The news: Amazon is keeping Prime Big Deal Days to two days—October 7 and 8.
- That’s a shift from July’s Prime Day sale, which stretched to four days to help boost sales and ad spending.
- Amazon says the two-day window fits its broader holiday strategy: kick off early without overshadowing the Cyber Five period. Last year, the retailer joined rivals in expanding Cyber Week into what we dubbed the Cyber Dozen.
More about the event: Amazon is layering in perks to spur Prime members to spend and attract sign-ups. In addition to early access to deals starting today, other benefits include:
- Early access to “Wicked: For Good.” Prime members get access to exclusive screenings on November 17—four days before the wide release—and can shop limited-edition, exclusive Wicked merchandise and deals on hundreds of Oz-inspired products during the sale.
- Fuel savings. Members who link their Amazon account to bp’s earnify loyalty program will get $1 off per gallon (up to 35 gallons) on a single purchase at more than 7,500 bp, Amoco, and ampm stations starting October 3, plus 10 cents off daily.
- Free McDonald’s meals. Members can use their free Grubhub+ subscription to claim a free 10-piece Chicken McNuggets Meal once per day between September 15 and October 5.
- Prime Visa perks. Cardholders earn 10% back on select Big Deal Days offers (brands like Dyson and Breville) and 7% back with No-Rush Delivery.
Our take: Three main reasons explain Amazon’s decision to cap the event at two days.
- Headline risk. Amazon touted this year’s Prime Day as its biggest ever—but with four days instead of two, that was a given. Even with our forecast projecting a 52.7% YoY jump in US ecommerce sales to $12.93 billion, the narrative was hijacked by early headlines after Momentum Commerce reported a 14% YoY spending drop in the event’s opening hours, with stories like “Amazon Prime Day Spending Down 14% in Early Hours From 2024” dominating coverage.
- Seller strain. Advertising powers Amazon’s sales events, but many sellers are already squeezed by tariffs and rising costs. Extending promotions would further erode margins and make sustaining discounts across multiple upcoming sales in the season difficult.
- Holiday pacing. With just 28 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the season will be a sprint. Amazon is pacing itself—and other retailers should, too. That approach lets Amazon and its third-party sellers conserve budget and promotions for Cyber Five, when competition peaks.