Amazon Prime Day, the company’s annual shopping holiday, will take place on Monday, June 21st through June 22nd, the company officially announced today. The forthcoming summer dates mark a return to form; the retail giant has historically held its shopping extravaganza in mid-July but postponed last year’s event until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In its most recent earnings report, Amazon previously confirmed this year’s Prime Day would take place in Q2.
Like previous years, you can expect to find discounts on true wireless earbuds, 4K TVs of all sizes and panel types, video games, and more. Outside of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Prime Day has become one of the best opportunities to get deals, whether they’re for gifts or yourself.
Amazon says that this year’s Prime Day “will feature millions of deals from top brands and more than a million deals from small and medium businesses.” The company says it’s investing more than $100 million to help small businesses during Prime Day, and Prime members will get a $10 credit to use during Prime Day if they spend $10 at “select small businesses” on Amazon from June 7th through June 20th. Throughout the event, the company will also spotlight deals on Amazon Live, a streaming platform on which brands and creators highlight various products sold on Amazon.
Traditionally, the marquee event — which sees exclusive discounts on Amazon devices, clothing, electronics, and a host of other consumer goods — has been a huge revenue boon for Amazon, which, despite the ongoing pandemic, managed to bring in $108.5 billion in net sales in Q1. Third-party sellers alone earned more than $3.5 billion over the two-day event last year, however, the e-commerce giant has not disclosed total sales figures.
Since its inception in 2015, Amazon has leveraged the global shopping event as a way to retain Amazon Prime subscribers, which now top more than 200 million, and bolster sales during what is often considered a slow period for retailers. Last year’s Prime Day essentially kicked off the holiday shopping season early, though Amazon likely wants to avoid running up against Black Friday and Cyber Monday, two of the biggest shopping days of the year.
This year’s Prime Day also takes place during a time of momentous change at Amazon. Andy Jassy, the current CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), is set to become Amazon’s CEO on July 5th, and the company recently announced its plan to buy MGM for $8.45 billion, an acquisition that will further bolster the company’s entertainment properties and likely help grow its Amazon Prime Video library.
As Amazon continues to grow, however, so do the labor disputes. Following a historic loss in Bessemer, Alabama, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) is challenging the results of its recent union drive in an appeal. Elsewhere, employees continue to put pressure on Jassy and current CEO Jeff Bezos in regards to a multitude of issues, from pollution to Palestine.
Last year, Amazon workers in Germany even went so far as to stage a Prime Day strike to protest for better working conditions and higher wages, a tactic seen in Minnesota in 2019.
