July 18 (Reuters) - Shoppers spent a record $14.2

billion online across retailers in the United States during the

48-hour Amazon Prime Day event, according to a report from Adobe

Analytics on Thursday.

The Amazon ( AMZN ) sales event has also got retailers such as

Walmart ( WMT ) and Target ( TGT ) launching deals to attract

customers looking for steep discounts.

The two-day Amazon ( AMZN ) shopping event has turned July,

traditionally a slow time for retailers, into a season when

parents look for bargains, especially on back-to-school

clothing, electronics, uniforms, backpacks, dorm decorations and

supplies.

This year, back-to-school shopping started about two days

earlier than in prior years as retailers across the U.S. dangle

discounts to rake in dollars that otherwise could go to Amazon ( AMZN ).

Total online sales rose 11% on July 16 and 17 from $12.7

billion over the two days in 2023, Adobe said.

Sales this year were driven in part by back-to-school

shopping with related spending up 216% across both days,

compared to daily sales levels in June 2024, according to Adobe.

Consumers looking to upgrade devices and add new technology

helped push online sales for the electronics category up 61%

across retailers, Adobe said. It relies on direct-to-consumer

transactions based on more than 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail

websites.

Amazon.com ( AMZN ) said the Prime Day event this year saw

record sales and more items sold during the two days than any

previous year.

During the two days, Amazon Prime members bought products

from brands such as Sol de Janeiro, Apple and Dyson, as well as

small businesses including TruSkin and Native Pet.