Amazon said on Monday that its second major Prime sale this year will run for 48 hours starting Oct. 10. The retailer is calling the Prime member-exclusive event “Prime Big Deal Days.” The retailer is positioning the October sale as a way for consumers to get deals and a substantial head start on holiday shopping — about six weeks earlier than the traditional start of the season on Black Friday in November.
Amazon’s Prime sales typically offer discounts in the fashion, home and toy categories. Amazon said deals for October’s event will include Sony, Dyson, SharkNinja, LG and Barbie. During Prime Day this year, which took place in July, Amazon said top sellers included the Fire TV Stick, Laneige Lip Glowy Balm, Apple AirPods, and a Bissell portable deep cleaner.
Amazon said last month that Prime members in 19 countries, including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany, Japan, Portugal, Spain and Singapore, can participate. The retailer said it is also promoting select offers and curated shopping experiences ahead of October's event.
Amazon is promoting influencer-curated shopping lists ahead of the fall sale. In addition, U.S. customers can find influencer picks on Inspire, which is Amazon’s personalized feed of shoppable content within the shopping app. Amazon also said Prime members can save up to 50% on early Prime Big Deal Days offers in store at Amazon Style store locations in California and Ohio. Customers who shop at those stores can also receive an extra 20% off their entire purchase. Consumers who want to shop small also have the ability to filter by small businesses, Amazon said.
The upcoming event is Amazon’s second major Prime sale this year. The first day of July’s Prime Day sale was the largest sales day in Amazon’s history, the company said. Although Amazon did not disclose specific sales figures, the company said shoppers during July’s Prime Day event saved more than $2.5 billion globally.
According to an Adobe report on the event, the sales blitz also influenced nationwide e-commerce, with U.S. sales rising 6% year-over-year on July 11. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, e-commerce in the U.S. rose nearly 12% in July, which analysts partially attributed to Prime Day.
Amazon also offered a fall sales event last year. Analysts estimated that it generated billions in sales, but with smaller order values it likely fell short compared to last summer’s Prime Day.
This year’s fall Prime sale also comes as federal student loan repayments are set to resume after a pandemic-related three-year hiatus. According to one report, consumers will have $300 less per month to spend, while consumers continue to hold back on discretionary spending.
