What We Know About Prime Day 2020

Update: Prime Day 2020 will take place on October 13th and 14th.

The sun is setting on the summer months, and Prime Day—an Amazon summer sale tradition since 2015—has yet to occur.

When is Prime Day 2020? It’s complicated and vague, with mainly rumors and speculation to base our assumptions on. Here are the latest details and information we have, as well as tips for sellers and vendors to prepare, even with all of the unknowns.

Prime Day 2020 Delays

Originally expected to be the second week of July, Amazon postponed Prime Day 2020 to “later than usual” amid the coronavirus pandemic. As cases topped 1 million in the US and elsewhere, Amazon held Prime Day in India (also a country with 1 million+ coronavirus cases) on August 6 and 7, with a spokesperson saying, “Members all around the world will experience Prime Day later this year.”

Some speculation that this was a test run for running a mega sale in the rest of the globe is unconfirmed. Regardless, it’s fair to say Amazon logistics are not yet running normally, with past inventory issues and delivery delays compounded by continual coronavirus unknowns. And with the United States Postal Service in jeopardy, more concerns are stacking up.

Prime Day History

The original event, the first Amazon Prime Day, took place on July 15, 2015, to honor the website’s 20th anniversary. Subsequent Prime Days got bigger and better. Expanding to include “more deals than Black Friday” and stretching in length over multiple days and to Amazon Europe, Japan, the UAE, and more.

Competitors followed suit, with Walmart, Target, and other retailers jumping on the summer sale opportunity during the same week. In 2019, the event took place July 15 and 16 around the world (with 18 participating countries), lasting 48 hours. Prime Day 2019 sales surpassed the previous Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.

What We Know About Prime Day 2020

At one point, Amazon had set a target date in September for Prime Day 2020. However, in late July, Amazon finance chief Brian Olsavsky said Prime Day will be held in the fourth quarter of 2020. Randomly over the summer, Seller Central notified sellers of open windows for Prime Exclusive Discounts and coupon submissions, with placeholder events scheduled as follows:

As of the first week of August, we have started to see Prime Day deals re-appearing in suggested deals. The latest time frame for these deals is August 28 to October 11. This is noteworthy, as Amazon had previously closed the deal submission window back in late June.

Amazon is currently advising sellers to use the week of October 5 as a “placeholder date” for Prime Day, but also notes that “exact Prime Day dates have not been announced.”

For sellers receiving emails that their ASINs have been selected for a Spotlight Deal, Lightning Deal, Coupon (Voucher) or Prime Exclusive Discount, Amazon has some tips and dates in mind.

As of September 25, Amazon recommends keeping 4 weeks cover for regular sales, in addition to additional stock based on deal type:

It’s worth noting that the deals showing do not currently have a Prime Day badge, as previous Prime Day-specific deals had displayed. They are simply labeled as normal 7-Day Deals.

To ensure deals are not cancelled or affected, Amazon recommends you avoid closing, changing, or suspending listings. This includes creating or assigning variations. Ensure your products follow Amazon image guidelines, as Amazon will cancel promotions for any violations.

The best thing to do is make sure you are up to date with deadlines, as well as any changes or eligibility issues. Regularly consult the Deals Dashboard and Coupons Dashboard (aka Vouchers) in your Seller Central account.

Inventory Concerns and Long-term Storage Fees

In July, Amazon alerted FBA sellers of an inventory clean-up. Those who did not remove slow inventory from Amazon fulfillment centers by August 15 incurred long-term storage fees on top of regular storage fees. These charges are $6.90 USD per cubic foot or a $0.15 USD per-unit long-term storage fee, whichever is greater. With the deadline, combined with sales, delivery, and other logistics delays due to a coronavirus slow-down, plus the upcoming holiday shopping season, there are some legitimate concerns.

Specifically, Amazon said in the announcement:
“If you remove units of an ASIN that would be subject to long-term storage fees at the next inventory cleanup date, you won't be able to send us more units of that ASIN for three months after that date. The exception is your inventory of that ASIN falls below our projection of its sales for the next eight weeks.”

Tips for Succeeding in Q4

With all of this in mind, sellers are likely to be frustrated and confused. However, when it comes to forecasting, take a hard look at your promotional calendar, margins, and stock. Do your best to ensure you have enough inventory to cover both an October Prime Day event and the upcoming holiday season. And pay attention to those storage fees!

Once you have scheduled any deals or promotions, you can also ensure your Amazon Advertising budget and bids are in-line and prepared.

Use the time we have now to clean up reviews and ratings on your detail pages. Respond to customer questions and optimize your listings, A+ Content, and backend SEO for maximum effect. If you need assistance with any of these aspects of your business, eCommerce Nurse can help. Please contact us.

Lastly, keep in mind that with no firm announcement and a fluid environment, it’s possible Prime Day 2020 may not even happen. With later dates pushing into the holiday shopping period, it won’t make sense to run a sales event so close to Black Friday. But for now? Plan for October and prepare to be agile.

Looking for even more information to help you prepare for Prime Day 2020? Don't miss this upcoming webinar!