How AI Is Powering Your Amazon Prime Day Shopping Experience
Stretching over 4 days from July 11, this year's Prime Day stakes have never been higher. And today, we are taking a step back and exploring a bigger picture: what happens when Amazon plays Santa in July? How does this mega shopping spree ripple through global supply chains, especially amid geopolitical tensions, climate challenges, and a rapidly evolving world?
When you're excitedly filling your cart, you might not realize the tug-of-war going on behind the scenes
Since the start of this year, the U.S. and China have been engaged in a tariff ping-pong match, landing a 10% reciprocal tariff on Chinese imports (reduction from 125% to 10% for 90 days). Layer that on top of existing tariffs, and many products now carry a tariff load upwards of 30%. And keep in mind that more than 70% of the products that wholesalers and retailers sell on Amazon are produced in China. Sellers face a tough choice: raise prices or pull products off the shelves entirely.
The era of predictable supply chains is over. Companies are increasingly embracing regionalization and dual sourcing strategies to build resilience against geopolitical upheaval, climate disruption, and trade policy volatility. What this means for shoppers is that the seemingly simple act of buying a product is actually part of a highly complex system striving to adapt to unprecedented uncertainty.
When the tariff tsunami hit, Amazon wanted to show shoppers exactly how much tariffs add to product prices, aiming for transparency. But political pressure led the company to shelve that plan, so these extra costs remain quietly baked into your final checkout total.
The result? That 'amazing deal' might not be as bargain-friendly as it seems, but it's the outcome of a complex dance involving tariffs, shipping snarls, and shifting supplier moves.
AI is quietly transforming supply chains into smart, agile operations that predict your needs before you even shop
You've probably heard about AI revolutionizing everything, but it's especially crucial behind the scenes during Prime Day. Amazon and other retail giants are doubling down on AI from generative AI to smart agentic systems to keep their supply chains nimble and responsive.
Big companies can now analyze vast data, from sales trends and social media buzz to weather forecasts and geopolitical shifts. AI predicts demand fluctuations, allowing inventory to be positioned strategically across fulfillment centers, often before customers even know they want to purchase.
Picture this: a brand selling sustainable, socially conscious denim jackets notices a spike in online chatter from Gen Z shoppers. AI quickly ramps up stock in urban hubs ahead of demand surges. If trade tensions threaten cotton supplies, the system pivots to alternative materials and sources. When a cold snap is forecasted, AI reroutes insulated jackets north to prevent shortages. Delivery routes? Also optimized in real-time based on traffic and weather, cutting fuel use and speeding up shipping.
This isn't sci-fi. It's the everyday magic of AI balancing supply and demand, slashing disruptions, and ensuring your Prime Day haul arrives faster than you can say 'checkout.'
Innovative return policies highlight how customer-centric approaches are reshaping the retail landscape
Handling return shipments, processing returned items, and managing inventory flow create operational and logistical burdens. But here's a neat trick Amazon pulled last year: if you bought something before Prime Day and the price dropped during the event, they'd refund you the difference. Beyond being a shopper-friendly gesture, this reflects a deeper shift toward customer-centric innovation that's reshaping how we buy. Also, it is a smart way to eliminate buyer's remorse and streamline reverse logistics.
Prime Day isn't just about selling. It's a colossal, synchronized operation spanning factories, cargo ships, warehouses, and delivery drivers worldwide. Pulling off millions of shipments in record time requires military-grade coordination. And today's world? Uncertainty is the new normal. Gone are the days of smooth, predictable supply chains. It's anything but predictable.
For shoppers, that means the 'Prime Day deals' we see are shaped by a complex ecosystem striving for resilience and agility in a turbulent world. So next week ordering on Amazon, just remember how technology and global trade dynamics continue to shape what lands in your Amazon cart and how fast it gets there.
