Amazon has delayed Prime Day – its yearly, Black-Friday-level shopping extravaganza – due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The news was revealed in an exclusive report by Reuters, which said that the event may not happen until August, at earliest. Amazon is also expecting to lose hundreds of millions from having to sell excess devices at a discount.
“We probably have to promote sooner, which will be difficult if we’re capacity constrained,” General Counsel David Zapolsky wrote in notes from a daily meeting of Amazon executives. “The notes said this would result in a $300-million impact ‘worst case,’ with a $100-million hit being more likely,” explained Reuters.
Amazon held its first Prime Day event in 2015, which was designed to offer Prime Members significant discounts on everything from electronics to clothing and household necessities for 24 hours. The event was later turned into a two-day, 48-hour sale.