Amazon Prime Day 2019 began in the US at midnight PT on July 15. This year, the event runs 48 hours, up from last year’s 36 hours, the longest Prime Day sale so far. Prime members have access to over one million deals, and new discounts launch as often as every five minutes throughout the shopping event. Worldwide, this shopping extravaganza runs in 18 countries this year, adding the United Arab Emirates for the first time. Amazon has deals in more than 14 categories, from home improvement to toys and baby products. The company is promoting its private labels and Amazon devices, offering various deals including up to 50% off on Amazon Essentials and $50 off on Echo. [caption id="attachment_92942" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Amazon Devices Deals Page
Source: Amazon [/caption]   To encourage Prime members to visit the website more frequently, Amazon introduced Lightning Deals this year. Similar to doorbuster deals on Black Friday, these carry discounts on top-tier brands. Notable examples include 50% off a Sony 4K 70-inch TV and a $299 PS4 Pro Bundle. Customers can check remaining inventory on the page. Amazon is leveraging celebrities and influencers to promote Prime Day this year with a “Star-Studded Deals” page for celebrity-endorsed products. Customers will find products such as Kobe Bryant’s Art of Sport and Jaden Smith’s Just Water. Haus Laboratories, a beauty collection founded by Lady Gaga exclusively for Amazon, is available for pre-order on Prime Day in advance of its official launch in September. [caption id="attachment_92935" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Amazon Star-Studded Deals Page
Source: Amazon [/caption]   Whole Foods Market also participated with in-store deals, offering Prime members a $10 Amazon Prime Day credit if they spend $10 at Whole Foods stores or on Prime Now. Amazon highlighted its support of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) through deals from Amazon Storefronts, Handmade, Launchpad and more this year. The website also has dedicated pages for deals from local businesses for US-based Prime members for the first time. Last year, SMBs in Amazon stores generated $1.5 billion in sales. Prime Day Sales Estimates: $5.8 Billion This Year Amazon does not disclose figures for revenues generated during Prime Day shopping events. We estimate Amazon’s Prime Day online sales will reach approximately $5.8 billion globally this year, up around half compared to the estimated $3.9 billion in sales last year. Supporting this growth is this year’s bigger event, with more promotions and initiatives over a longer period: Our 2018 estimate reflects a 36-hour Prime Day; our 2019 estimate is for this year’s 48-hour event. Our figures reflect estimated product sales online and exclude revenues from additional Prime membership sign-ups during Prime Day. Our estimated split by region, shown below, is based on Amazon’s 2018 segmentation of its online retail revenues, and suggests the US market will account for around $3.6 billion, or 62%, of estimated 2019 Prime Day sales. [caption id="attachment_92936" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Company reports/Coresight Research[/caption]   Other US Retailers’ Activities Just as last year, other retailers continued to jump on the Prime Day bandwagon, offering their own promotions:

• BestBuy held a flash sale on laptops, appliances, 4K TVs etc.
• eBay offered 20% off select health and beauty products and deals on Google Home Hub, iPhone, Dyson and more.
• Target promoted deals on furniture, kitchen products, electronics and more.
• Walmart held price rollbacks and other promotions on various categories.