• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer, Yesterday

Amazon's new ad campaign for its upcoming Prime Day spotlights the kinds of products most associated with the event: splurge-worthy suitcases, headphones and vacuum cleaners. But this year, the deeper story may lie in trash bags and detergent.

While Amazon's decision to shift Prime Day into June surprised some observers when it was announced last month, new research shows how the move will help the company capitalize on consumers' financial worries. People are increasingly stressed about the rising cost of gas, groceries and everything they might buy on Amazon. They'll be looking for new ways to shop the four-day event, and Amazon execs say grocery and household essentials will be "the real focus."

"We're sensitive and cognizant that there's economic uncertainty and everyone's trying to make their dollar, their euro, their rupee stretch further," said Jamil Ghani, Amazon's vice president of Prime, in an interview this week with CNBC.

According to a Tinuiti survey of 1,000 U.S. Amazon Prime members conducted in April 2026, 88% plan to make purchases during Prime Day this year, up from 81% who shopped the event in 2025. And among returning shoppers, nearly half say they are more excited this year than last. But financial pressures are casting a shadow, with one in three Prime Day shoppers saying they are worried about their finances. When asked which factors might negatively affect their Prime Day spending, 55% pointed to higher product prices, while 45% each cited higher grocery prices and higher gas prices as likely drags on their purchasing.

There will likely be fewer items offered. Amazon's new variable fee structure for Prime Day 2026, which takes a percentage cut of high-volume deal sales rather than a flat fee, is pushing brands to be more selective about which products they discount, reportedly making sprawling multi-SKU deal slates less economically viable than in prior years.

Grocery savings are especially prominent this year, including in the fresh categories where Amazon has been working to gain share, like red cherries for $1 and corn at four for a dollar. Broader CPG discounts include up to 45% off personal care products from L'Oréal and Dove, and up to 40% off cleaning supplies from brands like Seventh Generation and Dawn. The company is also offering customers a chance to win $1 million in prizes, including free groceries for a year.

Amazon is supporting the event with a new global campaign, "Big Deal Feeling," built around the rush of a deal that feels too good to pass up. Created in-house, it includes two hero spots —"Cafe" and "Soccer”— running across TV, cinema, and online video, along with 3D digital out-of-home placements in New York City. An Amazon spokesperson tells Retail Insider the installations will run for several weeks near Penn Station, as well as in Times Square during the actual deal days.