Want to learn more about how AI-powered supply chains are all about meeting today's needs and preparing for tomorrow? Check out this IDC Analyst Brief: 'AI-Powered Business Suite for Supply Chain'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
17 minutes ago
- Forbes
This Is... Our Independence Day (For Climate Solutions)
The end of the beginning, not the beginning of the end Despite some last-minute successful rescue efforts on some small but crucial points, climate investors in the United States are reeling this week from the passage of the new federal law which not only rolled back prior incentives for renewables and other clean energy and transportation projects, but in some ways imposed new penalties on them. This is decidedly not good news for climate investors in the United States, to be clear. But we've been here before, and this time we have some key advantages that our sector has not had in prior such retrenchment episodes. Let's look at the last twenty years of the residential solar industry in the U.S. When I was first getting started as an investor, it was fascinating to attend solar industry conferences, because the sector was clearly at a transition point. Walking through the exhibitor halls, you could see investment bankers in full suits rubbing elbows with guys in Birkenstocks and wearing ponytails. One can only imagine what the latter conference attendees must have felt about the 'suits' invading what had been a small niche industry until then. The thing is, this was before any large-scale federal incentive program for solar had been put into place. This was even before a Republican president declared 'America is addicted to oil.' And it was before the costs for rooftop solar made sense without incentives. The industry was still far from 'breaking a buck' (ie: getting the cost of panel manufacturing below $1/watt). But the investors could all see the trend lines as well as anyone else, and understand the basic logic: That as solar PV and other renewable power continued to see dropping manufacturing costs, and significantly lower operating costs than thermal power generation, distributed clean power production was going to become important. And they were right. As the prices continued to drop, financiers took the baton and figured out ways to turn a 'total cost of ownership' ("TCO") advantage into an overall cost advantage, and solar adoption flourished. The thing is, as mentioned above there still wasn't some massive Federal subsidy system for solar. Yes, a limited solar tax credit was implemented. But investors who were around at the time will remember that the industry really wasn't taking off because of this federal tax credit – instead, there were various state-level incentives that the solar industry utilized. As one state after another implemented new incentives, the industry jumped from state to state and the early movers found strong advantages by being flexible and entrepreneurial. I'm old enough to remember when New Jersey was the focus of industry activity, for example. And that patchwork of state-level programs was enough to support strong industry growth that eventually became a nationwide trend and a multi-billion dollar market. So here the climate solutions sector is again, with the federal rug pulled out from underneath the industry. But this is the end of the beginning, not the beginning of the end. 1. It's not just a solar and wind industry anymore. It's certainly overstating things to suggest that 'cleantech' (as it was termed back in 2005) was just a solar and wind game. There were robust efforts around energy efficiency, waste treatment, electric vehicles, water treatment, and many other sectors. However, solar and wind was the focus. Now, climate solutions investors have more broadly embraced these other solution areas and more. There are many sectors like waste-to-value that have been growing quickly without any real federal support at all, and in many cases without any state-level incentives either.2. Despite the political rhetoric at the federal level, states governments are more supportive of a wide range of climate and clean technology solutions. Waste-to-value solutions, for example, are really not a 'red state / blue state' issue. Landfill capacity constraints and a desire for clean food and water (see Exhibit A: PFAS concerns) loom larger for local-level legislatures versus the grandstanders in Congress and the White House. And for many of these solutions, especially those related to the circular economy, localization is a key success factor in any case. Waste diversion and re-use, for example, is not a national issue nearly as much as it is a local issue.3. The underlying economics of these new solutions make sense now regardless of incentives, for many applications. TCO is a real thing, and the financial industry has now figured out how to unlock overall cost advantages by 'spreading out' the higher upfront costs of cleaner solutions across many of these sectors. In electric vehicles, for instance, many consumers now recognize that an electric sedan or pickup truck may cost more up front, but will save them money (and in many cases simply provide a better driving experience) in the long run. Commercial fleet owners for the most part haven't yet figured this out. But they will, and an entire industry dedicated to helping companies profitably electrify their vehicle fleets is now in place and downside of not having consistent federal-level support is also clear from observing the past two decades of the growth of the solar industry in the U.S. – it wasn't a smooth growth curve. As the sector grew in fits and starts, there have been successive waves of fast growth followed by industry consolidation – some of us call it 'the solar-coaster'. We are currently seeing the same thing in fleet electrification, for example. But on the other hand, contrarian, long-term investors may find right now to be a really attractive time to be placing bets on these industries and solutions, while investment values are depressed. The long-term climate change megatrend remains in place. Other countries aren't throwing such obstacles in front of their own market growth, costs continue to decline, and state-level incentives remain in place across many U.S. regions. Investors and entrepreneurs interested in U.S.-based climate solutions across the energy, food, water, waste and transportation sectors should look forward, knowing that the industry is more resilient than ever. Yes, better federal support would make a lot of sense in terms of innovation, economic growth, and the climate change crisis. But we don't need the federal support to keep moving forward. In many ways, this is our independence day.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Instacart, Pinterest Partner to Enhance Ad Targeting, Shoppability for Retailers
