Amazon Prime Day deals will take place in September. That's according to insider sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal, claiming that the annual online sales deals marathon will shift from its usual July slot two months further into the year.
Like businesses across the globe, Amazon has felt the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a surge in demand leading to stock and distribution issues. The move to later in the year is believed to give Amazon time to restore "normalcy" to its services and workforce.
The news also means that Amazon should be able to fulfill a greater variety of orders, and approach a return to the speedy delivery reputation that has made Amazon such a force to be reckoned with in online retail.
During the pandemic it has been forced to limit its sales to essential items only in some regions of the world, while its free next day and 1-hour delivery services, exclusive to Amazon Prime subscribers, were hit with delays.
The sources claim there is still concern that Amazon's capacity to fulfill orders in its customarily speedy manner may still exist in September. Right now, some of its star Memorial Day 2020 deals in the US have been impacted.
- Amazon Prime Day 2020: everything you need to know
Potential Amazon Prime Day dates
Amazon Prime Day, which last year became a full two-day event despite the name, would likely kick off on one of four new dates (all are Mondays): September 7, September 14, September 21 or September 28.
While this would be a shift from the summer sales window (which had likely been settled on as it tends to be a relatively quiet period for retailers in comparison to the fourth quarter of the year), it would retain enough distance from the Black Friday and Christmas shopping surges to make it worth both customers' and Amazon's time – and money.
Its closer proximity to Black Friday 2020 could in fact take some of the shine away from that shopping sales event which, while open to a much wider array of retailers, is still dominated by Amazon in the online realm.
via: WSJ
