Prime Day 2026 delivered the biggest online sales event in history, but the shoppers behind those numbers behaved differently than they did a year ago. Carts were smaller, price comparisons the norm, and beauty search behavior split into two distinct speeds. We pulled together the macro data, four days of Amazon beauty search trends, and our own client performance results into one look at what really happened—with implications for what it means for brands planning their next tentpole event.
One additional trend of note: Brands pairing press coverage with tracked traffic* grew Prime Day sales at least 63% YoY—brands with press alone saw sales drop ~12%.
*Tracked traffic = external campaigns (email, SMS, influencer, social) using attribution links back to Amazon.
The Value-Conscious Prime Day
Record online sales met a more selective, more promotion-sensitive shopper—and beauty split into two speeds: replenishment staples converted while discovery-driven trends drew interest.
01 The Macro Story
02 The Value-Conscious Shopper
of households placed 2 or more separate orders during the event.
compared prices with other retailers like Target and Walmart.
held out on purchases until items went on sale for Prime Day.
03 Beauty's Two-Speed Market
56–59% of all beauty searches during Prime Day were unbranded (generic), and that share climbed every single day of the event. Discovery was high—but conversion told a different story.
Replenishment Staples
Everyday essentials converted at the highest order rates
Discovery & Trend Terms
High search interest, meaningfully lower order rates
04 What Stayed Hot All Four Days
Top-30 beauty keywords held their rank all four days, anchored by the same handful of brands and categories.
Most-searched beauty keyword, every day of the event
Held the #2 most-searched spot, every day of the event
05 Stella Rising Delivered
YoY growth for new brands in their first Prime Day working with Stella Rising.
Ad Engagement · vs Prime Day 2025
New-to-Brand · vs Prime Day 2025
Sources: Adobe Analytics, eMarketer & Numerator, June 2026 (macro & consumer data) · Amazon Ads Beauty Search Trends, daily reports 06/23–06/26/2026 (US) · Stella Rising client performance data, Prime Day 2026 vs Prime Day 2025.
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