Amazon is moving its annual Prime Day sales event to late June, a shift from its traditional July timing, Bloomberg News reported Thursday. The change, which impacts both vendors and competitors, marks a rare alteration to the schedule of the decade-old shopping event.
The company declined to comment on the reported shift when reached for confirmation.
The move to a June timeframe is expected to pull significant revenue into Amazon’s second quarter, altering its financial reporting, according to Bloomberg. Last year’s Prime Day, held from July 8-11, saw record sales for both Amazon and its third-party sellers, with online spending among U.S. Retailers jumping 30%, or $24.1 billion, during the four-day period, according to Adobe Analytics data cited by Reuters.
Amazon extended Prime Day to four days last year, introducing “Today’s Big Deals,” themed daily promotions exclusive to Prime members, who pay an annual fee of $139 for benefits including shipping discounts and digital streaming services. Doug Herrington, CEO of Amazon Worldwide Stores, said in a statement following the event that it delivered “incredible savings” to members.
The rescheduling of Prime Day carries weight for third-party vendors who rely on the event to attract fresh shoppers. Amazon captures roughly 40% of online spending, and competitors closely monitor the date to capitalize on increased web traffic, according to Bloomberg. A PYMNTS Intelligence report indicated a growing segment of shoppers participated in both Amazon’s Prime Day and Walmart’s Walmart+ Week, driving much of the growth in participation for both events.
Amazon originally launched Prime Day in 2015 to encourage sign-ups for its Prime membership program.
