COVID-19 is rewriting the retail calendar. Big box retailers are closing their doors on Thanksgiving, and Amazon is leading the new Black Friday: Prime Day. Amazon postponed its annual sales event, which usually takes place over the summer, to this past week from October 13-14. Companies like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy followed suit by offering discounts on the same days, as the pandemic hastens the pivot to e-commerce.
In a Thursday press release, Amazon said this year’s Prime Day marks the two biggest sales days for small and medium businesses on its platform. Apparently, third-party sales surpassed $3.5 billion, an increase of roughly 60% from last year. (It’s worth mentioning that this small business-friendly angle comes alongside mounting antitrust concerns.)
We took Prime Day’s top US best-sellers from a few key categories to get an idea of what Americans are buying as the pandemic rages on. Here are Amazon’s best-selling Prime Day products.
Appliances
Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
I'm not entirely sure what this is, but my guess is it makes nuggets of ice. Gotta keep those quarantinis cold! The Prime Day price was $466.65, down from $824.99. I'm hesitant to call this a "steal."
Single Door Chest Freezer, 3.5 Cubic Feet
It's the end of the world as we know it and people are stocking up on frozen goods and liquor.
Compact Twin Tub Portable Mini Washing Machine
My fellow New Yorkers know this would be clutch.
Apps & Games
Minecraft
Minecraft is available to play on just about any device. The game's massive world to explore and shape, pleasant graphics and simple visuals offer the perfect escape to the virtual great outdoors. You can the activities quarantine prevents you from doing. Adventure with friends! Sleep in a log cabin on a hilltop! Get killed by spiders in a bottomless cave! Plus, COVID doesn't exist in the Minecraft universe (yet).
Scary Teacher 3D
Scary Teacher 3D was number two on Amazon's best-sellers list for the Fourth of July. The objective of the game is to spook your evil teacher. Kids miss normal non-Zoom school and Halloween is right around the corner. Topical!
Toca Kitchen 2
Kids are training to cook and fend for themselves, which will surely come in handy for the impending apocalypse.
Books
Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Ina Garten, queen of comfort food, is here to guide us through pandemic cooking with recipes for classic homey meals like hash browns, grilled cheese, and Boston cream pie. Garten's latest cookbook is a #1 New York Times best seller. It's what she deserves.
The Antiquarian Sticker Book: Over 1,000 Exquisite Victorian Stickers
Quarantine crafting is on the rise. The reviews for this Antiquarian Sticker Book are mostly positive — "Endless possibilities," "Beautiful mini works of art" — one reviewer called the collection "Mysterious and ooky." S. A. Bowman writes, "How many evil clowns, grimacing people and animals, animals with human heads...do you need?" I'm hooked.
Clothing & Shoes
Amazon Essentials Women's Ballet Flat
Ladies, you're (probably) working from home! Leave the ballet flats in Midtown.
Lock Laces - Elastic No Tie Shoelaces for Kids and Adults
Future textbooks will read, "In 2020, humans lost the ability to tie their own shoes."
3. Levi's Men's 505 Regular Fit Jeans
Is the quarantine loungewear lifestyle over? Are sweatpants out? Maybe jeans are making a comeback.
Electronics
Echo Dot (3rd Gen) - Smart speaker with Alexa
So we're really just going to forget the "Alexa is always listening" news, huh?
Fire TV Stick 4K streaming device with Alexa built in
When movie theaters close, home entertainment takes over.
All-new Ring Video Doorbell – 1080p HD video, improved motion detection
Homeowners are feeling unsafe and paranoid, binge-buying home tech to keep themselves occupied during quarantine, or, likely, both.
Entertainment Collectibles
Signed Hockey Mask Friday 13th Jason Voorhees
It's spooktober, baby! Get ready to terrify your roommates and socially distanced trick-or-treaters.
Disney Pin 74154 Fantasmic! - Maleficent with Flotsam and Jetsam Pin
This week, the LA Times published an article entitled, "It’s been 214 days since Disneyland closed. For these superfans, it’s agony." It appears they're ordering Little Mermaid x Sleeping Beauty merch to cope .
Johnny Cash 24x36 Poster in black shirt with guitar in recording studio 1964
Nothing says "I miss the old days" and "dudes rock" like a Johnny Cash Poster in black shirt with guitar in recording studio 1964.
Health
23andMe Health + Ancestry Service: Personal Genetic DNA Test
We're bored at home, now is as good a time as any to find your great grandma's yearbook photo and give away your personal data!
Waterpik Water Flosser Electric Dental Countertop Professional Oral Irrigator For Teeth
The dentist is a potential COVID spreading ground, so why not bring the dentist home with an "oral irrigator"?
Movies & TV
The Office: The Complete Series
The Office is leaving Netflix in 2021, which is upsetting for those on the verge of their 100th rewatch.
Trolls World Tour [Blu-ray]
I didn't know people still had Blu-ray, but now does seem like the appropriate time to show your kids (or your inner child) what Trolls director Walt Dohrn deemed "the happiest movie ever."
Musical Instruments
Wireless Bluetooth Karaoke Microphone
Karaoke is a great way to contract COVID, with strangers shouting into a shared microphone in an enclosed space. An intimate at-home singalong with your pandemic pod, on the other hand...
USB Streaming Podcast PC Microphone
I know quarantine has left you with a lot of time to analyze your thoughts, but I'm begging you not to start a podcast.
Kalimba 17 Keys Thumb Piano with Waterproof Protective Box
This rules. The pandemic is bringing out the hobbyist and amateur musician in all of us.
Sports & Outdoors
LifeStraw Personal Water Filter
We're stuck inside are itching to escape into nature and, quite literally, drink it all in. Product reviews for the LifeStraw, which filters water from the home and outdoors, are mixed.
Some customers called it an "utter disappointment" and "too dang hard to use." Others posted images of themselves crouching down and sipping directly from lakes and creeks. One review reads, "I drank out of a steam. I've become a hippie. Rejoice in my transformation."
Fitbit Versa 2
The perfect tool for homebound people averaging about 200 steps per day in quarantine.
Toys & Games
Kids Against Maturity: Card Game for Kids and Families
The children who have yet to return to in-person schooling and socializing need some stimulation. Kids Against Maturity, "a fun family party game where being the worst is the best," is like the G-rated Cards Against Humanity.
"With age-appropriate toilet humor and funny innuendos for the adults, it can be enjoyed by all ages," the product description reads. "Humorless hover-parents and those who don’t appreciate flatulence jokes, may not approve. One thing is for sure...it’ll get your kids away from their phones, tablets, Fortnite, and other electronic devices for at least 30-90 min." Sad!
Drone FlyCam Quadcopter
This frightening little robot is a hit with kids and parents alike. Fly a mini plane! Spy on your neighbors!
Rock Painting Kit
I'm so glad to hear kids are still painting rocks.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online, jobs, social and web traffic, product sales, and app ratings, and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue, and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.