Amazon Prime memberships have more than doubled since its first members-only Prime Day discounts three years ago
On Monday, Amazon commenced its fourth annual Prime Day - the e-commerce giant's Black Friday equivalent that started in 2015 and caters exclusively to members of its discount club.
For 30 hours starting at 3:00 pm EST, Prime members will get discounts on more than a million products ranging from Echo speakers to athletic wear and home supplies. It's one of the more recent perks Amazon has added to the $119 per year membership plan, and - as this chart from Statista shows - it's a perk that's helped attract many more members.
When the Prime club launched in 2005, Amazon only offered members free two-day shipping and discounted single-day shipping for $79. It has since added same-day delivery, unlimited video streaming, free access to a music library, photo storage, and - most notably - discounts on Prime Day. In the decade leading up to the first Prime Day, Amazon's Prime club had 40 million members. In the three years since it began the Prime Day sales, the company has added 55 million new members.
Amazon doesn't disclose its sales numbers, but Internet Retailer estimates show that international sales from last year's Prime Day brought the company about $2.4 billion; almost $1 billion more than the year before, and more dollars than Cyber Monday and Black Friday generated, according to the company.
