Three signals from a four-day Amazon Prime Day
Amazon Prime Day has expanded to 96 hours, and that sends some messages about the current state of retail.
Amazon has announced that its Prime Day 2025 promotion will take place from Tuesday, July 8 – Friday, July 11. This marks the first time Prime Day, which has been a two-day event since 2017, will last four days.
The online giant’s decision to significantly expand the official (and unofficial) duration of its signature online sales extravaganza did not happen in a vacuum. Here are three inferences the industry can make about the overall condition of retail based on Prime Day’s two extra days.
Tariffs aren’t that big a deal (at least for big retailers)
The state of U.S. tariffs on imported items have been in constant flux, and data on consumer response has been inconsistent, ranging from they are causing a slowdown in spending to they are actually boosting spending as shoppers rush to buy items before their prices may potentially rise.
However, the fact Amazon feels comfortable offering significant deals across its product assortment indicates that the retailer is able to absorb any financial impact from tariffs without cutting back on its normal promotional activities.
In addition, Amazon is prominently featuring products from independent third-party sellers in its Prime Day assortment and marketing strategy, suggesting that earlier reports of third-party sellers curtailing or even skipping their Prime Day participation due to tariffs were inaccurate.
Customers like to save, early and often
Obviously, the whole point of Prime Day is to offer customers some of the year’s best savings. But the timing and frequency of special promotions related to Prime Day suggest Amazon is responding to widespread consumer concerns over prices.
[READ MORE: Survey: Consumers already seeing prices rise; to cut back this summer]
Early Prime Day discounts have already begun; and also include special prices beginning Tuesday, July 1 on school supplies and everyday household essentials starting at $3 from Amazon Basics, as well summer fashion from Amazon Essentials starting at $12.
And new this year, Amazon is introducing "Today's Big Deals," themed daily deal drops during the event across top name brands. These special offers launch daily and remain available for a limited time while supplies last.
Deals will drop as often as every five minutes during select periods throughout the event, giving inflation-weary customers more incentive to both check Amazon’s site on a regular basis during the four days and to make impulse purchases of extra-discounted items.
Everyone could use a little star power
Amazon will be hosting its 11th annual Prime Day. The event is well-established in the public consciousness and has become an industry-wide promotional opportunity.
But even Amazon is recognizing the growing importance of influencers to consumer purchase decisions by recruiting pro basketball legend LeBron James to star in its new Prime Day ad campaign.
Customers can also shop Prime Day deals from LeBron's brand “The Shop Men’s Grooming Line,” available on Amazon. With many consumers viewing Prime Day as the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season, Amazon would surely appreciate survey findings from Mavely that influencers are playing an increasingly important role in shoppers' holiday purchasing decisions — especially among valuable younger consumers.
The survey revealed that more than half (52%) and more than a third (36%) of Gen Z and millennial consumers, respectively, have purchased a gift based on influencer recommendations, compared to 28% of all consumers.
