34.36 billion spent worldwide.

Admittedly, 2020 was an unusual year for retailers, given the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Day came late, which could have impacted its numbers. But if you’re curious how the event compared in terms of single-day sales to other single-day events, it fared a bit better, though not as well as you might think.

Cyber Monday is the king of shopping events these days. Boosted by the pandemic, when many people were unable or unwilling to go to brick-and-mortar stores, Cyber Monday 2020 took in $10.84 billion in just one day, according to the study.

Black Friday, not surprisingly, was close behind. The event netted just over $9 billion in sales. Prime Day came in third at $5.2 billion, which was just a hair more than Thanksgiving Day sales of $5.1 billion.

The big question for 2021 is: Since Prime Day has more separation from the other big shopping holidays of the year, will less looming competition result in sales that top last year? Or will buyers be less enthusiastic at the start of summer?

More must-read retail coverage from Fortune:

  • “Ugly” produce is finally finding a second life on the shelves of major grocery chains
  • “A love affair with Le Creuset”: How a staple of the French kitchen turned into a global hit
  • Walmart stores will once again be closed this Thanksgiving
  • The clean hair care brand rooted in Latinx heritage
  • Macy’s is bringing back its July Fourth fireworks show in latest sign of NYC revival

Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning.

About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Retail

EBay soars on report that GameStop is preparing a takeover bid
Investingecommerce
EBay soars on report that GameStop is preparing a takeover bid
By Spencer Soper, Cecilia D'Anastasio and BloombergMay 1, 2026
16 hours ago
Photo of a bowl of mac and cheese
LawFood and drink
A Chick-fil-A worker got fired and then showed up behind the register to allegedly refund himself over $80,000 in mac and cheese
By Catherina GioinoMay 1, 2026
21 hours ago
Two women examine cleaning products
RetailInflation
Your laundry bill is about to get more expensive—and Unilever says the Iran war is partly to blame
By Sasha RogelbergApril 30, 2026
2 days ago
Aerie built a $2 billion brand by rejecting Victoria’s Secret’s old playbook. Now it wants to win the AI backlash
C-SuiteRetail
Aerie built a $2 billion brand by rejecting Victoria’s Secret’s old playbook. Now it wants to win the AI backlash
By Phil WahbaApril 30, 2026
2 days ago
Starbucks is winning customers back after investing $500 million in workers and stores
Workplace CultureFortune 500
Starbucks is winning customers back after investing $500 million in workers and stores
By Phil WahbaApril 29, 2026
3 days ago
starbucks
Retailearnings
‘A little touch of luxury, it goes a long way’: Starbucks CEO sees the turn in the turnaround as human touch sings
By Nick LichtenbergApril 29, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
Personal Finance
Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
By Fatima Hussein and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
North America
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
By Jake AngeloApril 30, 2026
2 days ago
The U.S. economy is booming — just not where 50 million Americans live
Commentary
The U.S. economy is booming — just not where 50 million Americans live
By Derek KilmerMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of May 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
A Chick-fil-A worker got fired and then showed up behind the register to allegedly refund himself over $80,000 in mac and cheese
Law
A Chick-fil-A worker got fired and then showed up behind the register to allegedly refund himself over $80,000 in mac and cheese
By Catherina GioinoMay 1, 2026
21 hours ago
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
By Preston ForeApril 27, 2026
5 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.