Amazon Prime Day is here. What to expect.
For the first time since its inception a decade ago, the members-only Prime event is scheduled to run for four days across 20 countries, instead of the typical two days. The extended Prime Day could generate more than $21 billion in gross merchandise value, growing 60% from last year, estimated Justin Post, an analyst at BofA Securities.
'Amazon's 2025 summer Prime Day is poised to be its largest ever, with the potential to deliver record-breaking sales, reinforce its competitive moat, and boost both retail and advertising revenues," wrote Ivan Feinseth, chief market strategist of Tigress Financial Intelligence.
Last year's Prime Day broke records too, Amazon said at the time, notching a new high for both sales and number of items sold.
But it isn't just Amazon. Although the e-commerce giant pioneered the midsummer shopping event back in 2015, mid-July sales have become as much of a staple as Black Friday across the sector. This year, Target's Circle Week runs from July 6 through the 12th and Walmart's deals from July 8 through the 13th.
The deals will provide a big boost to the digital economy.
From July 8 to July 11, U.S. retailers are expected to drive a record $23.8 billion in online spend, up 28.4% year over year, according to estimates from Adobe analytics released Monday. This is equivalent to two Black Fridays, which drove $10.8 billion in online spend in 2024, Adobe said.
The firm expects discounts will remain at 'historically high levels" across all retailers, ranging from 10% to 24% off an item's listed price. Those discounts should prompt shoppers to buy pricier items that they may have been holding off on until now, Adobe forecasts. Apparel, electronics, televisions, and appliances will see the best deals this week, Adobe projects.
Indeed, Amazon already gave shoppers a sneak peek of what they can expect, including up to 50% off on Levi-Strauss apparel and Zappos shoes; up to 40% off on televisions, vacuums, Anker speakers, Samsung Chromebooks and tablets, and premium cosmetics; and up to 30% off on toys, fragrances, and Away suitcases.
The company is also introducing 'Today's Big Deals," which are themed daily price drops exclusive to members. The special offers will launch daily at midnight Pacific time and will be available until supplies last, Amazon said.
Target and Walmart aren't falling behind. Target is focusing on back-to-school prep, offering Target Circle members 30% off on select apparel, uniforms, backpacks and school supplies, as well as deals on groceries and personal care items. Walmart is also boasting sales on back to school, as well as discounts on electronics, such as knocking off $100 from a Samsung computer monitor. The deals will be available for all Walmart customers, but Walmart+ members get access a day early. And for the first time, Walmart is offering its deals both in stores and online, the company said.
Yet even though Amazon's competitors are putting up a good fight, the company will still come out ahead. Prime Day isn't simply a big driver of sales—it also increases Prime membership sign-ups, wrote Brent Thill, an analyst at Jefferies. In 2024, a record-breaking number of customers signed up for Prime in the three weeks leading up to Prime Day, with millions of new members worldwide.
The Amazon Prime membership is a major loyalty driver for the retailer, Thill said. A recent Jefferies consumer survey found that 73% of respondents report having a Prime membership—far above 26% for Walmart+ and 22% for Target Circle. Most of those respondents said they intended to keep their memberships, which could present important upside for Amazon, given that research suggests that members of loyalty programs often make more frequent or larger purchases than non-loyalty members.
Amazon may also get an extra boost from recently rolled out AI initiatives. This Prime Day, customers can ask Amazon's AI shopping assistant, Rufus, specific questions about timing and tailored deal recommendations; use AI-powered shopping guides to refine searches; and ask Alexa+, Amazon's AI personal assistant, to track prices and notify them when they drop.
And that isn't counting any web-traffic benefits Amazon could get from third-party AI chat services and browsers. Adobe expects traffic from generative AI sources to increase by 3,200% year over year across all retailers. Web traffic from AI chatbots is still dwarfed by more traditional search methods, including going to web browsers or through email marketing, Adobe acknowledged, but it's becoming more ingrained in the consumer shopping pattern. In a recent survey of 5,000 U.S. consumers, 55% said they used generative AI for conducting shopping research, 47% said they used it for product recommendations, and 43% said it helped them seek out deals.
