jetcityimage/iStockBy JACQUELINE LAUREAN YATES, ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Brace yourselves. Amazon Prime Day is on the way and expected to be great.
One of the retail giant’s biggest sale events of the year will run for 48 hours on Oct. 13 and Oct. 14.
The online sales event offers over one million deep discounts on products ranging from home and electronics to beauty and fashion.
Amazon’s annual Prime Day is usually in July, but it was postponed this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Deals included are exclusive to Amazon Prime members and last for two days. There are also “lightning sales” that happen throughout the day for a short period of time.
The company is also expanding its commitment to small business selling partners by offering Prime members a $10 credit to use on Prime Day when they spend $10 on items sold by select businesses in Amazon’s store. An additional $100 million is also being spent by Amazon on activities that will help further promote and increase sales for these businesses.
“In the midst of an unprecedented year, we’re committed to making this the most successful Prime Day ever for our small businesses and excited for Prime members worldwide to discover new ways to support local entrepreneurs and save big on everything they need and love,” said Amazon CEO Worldwide Consumer Jeff Wilke in a statement.
He continued, “This year’s Prime Day is the perfect opportunity for Prime members to get their holiday shopping done early from the comfort of their homes — and to have more time to spend with their families and friends throughout the season.”
Shoppers will also have more exposure to small business sellers through the visibility of curated collections as well as appearances directly from business owners on Amazon Live throughout Prime Day.
“In such an unsettled economy, we’ve actually been able to grow our sales with Amazon, allowing us to pay our employees more and pivot quickly when supply chain shortages struck,” said Colleen Sundlie, owner of Date Lady in Springfield, Missouri, in a statement. “Selling online has helped us stay connected with customers and continue growing our small business despite the challenging times.”
Another added bonus is that Prime members will be given early access to shop deals on Amazon devices, music, Kindle books, fashion, home items and much more leading up to Prime Day.
Standout discounts include up to 30% off select styles from designer brands such as Calvin Klein and Alo Yoga as well as up to 20% off furniture brands such as Nathan James and Modway.
In addition to Amazon’s upcoming Prime Day, the company announced that it will be hiring 100,00 additional full-time and part-time employees in the U.S. and Canada earlier this month.
The retailer is also opening 100 new operations buildings and fulfillment centers as well as other related sites this month.
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