NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Online shoppers are primed for big savings as Amazon prepares to launch its fourth annual Prime Day Monday at 3 p.m. ET, promising even more discounts this year. And that’s ratcheting up the pressure on other stores and chains like Macy’s, Nordstrom, Best Buy, Walmart and Target to also roll out big promotions. At 36 hours, this year’s Amazon Prime Day is longer and more ambitious than ever. Prime members will have access to more than one million deals, including discounts on Amazon’s Alexa-enabled products, like the Echo, Fire TV and Fire Tablet. And for the first time, there are Prime Day deals at Amazon’s subsidiary, Whole Foods. “They have a lot of Amazon products in Whole Foods stores now,” said Dan Ackerman, a section editor for CNET. “They’ve got the Amazon Echos and the Dots and the little Amazon tablets in there. The discounted prices on those make them almost casual pickups on the way to the checkout counter.” The online deals apply to big ticket items, including washing machines and dishwashers, as well as smaller household goods like paper towels. Amazon started Prime Day to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2015. It was such a success that now the other e-commerce giants are scrambling to keep up. Ackerman says the entire retail industry is feeling the pressure. “They certainly feel like they have to compete because the first year they had a lot of counter sales. They backed off for a while but this year, they’re all back – Best Buy, Targets stores.” Amazon predicts shoppers will spend $3.4 billion worldwide during the 36-hour period, making it feel like Black Friday in July. Prime Day is also a way for Amazon to keep its subscribers on board. Amazon increased the annual Prime membership by 20 percent to $119 in May 2018.
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Amazon Prime Day Puts Pressure On Other Retailers
