The survey result: While a plurality of Big Deal Days shoppers visited Amazon to save on essentials, nearly 1 in 3 (30%) shopped “just for fun,” per a CivicScience survey of consumers who made a purchase during the event.

Roughly equal shares planned purchases ahead (41%) or made impulse buys (38%), with 21% reporting a mix of both.

Why it matters: While there are several signs that suggest Amazon’s Big Deal Days sale may have undershot expectations, it still likely delivered strong strategic value to the retail giant.

• At a time when consumers are increasingly judicious about where and when they spend, 34% of Big Deal Days shoppers visited the retailer to score a deal on a big-ticket item.
• Roughly the same share poked around the retailer’s site and app for entertainment, which drove both incremental sales and brand engagement.
• The event also spurred retail media investment, as brands increased spend to capture high-intent traffic.

Our take: Although shoppers are feeling economic pressure, events like Big Deal Days remain a powerful lever for reigniting discretionary spending and deepening shopper engagement.

To maximize the impact of tentpole sales, retailers could:

• Personalize offers that blend necessity and novelty to ensure they’re appealing to both planners and impulse buyers.
• Keep the momentum going with follow-up offers or curated recommendations that bring shoppers back after the event.
• Use retail media learnings to fine-tune targeting and make future campaigns more relevant and efficient.

If Amazon and its peers can turn fleeting event-day interest into repeat buying, those short-term sales can build significant, long-term value.