Historically, Amazon shares have gotten a slight lift following Prime Day, gaining an average of 1.11% the week after the event ends and 3.29% the month after, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
The stock could use the boost, no matter how small. Shares are up 1.8% this year as of Thursday's close, underperforming the S&P 500's 6.8% gain and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite's 6.7% increase.
Saddle up, deal-hunters—we're in for a long week. Maybe investors should be preparing, too, in case the chance pops up to snap up Amazon stock. It isn't every day you get a potential bargain on a retail giant.
Write to Sabrina Escobar at sabrina.escobar@barrons.com
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4 hours ago
- Business Standard
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Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
Amazon Prime Day sale 2025 deals in USA: Dates, discounts
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Business Standard
11 hours ago
- Business Standard
Amazon banks on India's smaller cities ahead of first 3-day Prime Day sale
Amazon is banking on India's smaller cities to fuel its next phase of growth, with non-metropolitan areas now accounting for up to 70 per cent of customer orders as the e-commerce giant prepares for its longest Prime Day sale yet. The shift highlights a dramatic transformation in India's digital commerce landscape and Amazon's Rs 2,000 crore investment strategy to capture market share before rivals cement their positions in the country's emerging digital heartland. Amazon India is launching its first three-day Prime Day sale from 12 to 14 July. This is backed by five new fulfilment centres in cities like Indore, Bhubaneswar, Kochi, and Rajpura, plus an additional site in Delhi-NCR. The expansion adds over 1.8 million cubic feet of storage capacity and reflects the company's broader push beyond traditional metropolitan strongholds. 'We see those markets as ones which are rapidly coming online and adopting e-commerce in a very big way,' Abhinav Singh, Vice President, Operations, Amazon India and Australia, told Business Standard, noting rising expectations for selection, convenience, and speed. He attributed the company's deepening push into tier-2 and tier-3 cities to surging internet adoption and rising customer expectations. Amazon is expanding its fulfilment and delivery network nationwide to meet growing demand for same- and next-day delivery. He said the company is fully prepared for the three-day Prime Day event, backed by a strengthened operations network and recent pricing changes for sellers. Amazon is also expanding its last-mile footprint across India's smaller cities, adding more than 30 new delivery stations in tier-2 and tier-3 locations such as Nagpur, Panchkula, Hubli, Mohali, Howrah, and Indore. This adds to the company's network of over 2,000 delivery stations and 28,000 neighbourhood partner stores nationwide. The move aims to boost delivery speed and capacity as e-commerce demand deepens beyond India's metro hubs. Amazon's chief rival, Flipkart, is also aggressively expanding into smaller cities and scaling up its quick commerce service. When asked how Amazon's approach differs, Singh declined to compare directly with competitors. But he emphasised Amazon's customer-first strategy: 'We are focused on the vision of delivering the widest selection at the fastest speed to every single Indian. Our perspectives are not shaped by what any other organisation does but by what our customers want,' he noted. When asked about unique operational challenges in places like Hubli or Howrah compared to Mumbai or Delhi, Singh noted India's rapidly improving infrastructure across regions. He emphasised Amazon's local approach: 'Our intent is always to invest in the local market,' he said. This is supported by a very wide network of hundreds of delivery service partners and trucking partners. He acknowledged the complexity of delivery cost structures in smaller cities but emphasised Amazon's long-term tech-driven strategy to address it. Regarding customising fulfilment technologies or delivery models needed for smaller cities, Singh emphasised a hybrid approach. This includes using globally relevant solutions wherever they apply to India, while also building locally when needed. Citing India-first innovations like the 'I Have Space' programme with 28,000 Kirana partners, Cash on Delivery, and doorstep buyback, Singh noted that these models have since been exported to other markets. Analysts say that India's online retail market could grow to $325 billion by 2030, more than four times the $70 billion recorded in 2022, driven largely by demand from smaller cities, according to Deloitte India. Looking ahead, Singh sees continued expansion of Amazon's fulfilment and last-mile network, with deeper ties to India Post and Indian Railways, reinforcing speed, reliability, and safety across the country. 'We'll continue to double down on everything we've invested in over the past decade—with a consistent focus on associate and customer safety, speed, and reliability,' he said.