Amazon’s longest-ever Prime Day, spanning July 8–11, 2025, is already delivering eye-popping results and is expected to generate the equivalent of two Black Fridays in one weekend.

U.S. Online Sales Expected to Hit $23.8 Billion

Adobe Analytics forecasts U.S. online spending (across Amazon and all retailers) during the four-day event to reach $23.8 billion, up 28.4% from last year’s $14.2 billion over two days. Bank of America estimates that Amazon alone will drive $21–$ 21.4 billion in gross merchandise volume (GMV), up approximately 60% year-over-year.

Mobile and AI Are Driving Impulse and Engagement

Over 52% of purchases in the U.S. are expected to come from mobile devices, highlighting the rise of app-based and impulse shopping. AI innovation plays a role, with tools like Amazon’s Rufus chatbot guiding customer decisions. Adobe notes a material surge in AI-driven sales.

Prime Day 2025 Global Launch and Local Highlights

Prime Day is launching in 26 countries, featuring localized offerings. For example, Ireland is participating for the first time, offering deals such as Fire TV discounts and unique events like ice-cream carts in Dublin and Cork.

Some of the highlights in the best-selling category, so far, per country and region are: 

Spain (Day 1, July 9)

Top-selling discounts (up to 80%) include:

• Fire TV Stick HD
  
• Air fryers (Russell Hobbs)
  
• Noise-canceling earbuds
  
• Home goods (pillow sets, irons, kitchen, and cleaning items)
  

United Kingdom

• The LG 32″ LQ63 Smart TV saw a 2,700% increase in sales after a 63% price cut to £129.99, becoming a bestselling upgrade for smaller rooms.
  

United States and Global

• Discounts of up to 24% on apparel and electronics.
  
• Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) methods may account for approximately 8% of sales, representing around $1.8 to $1.9 billion.
  

Prime Day 2025 Merchant and Margin Pressure

About 60% of Amazon listings are third-party sellers. Many face reduced discount capabilities due to tariffs, such as a 50% surcharge on aluminum, which has led to thinner margins.

Surveys indicate that approximately 25% of U.S. consumers may skip the event due to price sensitivity or concerns about inflation. 

Marketplace Competition and Strategic Positioning

Competing retailers, including Walmart, Target, TikTok, and Best Buy, are running parallel promotions, prompting Amazon to extend Prime Day to four days. The extended duration reduces urgency but enables themed daily deals and more personalized shopping experiences.

The post Prime Day 2025: A Record-Breaking 4-Day Shopping Extravaganza appeared first on Cross-Border Magazine.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a new lawsuit against Amazon. The FTC is once again pointing the finger at the company founded by Jeff Bezos and, on this occasion, has accused the company of "misleading" its users to get them to subscribe and renew "without their consent" the Amazon Prime service and then making it difficult to cancel the paid service.

The lawsuit against Amazon includes four civil counts against the company for "manipulative, coercive or deceptive user interface." It seeks a permanent injunction on that conduct, as well as monetary penalties. 

Specifically, the lawsuit claims Amazon used manipulative, coercive, or deceptive user interface designs known as "dark patterns" to trick consumers into signing up for Prime subscriptions that automatically renewed.

According to the lawsuit, Amazon knowingly increased the difficulty of the cancellation process for Prime subscribers seeking to end their membership. The primary purpose of its Prime cancellation process was not to allow subscribers to cancel but to stop them. 

Amazon's leadership slowed or rejected changes that would have made it easier for users to cancel Prime because those changes negatively affected Amazon's bottom line, the brief states. 

In addition, before April 2023, when the platform made changes, the purchase buttons did not indicate that, in some instances, one agreed to join a recurring subscription by completing the purchase. Once subscribed, they add, the cancellation process was challenging to find.

Amazon’s lawsuit claims Prime cancellation was a "labyrinthine" 

The document further notes that Amazon designed that unsubscribe flow to be "labyrinthine" and even referred to it internally as "Iliad," referring to Homer's Greek epic about the long and arduous Trojan War. 

Specifically, there were two possibilities for unsubscribing: by going through various pages on desktop and mobile browsers or by contacting customer service.

The lawsuit alleges that Amazon knew consumers were signing up without consent and the complex and confusing process for canceling Prime. It accuses company executives of failing to take any meaningful action to address the problems until they learn of the FTC's investigation. 

In brief, the FTC notes that Amazon attempted to delay and obstruct the Commission's investigation in multiple instances. Prime membership costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year in exchange for perks such as free shipping on merchandise and access to Amazon's online entertainment programs and movies.

The post The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a new lawsuit against Amazon appeared first on Cross-Border Magazine.

“Pickup from Whole Foods Market is a perfect option for customers who want to grab healthy and organic groceries at their convenience,” said Stephenie Landry, Vice President of Prime Now, AmazonFresh and Amazon Restaurants. “Customers can order at 5:00 p.m., pick up at 5:30 p.m., and we’ll have their groceries loaded into their car just minutes after arrival. For an even faster experience, customers can tell us they are on their way using the Prime Now app and groceries will be ready as they arrive.” To use this service, Prime members place their order via the Prime Now app and choose the pickup option at checkout.

In addition to the grocery pickup service, American Prime members in dozens of cities can use the new grocery delivery service from Whole Foods Market.

The post Amazon Introduces Grocery Pickup in as Little as 30 Minutes from Select Whole Foods Market Stores appeared first on Cross-Border Magazine.

A Yahoo Finance research survey among almost 7000 existing Prime members concluded that 45 percent will discontinue their membership once the price goes up. Another 20 percent said they are unsure whether to continue or not. The research also concluded that the most important reason to continue their Prima account is 'fast and free delivery'. It remains unsure if people will really discontinue their memberships once the new prices become active.

At this moment, it is not known whether a price change will follow for Prime users outside of the United States.

The post Amazon Prime users to drop service with coming price rise appeared first on Cross-Border Magazine.