Amazon Prime Day promises to be different in 2020 amid the backdrop of a pandemic, major shifts in consumer spending patterns, and a later-than-usual event timing.

On today's episode, we discuss how the Olympics might affect Peacock user growth, streaming services feasting on sports rights deals, how not to annoy your customers, whether consumer spending can hold up, how young people are spending their summers (and how marketers can reach them), the events people want to see added to the Olympics, and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer director of forecasting Oscar Orozco, senior forecasting analyst Peter Vahle, and principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Paul Verna.

It’s been six years since Amazon’s inaugural Prime Day, and since then, the sales bonanza has evolved from the unofficial kickoff of back-to-school shopping into an event other major retailers try to emulate—so much so that the ecommerce giant has tried to obfuscate when the annual sales day will occur.

eMarketer was pleased to moderate a Tech-Talk Webinar featuring Cvent’s Alyssa Peltier, senior manager, industry solutions. She discussed how marketers can strategically align their business goals and event mix for growth.

The same factors causing apparel ecommerce sales to spike—the resumption of weddings and other formal events—will also drive growth in the beauty sector. Read the full report.

The pandemic has hastened the digital future, but ill-conceived marketing tactics predicated on current events should be avoided. UK consumers are more wary of empty marketing rhetoric, so a mindful approach should be cultivated.

It’s Prime Day in June. Amazon traditionally held Prime Day in mid-July but pushed the event to October last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. (The exception was India, where it took place in August 2020.) This year, Amazon will hold Prime Day on June 21–22.

The event had the lowest ratings of any Winter Games, bringing in an average of only 11.4 million viewers per night and creating a back-to-back Olympic letdown for broadcaster NBCUniversal after last year’s postponed Summer Games also reached historic lows.

On today's episode, we discuss in-person events in 2021, how to put on an engaging hybrid conference, and how to consider making money from virtual events. We then talk about Twitch's "Brand Safety Score," new ads envisioning post-pandemic life, and TV makers leaving no ad spot unturned. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Jillian Ryan.

ABC’s 2021 telecast received an average of 10.4 million viewers, the lowest ever for the event and a 56% reduction from the 23.6 million who tuned in in 2020, per Nielsen data. The Grammys and Emmys haven’t fared well either.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver, junior analyst Blake Droesch, principal analyst Jillian Ryan, and vice president of content studio at Insider Intelligence Paul Verna discuss the major digital pivot to reimagined events amid COVID-19. Then, the usual suspects talk about Twitter's fight against election misinformation, TikTok's potential rivals, untapped marketing to lower-income customers, ecommerce within YouTube, and how cats aren't as heartless as they seem.

As Amazon raked in more than $11 billion in Prime Day sales worldwide, health and beauty product sales boomed on the platform. In a survey conducted by Numerator throughout the event, 28.0% of US Prime Day buyers said they made a purchase in that category. Consumer electronics also made a spark: 27.5% of respondents reported buying tech gear and gadgets.

Adobe Analytics estimates that total US ecommerce sales on Prime Day surpassed $11 billion, and Amazon said that its global customers bought more than 250 million items during the coveted two-day shopping event.