Amazon’s Prime Day Could Turn Into Christmas in July

In celebration of its 20th birthday, Amazon plans to push wish list items into shopping carts and new customers into its Prime ecosystem this July 15, dubbed “Prime Day.”

The eve of Amazon’s 20th anniversary, Prime Day will be packed with more deals than Black Friday, Greg Greeley, vice president of Amazon Prime, said Monday.

The event kicks off at midnight on July 15, with lightning deals popping up as frequently as every 10 minutes. Along with the thousands of lightning offers, Amazon will present seven Deals of the Day.

For non-Prime members, Amazon is offering a 30-day free trial of the collection of services, so just about anyone can join the festivities next week.

The party won’t end on July 15, according to Amazon spokesperson Julie Law. The Kindle kingdom will go back to its roots on its birthday.

“On July 16, we will celebrate 20 years of reading,” said Law. As for what the reading event entails, “you will have to stay tuned.”

A Summer Shopping Tradition?

Amazon wasn’t ready to talk about a 2016 Prime Day — annualization of the event likely depends on consumer participation in the inaugural run.

“We don’t have future plans to share yet,” Law told the E-Commerce Times,” but we are excited to get feedback from our Prime members.”

If Amazon makes a summer tradition of Prime Day, mid-July could become a lot more festive all around, suggested Jim McGregor, founder and principal analyst at Tirias Research.

“Amazon sets the bar,” he told the E-Commerce Times. “I would suspect that if they’re doing Amazon Prime Day — I’m calling it ‘Summer Christmas’ — I’d be surprised if you don’t see other websites following suit.”

With two members of his household living with wheat allergies, Amazon’s Prime service has become a primary pipeline for his family’s food, McGregor said. The Ship and Save circuit between his house and the local Amazon fulfillment center is so busy that he finally had to explained to puzzled delivery drivers that they have been bring home his groceries.

“So I’m all over it — Amazon has changed the landscape of books, movies, retail,” he pointed out. “It’s not just what Amazon provides — it’s their marketplace, daily deals and lightning deals as well.”

In Its Prime

Dangling a 30-day trial on a line, Amazon aims to reel droves of new members into its Prime ecosystem.

“It’s a promotional vehicle for them,” McGregor said of Prime Day. “It’s going to help them stand out, and it’ll keep them on people’s minds. A lot of people don’t think about online shopping until the holiday season.”

The primary components of Amazon’s premium membership service include movies and TV shows on Prime Instant Video, Prime Music’s streaming albums, Prime Photo’s cloud image locker, two-day shipping from Amazon fulfillment centers, and its Kindle Owner’s Lending Library.

“Once you get a bite on one specific purpose or application, you’re going to get hooked,” McGregor said.

The world will have to wait until July 15 to find out how deeply Amazon is cutting prices to connect new members to Prime or keep current subscribers spending, but Amazon has proven it’s not afraid to invest in new ideas, and July 15 deals and steals could be a prime example of that.

“They are the new Walmart,” said McGregor. “You have to respect them, whether you like it or not. Personally, I like them.”