The best-selling items on Prime Day 2026 were protein shakes, trash bags, and ca
By Brandon Fishman · July 28, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
The best-selling items on Prime Day 2026 were protein shakes, trash bags, and cat treats. 69% of items sold for under $20.
Average order value dropped 18%. Household spend fell 17%. Shopper satisfaction dropped to 59% from 68% last year.
Consumers traded down, bought basics at a discount, and left.
When that happens, most brands do the same thing: they discount deeper, spend more on ads, and chase the same revenue at thinner margins.
CPCs were up 16% across the board this year. Competitive categories saw 60 to 100% increases. Four days instead of two means four days of deals, elevated ad spend, and less profit on every unit sold.
Across our book at Prime Team we went the other direction: spent less and grew more.
Like-for-like sales up about 23%.
Amazon ad spend down about 13%.
Ad cost as a share of sales dropped by roughly a third.
Our biggest grower stacked front page placement on Day 1, two Amazon Live broadcasts, and a disciplined ad strategy. Day 1 alone, sales were up 226% year over year.
The brands that treated Prime Day like a price war are looking at their P&L right now wondering where the margin went.
If you're sitting on a discount-and-outspend playbook for Q4, kill it now. Protect margin, shift spend toward placements that actually convert.
♻️ Repost if your Prime Day numbers looked better on the top line than the bottom line.
Click the link in my profile to connect with Prime Team Agency.