The Marathon Mindset: How Our Sellers Beat the Market by 4X on Prime Day

This year, Amazon declared Prime Day 2025 its “biggest Prime Day event ever,” and on the surface, the numbers were staggering. But for those of us who live and breathe e-commerce, the real story wasn’t about the record sales—it was about a fundamental shift in the very nature of the game. The frantic, 48-hour sprint we’d all grown accustomed to was gone. In its place was a four-day marathon that tested strategy, patience, and operational endurance like never before.

And I’m thrilled to report that our sellers at Goflow didn’t just run the race; they set the pace.

But here’s the story behind the story—the one that gets lost in the headlines. News outlets and retail analysts confirm that, although Amazon.com achieved “record sales,” the company does not release a specific revenue total for the site itself. The widely-circulated $24.1 billion figure is an estimate from Adobe Analytics for all U.S. e-commerce during that four-day period, a rising tide that lifted the entire industry. This makes it nearly impossible for the public to gauge how Amazon’s own marketplace truly performed.

This is where our data becomes so powerful. By analyzing the aggregate performance of hundreds of Goflow sellers, we can lift the veil beyond the same rehashed numbers and provide a direct, clear view into the actual results on the Amazon platform.

Prime Day 2025: By the Numbers

Goflow seller data is based on internal platform analysis.

Across our platform, Goflow sellers achieved a massive 21% year-over-year growth in sales during the full four-day event. To put that in perspective, respected industry analysts at Momentum Commerce estimated that the broader Amazon marketplace grew by a much more modest 4.9%. That means our partners, in aggregate, outpaced the market’s growth by more than four times.

This wasn’t an accident. It was the result of a deliberate strategy, a “marathon mindset” that understood the new rules of engagement before the starting gun ever fired. The key to this success lies in a fascinating paradox: despite the incredible overall growth, a direct comparison of the first two days of 2025 against the two-day event of 2024 showed a 32.7% decline in sales.

“That initial dip, which sent waves of concern through the market, wasn’t a sign of weakness. It was the most important clue to understanding the new consumer psyche and the winning playbook for retail’s biggest moments.”

Max Hauer, CEO, Goflow

The Four-Day Paradox: Why a Slow Start Was a Winning Strategy

When Amazon extended Prime Day to four days, it didn’t just add 48 hours; it completely changed consumer psychology. The intense fear of missing out (FOMO) that fueled previous events evaporated. As Mike Feldman, SVP of Commerce at Flywheel Digital, aptly put it, “what once felt like a flash sale became more of a browsing marathon”.

Shoppers felt less pressure to buy immediately. They took their time. They browsed, built carts, and compared prices across competing sales events from retailers like Walmart and Target. In fact, one study found that In fact, one study found that 57% of shoppers actively looked at Walmart or Target's websites before ultimately making a purchase on Amazon. This market-wide behavior explains the initial slowdown that many sellers experienced.

Chart 1: Indexed Sales for First 48 Hours (2024 vs. 2025)

A direct comparison of the first 48 hours shows a significant drop, highlighting the shift in shopper urgency. Goflow seller data is based on internal platform analysis.

But while sales volume was initially lower, a more telling metric revealed a different story: Average Order Value (AOV). In the first two days of the event, our sellers’ AOV actually increased by 2.5% over 2024. This is crucial. In a climate of economic caution where everyone expected shoppers to hunt for the cheapest deals, our data showed they were making more considered, higher-value purchases.

Chart 2: Average Order Value (AOV) Comparison (2024 vs. 2025)

Goflow sellers saw a 2.5% increase in AOV during the first 48 hours of the 2025 event, indicating more considered, higher-value purchases. Goflow seller data is based on internal platform analysis.

“They weren't just being cheap; they were being strategic value-seekers.”

Max Hauer, CEO, Goflow

The Winning Playbook: Endurance, Investment, and Agility

So, how did our sellers translate this new consumer behavior into a four-fold market advantage? They embraced the marathon mindset across three critical areas.

1. They Mastered the Inventory Imperative.

In a four-day event, running out of stock is catastrophic. A stockout on Day 2 means you miss the crucial conversion surge on Days 3 and 4, when patient shoppers finally click “buy.” Our sellers used sophisticated forecasting to ensure they had the operational endurance to last the full 96 hours, navigating Amazon’s increasingly strict inventory controls to stay in the game until the very end.

2. They Deployed a Sustained, Full-Funnel Ad Strategy.

This was perhaps the biggest differentiator. The old model of front-loading ad spend into the first 24 hours was a recipe for failure this year. The winning strategy was to treat advertising as a sustained investment across the entire event.

Multiple industry analyses confirmed that ad clicks and engagement from the first two days were directly responsible for driving sales during the final two days. Our most successful sellers understood this. They didn’t pull back during the mid-event lull; they continued to invest, knowing they were filling the pipeline for the final sprint. This strategic patience is reflected in the market-wide pivot to full-funnel tactics.

According to the agency Acadia, investment in Amazon’s Demand-Side Platform (DSP) for broader audience targeting grew from just 8% of ad budgets in 2024 to around 20% in 2025.

Chart 3: Daily Share of Total Prime Day 2025 Sales

Sales peaked on Day 1, dipped mid-event, and rebounded on Day 4 as shoppers finalized their purchases. Goflow seller data is based on internal platform analysis.

3. They Focused on Strategic Value, Not Just Deep Discounts.

While it may seem counterintuitive, the deepest discount wasn’t the only path to victory. Data from Momentum Commerce showed that while more products were on sale this year, the average discount depth actually decreased from 24.4% in 2024 to 21.7% in 2025.

Successful sellers adopted a more nuanced approach. They used a mix of promotional tools, with Prime Exclusive Discounts growing in popularity, and many implemented an agile strategy of incrementally increasing deal depth each day to maintain momentum.

“The event came down to a dramatic finish, with savvy brands fine-tuning their promotional strategies until the final hours while consumers responded with significant purchasing activity in the closing stretch”.

-John Shea, Head of Commerce at PMG

The Future is a Marathon

Prime Day 2025 was more than just a sales event; it was a clear signal of the future of retail. The consumer is more patient, more analytical, and more empowered than ever. The explosive, short-term blitz has been replaced by a longer, more complex test of strategy and endurance.

The success of our sellers is a testament to this new reality. In a market where official performance figures are opaque, their incredible 21% growth proves that the brands who win tomorrow will be the ones who embrace the marathon mindset today. They understand that success is no longer just about having a great product; it’s about having the operational stamina, the advertising discipline, and the strategic foresight to win the entire race.