Amazon Prime Day 2025 Recap: Critical Insights For CPG Brands

Amazon Prime Day 2025 took place from July 8 to July 11. The event generated $24.1 billion in total online sales, setting a new record for Amazon's annual sales event. While high-ticket items still had a presence, this year's data shows that consumer packaged goods (CPG) played a major role in driving volume.

More consumers purchased everyday items like snacks, household products, and personal care goods than in previous years. CPG products were not only widely discounted, but also featured heavily across Amazon's marketing channels, including Fresh and Whole Foods.

This shift reflects growing shopper interest in value and convenience, especially in essential categories. Brands that offered competitive promotions on frequently used products saw the largest gains.

Major Wins For CPG On Prime Day

Consumer packaged goods accounted for a significant share of Prime Day activity in 2025. According to Numerator data, the top-selling item across all categories was Premier Protein Shakes. Other high-performing CPG products included Liquid I.V. hydration packets, Glad trash bags, and Amazon Basics household supplies.

CPG categories contributed an estimated 28% of the total $24.1 billion in sales, equal to approximately $6.75 billion. This marked a noticeable increase over previous years, where electronics and durable goods typically dominated.

Shoppers focused on replenishing household staples. In many cases, consumers delayed purchases in June to take advantage of Prime Day pricing, especially for grocery and health-related items.

The top-performing CPG categories by estimated sales volume were:

• Grocery & Gourmet Food: $1.9 billion

• Health & Household: $1.6 billion

• Beauty & Personal Care: $1.2 billion

• Household Supplies: $1.0 billion

• Snacks & Sweets: $0.75 billion

Across categories, Amazon's increased focus on promoting essentials through its Fresh and Whole Foods platforms helped support CPG growth. Promotions on items like ice cream, corn, and paper goods reached a broad shopper base, contributing to higher conversion rates.

Data Reveals Growth Trends

Consumer packaged goods sales on Amazon Prime Day 2025 increased by 4.9% compared to 2024. This growth reflects higher purchase activity across everyday categories like grocery, health, and household items.

The four-day event format, which extended Prime Day from two to four days, contributed to this growth. CPG items tend to be lower-cost and easier to purchase repeatedly, so the extra time allowed more households to restock items as deals continued.

The average order value (AOV) this year was $53.34. On a household level, the average spend reached $156.37. This suggests that most households made multiple separate purchases during the event, often focusing on replenishment items.

Nearly 84% of all shopper baskets totaled $100 or less. This distribution supports the idea that buyers were focused on smaller, essentials-based purchases rather than high-priced items.

Key statistics from the event include:

• Total Sales Growth: 4.9% increase in CPG sales year-over-year

• Average Discount: 20% average discount across products, up from 17% in 2023

• Promotion Breadth: 7.8 million items were on promotion during Prime Day 2025

• Basket Composition: 84% of shopper baskets totaled $100 or less
  
  
  

Winning Tactics For CPG Brands

1. Offer Deep Discounts For Essential Goods

During Prime Day 2025, CPG brands that applied discounts in the range of 20% to 30% saw the highest conversion rates. This range aligned with the overall event average, which increased from 17% in 2024 to 20% in 2025.

Brands offering discounts on replenishable products like paper towels, protein shakes, and hydration mixes used deeper markdowns to drive volume. Premier Protein Shakes, the top-performing item by unit volume, were offered at a 25% discount, contributing to their leading sales position.

Replenishment products responded better to aggressive discounts because shoppers were more likely to buy in bulk or stock up on items they already use regularly. This behavior lowered the barrier to purchase and increased total units sold.

2. Bundle Products For Higher AOV

Bundling was a common tactic among CPG brands to increase the average order value. Brands grouped complementary items such as snack assortments, beverage variety packs, and health supplements into single purchase units.

Examples of successful bundles included:

• Frito-Lay variety packs with multiple chip flavors

• Liquid I.V. hydration multipacks with assorted flavors

• CeraVe skincare sets with cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen

• Amazon Basics paper goods bundles with toilet paper and paper towels

The psychology behind bundling relies on perceived value and convenience. Shoppers viewed bundled products as a way to save time and money while trying more options from a single brand.

3. Leverage Early Promotions To Build Momentum

Brands that started promotions before the official Prime Day kickoff achieved higher visibility and engagement. Most began teasing offers and collecting interest 7 to 10 days in advance.

Early visibility increased shopper intent and added products to wish lists or carts. This early engagement allowed brands to appear in pre-event searches and email recommendations, increasing conversion likelihood once the event began.

Warm-up tactics included limited pre-Prime Day lightning deals, early access coupons, and social media countdowns. These activities helped build anticipation and moved shoppers toward early decision-making.

Advertising And Retail Media Insights

During Prime Day 2025, spending on Amazon Sponsored Products ads increased by 20% year over year. Sponsored Products are paid placements that appear in search results and on product pages. This increase in investment reflected a broader effort by CPG brands to maintain visibility in highly competitive categories.

CPG products experienced an 81% increase in clickthrough rates compared to the previous year. This indicated that more shoppers engaged with these ads, likely due to improved targeting and relevance.

Brands used keyword targeting strategies focused on high-intent search terms related to essentials, such as "protein shakes," "toilet paper," and "hydration mix." These terms aligned closely with consumer demand during Prime Day.

