Amazon prepares for first pet-focused online sales bonanza
Amazon is kicking off National Pet Month in May with a special 24-hour online event.
The e-tail giant is hosting its first-ever Amazon Pet Day on Tuesday, May 2, 2022. This 24-hour event will feature deals and savings on pet-focused products across categories including pet care, treats, home, toys, travel, small business, and electronics. Featured brands include A preview of some of the offers which will be featured on Amazon Pet Day is available here amazon.com/pets-deals.
In addition, Amazon Prime members will have access to offers on select pet-themed movies on Prime Video, and Amazon Prime Rewards Visa cardholders will receive 10% cashback on pet product purchases.
Customers can also simultaneously shop and support a pet charity through AmazonSmile. Customers visiting smile.amazon.com will find the same Amazon shopping experience, including deals, selection, and delivery options, with AmazonSmile donating a portion of the eligible purchase price to a charity of the customer’s choice. Amazon is also teaming up with vacuum cleaner brand Bissell to donate $100,000 to local shelters in celebration of Amazon Pet Day on May 2.
Limited-time sales events are nothing new for Amazon. The retailer’s annual Prime Day extravaganza has become a significant sales driver not only for the company, but for numerous other retailers that have launched their own competing events.
Adobe estimated that total U.S. online spend across retailers surpassed $11 billion during Prime Day (June 21-22). This represents 6.1% growth compared to $10.4 billion in total Prime Day 2020 online revenue, which sharply grew 45% from the 2019 edition of Prime Day (the 2020 event was held during peak COVID-19 pandemic conditions).
In addition, Amazon has turned its Black Friday and Cyber Week early holiday sales events into major revenue creators. In 2021, Amazon captured the highest share — 17.5% — of Black Friday 2021 spending for the second year in a row, according to Numerator. Amazon now also kicks off its Black Friday holiday sales promotion in early October.
And in June 2020, Amazon ran a six-day online fashion event called “The Big Style Sale,” which featured deep discounts on items from the company’s own in-house labels as well as name brands. However, Amazon postponed Prime Day from its normal summer timing to October due to the pandemic, with The Big Style Sale presumably meant to fill in some of the mid-year revenue it was losing as a result.
It will be interesting to see how well Amazon Pet Day performs, and if the retailer decides to turn it into an annual event. Pet supply sales jumped sharply during the depths of the pandemic, and signs such as leading pet supply retailer Petco’s recent impressive quarterly performance suggest the category is still growing.
Other pet-focused offerings from Amazon include Amazon Pet Profiles, which enable customers to receive personalized recommendations and coupons based on various factors such as their pet’s breed, size, and preferences. Amazon also offers “Subscribe and Save,” which enables customers to set up regularly scheduled deliveries and unlock extra savings for pet products.