Amazon Extends Prime Day Sales Amid Tariff Concerns and Gen Z Focus

Amazon extends Prime Day sales over four days, offering new membership perks and 5% cash back to Gen Z shoppers. The event aims to boost sales and attract new members amid tariff-related price worries and consumer boredom. Other retailers like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart are also hosting competing sales. Adobe Digital Insights predicts $23.8 billion in overall online spending during the event.

Amazon is extending its annual Prime Day sales event over four days, starting at 3:01 a.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, July 8, and running until Friday, July 11. The event, which began in 2015 and expanded to two days in 2019, is now offering new membership perks and 5% cash back to Gen Z shoppers aged 18-24. This move comes amid tariff-related price worries and potential consumer boredom with the event marking its 11th year.

The extended Prime Day is set to drive $23.8 billion in overall online spending, according to Adobe Digital Insights, a 28.4% increase compared to the same period last year. This projection surpasses Black Friday 2024’s entire online haul by more than double. Adobe's forecast is based on an analysis of over 1 trillion visits to U.S. e-commerce sites, spanning 100 million product listings and 18 categories [1].

Amazon's expansion of Prime Day is in response to shoppers' demand for more time to shop and save. The event is taking place two and a half months after an online news report sparked speculation that Amazon planned to display added tariff costs next to product prices on its website. However, Amazon clarified that the idea had been floated for its low-cost Haul storefront but never approved [3].

Other major retailers are also participating in the July sales event. Best Buy, Target, and Walmart are repeating the practice this year. Walmart, for instance, is adding two more days to its promotional period, which starts Tuesday and runs through July 13. The nation's largest retailer is making its summer deals available in stores as well as online for the first time [3].

The extended Prime Day event is expected to feature deals dropping as often as every 5 minutes during certain periods. Adobe Digital Insights predicts that discounts will remain on par with last year, with other U.S. retail companies marking 10% to 24% off the manufacturers' suggested retail price between Tuesday and Friday [3].

Amazon's Prime Day event is not just about sales; it's also an opportunity for the company to attract new members. The event's success in driving sales and attracting new members has spurred other major retail chains to schedule competing sales in July [3].

References:
[1] https://techeconomy.ng/online-spending-amazon-prime-day/
[2] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/amazon-prime-day-sale-2025-deals-in-usa-dates-discounts/articleshow/122303291.cms
[3] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-extends-prime-day-discounts-040109778.html