Amazon.com Monday confirmed its popular annual discount "Amazon Prime Day" will take place in the 48 hours between Oct. 13 and Oct. 14.
It confirmed rumors that began over the weekend that Prime Day would happen in October after a delay of three months owing to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. All five Prime Days since 2015 were held in July to celebrate the company's founding.
Prime Day discounts start midnight U.S. Pacific time Oct. 13 and will extend through Oct. 14. On Monday, Amazon said Amazon Prime subscription members will have access to "over 1 million deals across every category" - including toys, electronics and apparel.
Amazon said it would feature promotions from small- and medium-sized businesses. Starting Monday, Oct. 12, Amazon will give Prime members a $10 credit if they spend $10 on items sold by select small businesses.
The credit is "fully funded" by Amazon. It is part of the company's $100 million commitment to small businesses this Prime Day and throughout the holiday season.
Jamil Ghani, vice president of Amazon Prime, said shoppers would seek discounts despite the pandemic.
"As much as things are different in 2020, there are some things that are the same, which is, we all want to celebrate the holiday season in the best way we can with friends and family," he said.
He said Amazon "proceeded adaptively and we've come to the decision that Oct. 13 and 14 is the right time for us to Prime Day."
He said Amazon's preparations ensures the company will have "a successful and, very importantly, a safe Prime Day."
The past five Prime Days have had some of the lowest prices on popular items from the technology, beauty, home and kitchen categories.
Prime Day 2019 was a success. The 48-hour sales saw Prime members buy more than 175 million items worth a record $7.16 billion.
Prime Monday 2019 was the biggest shopping day in Amazon history - until Cyber Monday later broke this record. Cyber Monday 2019 saw Amazon post revenues of $9.4 billion, a 19% increase over 2018.
It is unlikely Prime 2020 will surpass the 2019 record given the millions of Americans out of work and an economic downturn. The first Prime day in 2015 saw sales of $900 million.
Amazon has a lot more electronic devices than it did in 2015. Amazon's popular Alexa virtual assistant was only eight months-old when Prime Day 2015 came along.
