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Amazon’s 2020 Prime Day won’t be taking place in July as it has in previous years.
As many states head back to strict coronavirus restrictions, Amazon appears to be preparing for another surge in ordering; the retailer has opted to postpone its made-up two-day shopping holiday.
In a leaked email from Amazon to third-party sellers, the company told sellers that while the specific date hasn’t been announced, they could mark October 5 as a “placeholder” date for scheduling Prime Day promotions.
“Every year, Prime Day is a huge hit with customers, who enjoy some of the best deals of the year, a definitive date will be announced as we get closer to the event,” a line from the email read as reported by Business Insider.
This is the third time the date has been postponed.
At the beginning of the pandemic in March, the online retail giant placed restrictions on what it would inventory at its warehouses and targeted both August and September as the date for Prime Day.
Forbes retail reporter Kiri Masters says this new date could pose a problem for many brands on the site.
“For many brands, Prime Day provides a welcome boost to the summer sales dip. 2020 saw all kinds of market forces interrupting regular shopper behavior – including stimulus checks and stay-at-home orders – which would have invariably had some impact on summertime sales. Still, many brands have come to rely on a July Prime Day sale to clear out inventory and pick up the pace during a historically slow season,” Masters says.
Another issue she raises is that the new Prime Day date is pretty close to Black Friday. This means there won’t be a lot of time for brands to restock before the holiday shopping rush.
“There are only 50-something days between an estimated Prime Day date and Black Friday…Many brands have supply chains which require 60 days or more for ordering inventory. As it stands, Amazon’s cutoff to have inventory at its fulfillment centers is September 11, a mere 58 days away.”