We've certainly been wondering what the situation might be with Amazon Prime Day 2020 as the biggest shopping event of the summer usually takes place in July. But the Coronavirus has disrupted the retailer's plans, and, like most other events around the world, adaptation is key.
Amazon, particularly in the US, is still struggling to meet demand as it sees a drastically increased demand from shoppers as millions of people are suddenly working from home and are living under lockdown measures. Many bricks and mortar stores around the world have been forced to close too, so Amazon and many other online retailers, have been stretched to meet demand.
So much so, that it's actually put a strain on the company's capabilities to process and ship orders, especially with so many Prime members expecting speedy delivery as one of the perks of the paid membership. This led Amazon to prioritize some items for shipping over others as it aimed to get people cleaning supplies and home office equipment over regular non-essential items. We have seen something closer to normal service resume lately though and most items aren't facing the long delay in shipping they were a month ago if they are in stock. Just don't try to find a Nintendo Switch deal any time soon.
But with the annual sales event, Amazon Prime Day, usually taking place in July each year, we've been thinking for a while now that there's no way Amazon was going to be ready in time to host it as usual.
A report in the Wall Street Journal today said 'people familiar with the matter' - are saying Amazon Prime Day 2020 will be pushed back to September. The working theory being it's going to take the company that long to get its logistical operations back to anything resembling normality. And even then, fast one-day/two-day shipping guarantees might not be ready by then.
September is as late as Amazon can realistically run what we imagine will be another two-day event for Amazon Prime Day 2020. Leave it any later and you're running into the busiest shopping season of the year for Christmas and, of course, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Heck, last year, we saw the shopping season start incredibly early, with some really tempting deals in October. You can be sure savvy shoppers will be thinking about this when thinking about splashing any cash a month before then on Prime Day if it lands in September.
Here at GamesRadar, we were cautiously optimistic that August might have been the time Amazon picked to run the event. It provides just enough of a gap before the Christmas shopping season to give shoppers an excuse to treat themselves earlier. Mid-August was our pick. And, it kinda still is in all honesty.
Business intelligence news site, Tamebay, also reported today that Amazon has just started asking its merchant partners to start sending in their Prime Day deals:
Prime Day 2020: Submit Deals and Vouchers Now!
It is important to act fast and submit your Deals now, for a chance to have your deal considered for this event. Recommendations for Prime Day are dynamic, so please continue to check back on the recommendations page regularly.”
- Amazon
That's the first mention of this year's event from Amazon, although admittedly not a customer-facing announcement, about Prime Day 2020. Let's not forget, Amazon only usually announces the date of Prime Day until about two weeks before. We often find the date leaks before then though.
But if the mega-retailer is asking its partners to start submitting deals now, and there will be thousands upon thousands of deals (yes, a lot of them will be skippable, but we'll be sure to tell you about the hottest ones), it's an encouraging sign that Amazon Prime Day 2020 will not just be flat out canceled, which was a distinct possibility if the pandemic got any worse.
If you're after a new TV sooner rather than later though, there are lots to choose from in our highlights of the best Memorial Day deals TV sales. But if you've been waiting to pick up on of Amazon's best Kindle ereaders though, we'd certainly wait for Prime Day as they always get the lowest prices for the event.
When Prime Day does roll into town, you'll need to be a member to get the exclusive deals. Our favorite perk of membership though is access to Prime Video shows and movies. Fancy checking it out for yourself? There's a free trial option in the USA and UK.
Looking for something to watch to get you going? We've rounded up our picks for the best shows on Amazon Prime. As an alternative to Amazon, have you tried Hulu yet?
