Angela Lang / CNET
Amazon Prime Day is finally coming. According to four people who know about Amazon's plans, the annual sales event will begin on Tuesday, October 13th.
In preparation for the sale, Amazon has already blacked out the holidays for its full-time warehouse workers from October 13-20. The news fits in with previous statements by Amazon, which confirmed that the closely watched online event would take place in the fourth quarter.
For more of that
Subscribe to the mobile newsletter, receive notifications and see related articles on CNET.
An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on the date. "Stay tuned for more details on Prime Day," said the spokesman. "Customers can also say, 'Alexa, keep me updated on Prime Day.'"
The people CNET spoke to couldn't tell how long the sale would take. Last year Amazon extended Prime Day up to 48 hours from 36 hours in the previous year.
Like almost everything else in 2020, Prime Day was from the Coronavirus pandemic. Selling is usually done in mid-July to help increase sales in an otherwise slow summer season. Amazon delayed the eventHowever, when the retailer struggled to upgrade its sprawling logistics operations to handle both a surge in online orders and dozens of protocols designed to keep its warehouse workers safe.
The changes delayed shipping for months. After delivery times improved, Amazon was able to push Prime Day forward.
Amazon is likely to bring many new and updated custom gadgets and services to consumers on Prime Day: The company will be hosting its products on Thursday, September 24th annual product launch in autumn. There's no indication of what exactly to expect yet, but it's safe to assume that Alexa-equipped gear will be the focus. Last year's event brought in gear like the Echo Dot with clock, the Echo Flex plug-in mini speaker, and peripherals like the Echo Buds and the Echo Glow night light.
The new date for Prime Day changes the dynamics of the event. Many Prime customers may buy their Christmas gifts earlier than usual as the sale will take place much closer to the end of the year. However, Amazon is not expected to meet its Christmas sales through such a late Prime Day as sales during the pandemic were significantly higher than usual, and this trend is not expected to end anytime soon.
Stationary retailers can get tangible benefits from Prime Day, however, as dozens of them typically advertise their own discounts in parallel with Prime Day. This year has been especially difficult for traditional retailers as locks closed their locations for part of the year and many customers avoided going into stores. This has forced many retailers into bankruptcy protection, including J.Crew, Pier 1, and JCPenney.
The millions of smaller retailers who offer their products on Amazon should also see a boost from Prime Day.
