Was Amazon's Prime Day Sequel Worth It?

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UPDATE: Oct. 14, 2022, 12:55 p.m. EDT This story has been updated. Prime Day 2: Electric Boogaloo. Prime Day 2 Fast 2 Furious. Prime Day: Episode II - Jeff Bezos Strikes Back. Amazon went with "Prime Early Access Sale(Opens in a new tab)," but whatever you called it, a new Prime Day-style savings event ushered in deep discounts across the site from Oct. 11 through 12. The sale marked Amazon's earliest-ever start to the holiday shopping season and the first time it's hosted two events for members of its Prime subscription service(Opens in a new tab) in the same calendar year, the first of which fell on July 12 and 13 in 2022. It also introduced a new Top 100 list of popular gifts in addition to its usual holiday guides(Opens in a new tab). The retail giant faced a massive challenge with the Prime Early Access Sale in convincing consumers not to postpone their holiday shopping until Black Friday, when products are usually at their year-round lows. ​Con tent　has　been g ener ated ​with GSA Conte nt G᠎en​er ator Demoversion.

Unlike Target, for example, which has already begun rolling out Black Friday deals, Amazon doesn't have a price guarantee to soothe skittish shoppers who are (rightfully) worried things will get cheaper in November or December. The pressure to win consumers over was magnified by the fact that Amazon had an especially sluggish Q2, posting its slowest growth rate since 2001. Its CEO attributed the results to economic conditions related to the pandemic and Russia's war with Ukraine, as CNBC(Opens in a new tab) reported. Early numbers indicate that the Prime Early Access Sale wasn't the blowout Amazon maybe hoped for. The average order size during the Prime Early Access Sale was $46.68, down from $60.29 during Prime Day in July. Of shoppers who stopped by the Prime Early Access Sale and the original Prime Day, 64% spent the same or less this time around. Inflation was a top-of-mind concern for 79% of Prime Early Access Sale shoppers. Shame, too, because many of the deals were all that great, beating or matching previous discounts Amazon's offered.

What were the best deals from the Prime Early Access Sale? Amazon offered unprecedented markdowns across almost every category, from TVs and Apple devices to robot vacuums, Amazon Beauty pet tech, camping gear, workout equipment, and even everyday household essentials like dish soap and diapers. In a very OG Prime Day move, Amazon also used the Prime Early Access Sale as an opportunity to plug its streaming services. Prime members who hadn't tried Amazon Music Unlimited(Opens in a new tab) before could get four months free; nonmembers got three months free (normally $9.99/month). And if you needed something new to watch, a Prime membership unlocked deals on select new and popular titles from the Prime Video(Opens in a new tab) library. Half off Morbius(Opens in a new tab), anyone? Who competed with the Prime Early Access Sale? Target(Opens in a new tab) got a jump on Amazon with the revival of "Deal Days" from Oct. 6 to 8, which marked the start of its holiday season and the beginning of its extra-long Holiday Price Match Guarantee(Opens in a new tab) (good through Dec. 24). It hasn't wasted a moment since: Target's Black Friday sale(Opens in a new tab) is now live through Thanksgiving weekend in stores, online, and via the Target app, delivering weekly and daily deals with its "best planned prices for the holiday season." Top offers so far include 50% off the Beats Solo3 headphones(Opens in a new tab), half off the Keurig K-mini(Opens in a new tab), and free gift card promotions with household essentials(Opens in a new tab) and select skincare(Opens in a new tab) purchases.

Walmart(Opens in a new tab) also vied for a slice of Amazon's pie with a four-day "Rollbacks and More" sale from Oct. 10 through 13, which featured juicy discounts on the Dyson V12 Detect Slim(Opens in a new tab), third-gen AirPods, Splatoon 3(Opens in a new tab), and Samsung Galaxy tablets(Opens in a new tab) in addition to a rare Xbox Series X restock. Amazon got more competition on Oct. 11, when Bed Bath & Beyond(Opens in a new tab) debuted deals on home goods and shoes kitchen appliances as part of its Beyond Big Sale (live through Oct. 16, or four whole days after the Prime Early Access Sale ended). Want to be prepared for the next Prime event? Amazon's new Fire TV Omni isn't just another bargain QLED. It's basically a dupe for Samsung's The Frame. Sign in or create an Amazon account. Add a payment method and a billing address.

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