Internet searches for “Canceling Amazon Prime” were 18 times higher on Monday — the beginning of Amazon.com Inc.’s two-day sale — than the previous day, according to search engine monitoring firm Captify.
The data suggest shoppers want to snatch up discounted gadgets and appliances without making a long-term commitment to the world’s biggest online retailer.
“If Amazon is hoping to use Prime Day as a way to sign up and retain new Prime members, they might need to rethink their retention plan,” Captify said in a statement. “According to search, consumers are signing up for Prime, getting their deals and then canceling membership shortly after.”
Shoppers are projected to spend $5.8 billion on Amazon over the two days, according to an estimate from Coresight Research.
The e-commerce giant launched Prime Day in 2015 as a way to lure new Prime members, who pay fees in exchange for shipping discounts and other perks like video streaming.