Amazon's Demand-Side Platform (DSP) allows brands to buy display and video ads across Amazon-owned and third-party properties. CPG brands increased DSP ad spend by 31% during Prime Day 2025.

Audience targeting was used to reach shoppers who had previously viewed similar products, added items to carts, or made related purchases. This approach helped re-engage potential buyers who had not completed their transactions.

Prime Video ad spend grew by 91% year over year. This included shoppable video placements on Fire TV, the Amazon app, and other Amazon-owned content platforms.

CPG brands used video differently than other categories by focusing on short-form formats that demonstrated product use, brand story, or lifestyle context. These videos often included call-to-action overlays linked to product listings.

Optimizing The Digital Shelf

Product titles and bullet points on Amazon help customers find and understand what is being sold. During Prime Day 2025, high-performing CPG titles clearly stated product type, key features, and unit count. For example, "Premier Protein Shake, Chocolate, 30g Protein, 12 Pack" is concise and descriptive.

Search terms that drove traffic included "high protein drink," "toilet paper bulk," and "hydration powder variety pack." These terms matched how customers described what they were looking for.

Writers balanced SEO with readability by using short, relevant phrases without keyword stuffing. Titles stayed under 200 characters and used common terms. Bullet points focused on benefits and product specifications, such as ingredients, usage, and quantity.

A+ content on Amazon includes additional images, charts, and formatting that appear below the product description. For CPG products, effective A+ content used comparison charts, product benefits, and usage visuals.

Lifestyle images showed the product in everyday use, such as a protein shake being consumed after a workout or snacks placed in a lunchbox. These images helped customers understand how and when to use the product.

Digital shelf optimization elements that drove success:

• Clear Product Titles: Straightforward names with key attributes listed

• Benefit-Focused Bullets: Points that highlight how the product solves problems

• High-Quality Images: Multiple angles showing packaging and product details

• Mobile-Friendly Content: Easy-to-read text and scroll-friendly layouts

Inventory And Logistics Considerations

Effective inventory and logistics planning played a critical role in how CPG brands performed during Amazon Prime Day 2025. The high demand for replenishable goods required detailed coordination across forecasting, fulfillment, and real-time inventory management.

Inventory forecasting for Prime Day typically begins three to four months ahead of the event. Forecasts are based on historical sales data, current market trends, and promotional plans.

Fulfillment method selection depends on the type of CPG product:

• Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA): Used for shelf-stable items where Amazon handles storage and shipping

• Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM): Used for perishable or temperature-sensitive items

• Amazon Fresh: Used for grocery items requiring refrigeration or special handling

Stock level management during the event involved staged inventory replenishment. Some brands allocated reserve inventory to restock mid-event as sales trends became clearer.

Amazon Fresh operations required additional support as demand for grocery items increased. Amazon asked corporate employees to assist with deliveries to help meet order volume. This internal coordination helped reduce delivery delays and supported fulfillment for same-day and next-day grocery orders.

Stockouts impacted long-term performance by reducing customer trust and decreasing product rankings in search results. Brands that experienced stockouts during high-traffic windows may have lost sales to competitors.

Next Steps For Sustained Growth

Consumer packaged goods brands that participated in Prime Day 2025 learned how pricing strategies, advertising formats, and product bundling affected shopper behavior. Sales increased in categories such as grocery, household supplies, and personal care, with unit prices remaining accessible and average order values staying under $60.

Brands that applied discounts between 20–30% and promoted early gained more visibility. Sponsored ad spend rose across the board, and clickthrough rates for CPG surged year over year. Bundling strategies helped raise average order value, and early promotions influenced which products were added to shopper carts before the event officially started.

These learnings apply beyond Prime Day. CPG brands can use this data to inform strategies for other high-traffic periods such as back-to-school, Black Friday, and January replenishment campaigns.

To implement these insights, CPG teams can:

• Review Prime Day performance by SKU, offer type, and placement

• Identify which bundles and discounts led to higher conversion

• Update product pages with keyword-rich titles and enhanced visual content

• Adjust ad targeting based on clickthrough and conversion trends

• Evaluate how early promotions impacted total sales and repeat orders

These tactics contribute to a broader retail strategy that aligns with evolving shopper behaviors. By applying data from Prime Day, CPG brands can refine their year-round digital campaigns, improve product visibility, and adjust fulfillment planning for peak periods.

Schedule an introductory call to explore how Darkroom can help your business grow with data-driven digital strategies tailored for CPG brands in the post-Prime Day landscape.

FAQs About Prime Day Recap For CPG

How can smaller CPG brands compete with major brands during Prime Day?

Smaller CPG brands can compete by focusing on specific audience interests that larger brands may not serve, such as niche ingredients or dietary needs. Unique product bundles and precise advertising based on shopper behavior can also help increase visibility without requiring large budgets.

What methods help convert Prime Day shoppers into repeat customers?

Follow-up emails with helpful product information and limited-time loyalty rewards can encourage repeat purchases. Subscription options with Prime Day-exclusive discounts also help transform one-time deal seekers into regular customers.

How do CPG brands measure Prime Day success beyond immediate sales?

Brands track metrics like new-to-brand customer counts, average order value over time, and repeat purchase rates in the weeks following Prime Day to understand the event's long-term impact on business growth.

When should CPG brands begin inventory planning for Prime Day?

Most CPG brands begin forecasting demand and planning inventory three to four months before Prime Day, with final stock levels confirmed at least 30 days before the event to allow for warehouse processing and shipping.