E-commerce juggernaut Amazon has announced the date for its fourth annual Prime Day, July 16th, and revealed that specials will last for nearly two days, according to Ars Technica . Those with Prime membership can take advantage of the specials the day promises, which will begin at 3 pm EST on July 16th and run through the end of July 17th.
To celebrate their popular shopping day-and-a-half, Amazon is offering $100 off their Echo Show smart speaker (originally $230), a device that builds on the previous Echos and offers a video screen for users to view videos, photos, security cameras, and more. Beginning on the 16th, Amazon will offer deals on Amazon music, Kindle Unlimited, 25% off furniture from Rivet, a Coleman portable grill, and deals from top brands like Lark & RO and Goodthreads.
Additionally, Amazon plans to maximize their recent acquisition of Whole Foods (which they bought for $13.7 million last year) by offering “select deals” to Prime members, who already get discounts at any Whole Foods store. They also plan to offer discounts on home security devices like internet-connected doorbells and security cameras.
According to CNN , tens of millions of Prime members shopped Amazon’s various deals last year, making it the company’s biggest shopping day ever, even surpassing heavy retail days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In addition to offering more deals and more time for its 100 million Prime members to shop, they are also offering other countries the opportunity to take advantage of Prime Day, including Australia and Luxembourg.
Though Prime Day started as a way for the company to celebrate its 20th anniversary, its popularity has made it a staple in the cultural zeitgeist due to its success and number of interesting deals (like Dude Wipes , biodegradable wipes specifically made for men), according to Wired . In addition to the discounts that run throughout the duration of Prime Day, there are also “Lightning Deals,” discounts that are offered for short periods of time, often 15 minutes.
Other stores like Best Buy, Microsoft, and Walmart offer “their own defensive sales to try and steal some of Amazon’s thunder.” As Cardlytics reports, in-store shopping corners the market, accounting for 73% of all sales. However, they note that “while online-only customers are making fewer purchases online, the purchases they make are bigger.”
Amazon is sure to capitalize on this with their extensive number of Prime Day deals.
