People anticipating Amazon Prime Day will have to be patient.
Angela Lang/CNET
Amazon’s annual Prime Day sale is being delayed across the world, the company confirmed Tuesday, as the coronavirus continues to close down borders and sicken millions of people.
In a typical year, the dates for Prime Day would have already been announced in late June and the sales event would’ve occurred in mid-July, so this official statement is less a surprise than an acknowledgement that the delay is occurring.
The e-commerce giant said Tuesday it will run Prime Day in India on Aug. 6 and 7, but it didn’t specify when the sale will happen elsewhere.
“This year we’ll be holding Prime Day later than usual, while ensuring the safety of our employees and supporting our customers and selling partners,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement. “We are excited Prime members in India will see savings on August 6-7, and that members all around the world will experience Prime Day later this year. We look forward to sharing more details soon.”
We’ll be bringing #PrimeDay savings to members later than usual this year. Safety of our employees, customers, and selling partners remains our #1 priority. #PrimeDay in India will take place on Aug 6-7, with details for the rest of the world coming soon! pic.twitter.com/ITBTQvcFKl
— AmazonNewsUK (@AmazonNewsUK) July 21, 2020
Previous news reports have pegged the start of Prime Day this year to September, then October. If it’s held any later than that, it could end up being rolled into holiday season sales, which kick off around Thanksgiving.
Prime Day started as a small affair, but has grown into a hugely influential summer sale that hordes of other retailers join in on to goose their revenues. So still holding the sale should be a benefit not only for Amazon, but other stores, which have been badly harmed by the pandemic, as well as the millions of smaller merchants who sell their wares on Amazon.
Amazon struggled to keep up with the rush of orders during the early weeks of the pandemic, having to institute new safety protocols and shipping restrictions to continue delivering food and basic needs. It’s managed to restore some semblance of regular operations since then. Holding Prime Day could help show its customers it’s back on stable footing and offer them a reason to keep renewing their subscriptions.
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