Maplebear Inc. (NASDAQ:CART) is one of the best new stocks to buy now. On June 17, Pinterest Inc. (NYSE:PINS) and Maplebear, which is more commonly called Instacart, announced a new partnership designed to enhance ad targeting for retailers and streamline the shopping experience for Pinterest users. The collaboration will allow advertisers on Pinterest to target their ads more precisely by using Instacart's first-party engagement data. In the initial phase of the partnership, selected brands advertising on Pinterest will gain access to Instacart's audience segments. A subsequent phase is expected to introduce closed-loop measurement, which will connect Pinterest ad campaigns directly to actual product sales across the Instacart Marketplace. People strolling through a grocery-anchored shopping center. This integration is valuable for food, recipe-related brands, and Consumer Packaged Goods/CPG companies. Instacart collaborates with 1,800+ national, regional, and local retailers from ~100,000 stores across North America. The partnership also includes the direct shoppability of Pinterest ads via the Instacart platform. Maplebear Inc. (NASDAQ:CART) provides online grocery shopping services to households in North America. Pinterest Inc. (NYSE:PINS) is a visual search and discovery platform. While we acknowledge the potential of CART as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Tom's Guide
24 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
Never miss a Prime Day deal — how to set up notifications on your Alexa device
Prime Day 2025 runs from July 8-11, and missing out on flash deals can be frustrating when you're not constantly monitoring Amazon's website. Your Echo device can solve this problem by automatically alerting you when items from your wish lists go on sale. According to Amazon, over half of its customers already use Alexa for shopping assistance, making this feature a natural extension of your existing routine. Setting up deal notifications takes just a few minutes but ensures you'll never miss a discount on products you actually want. The light ring on your Echo speaker or popup notifications on Echo Show displays will alert you to deals up to 24 hours before they start, giving you time to prepare for lightning deals and limited-time offers. Here's how to set up Prime Day deal notifications on your Alexa. Start by creating wish lists for different categories or adding items directly to your Amazon shopping cart. Any product you want deal notifications for must be saved in one of three places: an Amazon Wish List, your Shopping Cart, or the Saved for Later section. Browse Amazon's website or app to find products you're interested in, then add them to the appropriate list without checking out. Organization helps during the busy Prime Day period, so consider creating themed wish lists lto keep track of different categories. Launch the Amazon Alexa app on your smartphone, not the regular Amazon shopping app. This distinction matters because you need to access Alexa's specific notification settings rather than general Amazon account preferences. The Alexa app controls all your Echo device settings and is where you'll set up the deal alert system that connects your saved items to your Echo speakers or displays. Tap the More menu at the bottom of the Alexa app screen, then select Settings from the available options. Within the Settings menu, scroll down until you find Notifications and tap on it. This section controls all the different types of alerts your Echo devices can provide, from reminders and timers to shopping notifications and smart home updates. Taking the #1 spot in our Best Budget smart speaker category, the newest Echo Dot provides room-filling sound and built-in sensors that can be used in your Alexa smart home routines. Look for Amazon Shopping in the notifications menu and select it to access shopping-specific alert options. This section allows you to customize exactly what types of shopping notifications you want to receive through your Echo devices. You'll see several toggles for different notification types, but the key setting for Prime Day preparation is the deal recommendations feature. Turn on the Deal Recommendations toggle within the Amazon Shopping notifications section. This setting tells Alexa to monitor your saved items and alert you when any of them go on sale. Once enabled, your Echo devices will automatically check for deals on items in your wish lists, shopping cart, and saved for later queue, then notify you up to 24 hours before Prime Day deals begin. Voted best overall in our smart display guide, Amazon's mid-range smart display blends speedy performance with premium features. It's just the right size to clearly see from across the room but doesn't take up a bunch of space on your desk or counters. When deals become available on your saved items, your Echo device will display a light ring or show a popup notification on Echo Show screens. Simply ask "Alexa, what are my notifications?" and the voice assistant will read out any current deals it has found. You can also ask specific questions like "What are the best deals on headphones right now?" even for items you haven't saved to your lists. And that's it! You've now learned how to set up Prime Day deal notifications on your Alexa. While you're here, take a look at some other useful guides like Prime Day 2025 is coming — these 5 steps guarantee better deals and Amazon is hiding the best Prime Day deals behind invitations — here's how to sign up.
