Amazon Prime Day Becomes 4-Day Event Amid Trade Worries/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Amazon has extended Prime Day to four days, aiming to boost sales while retailers brace for possible tariff-related price hikes. Competing chains like Walmart and Target also launched overlapping summer sales. Analysts predict cautious spending despite significant online sales projections.
Amazon Prime Day Quick Looks
- Amazon Prime Day runs four days for first time
- Gen Z shoppers get new perks, cash-back offers
- Retailers wary of tariff impacts on pricing
- Walmart, Target, Best Buy launch competing sales
- Online sales forecast to hit $23.8 billion
- Some third-party sellers skip discounts amid uncertainty
- Discounts include Alexa devices, smart TVs, school supplies
Deep Look
Amazon Extends Prime Day To Four Days As Retailers Watch Tariff Impact And Changing Consumer Habits
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is expanding its annual Prime Day sales bonanza to four days for the first time, offering new perks targeted at younger shoppers even as inflation concerns and looming tariffs hover over consumer spending.
Kicking off at 3:01 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Prime Day 2025 is designed to entice customers with rolling deals dropping every five minutes during peak periods. Previously a single-day event, Prime Day grew to two days in 2019 and now stretches until early Friday this year—a significant change as Amazon tries to reinvigorate interest in an event entering its 11th year.
Amazon Prime Vice President Jamil Ghani said the decision stemmed from feedback that shoppers wanted “more time to shop and save.” Yet analysts remain uncertain whether extra days will translate into higher sales amid economic headwinds.
Gen Z Perks and Competitive Pressure
Amazon is also aiming to win over Gen Z consumers, offering Prime members ages 18-24 a 5% cash back promotion for a limited time. Younger members pay a discounted $7.49 monthly fee, compared to the $14.99 standard rate.
Meanwhile, major retailers are determined not to lose ground during the mid-summer shopping frenzy. Best Buy, Target, and Walmart are launching their own overlapping sales events. Walmart, in particular, has extended its promotion to six days, running through July 13, and for the first time, will roll out in-store discounts alongside online deals.
“Retailers are highly aware of how critical this window is,” said Caila Schwartz, director of consumer insights and strategy at Salesforce.
Spending Might Stay Flat Despite More Days
Despite the promotional push, some experts caution that shoppers may not dramatically increase their purchases. Inflation, coupled with uncertainty over potential price hikes from tariffs, is prompting consumers to remain cautious.
Adobe Digital Insights projects U.S. online spending during Prime Day to reach $23.8 billion—a 28.4% increase over the same period last year. That’s significantly higher than the 11% rise in 2024 and the 6.1% bump in 2023.
Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said extending Prime Day provides Amazon with “a big opportunity to really amplify and accelerate the spending velocity.”
Yet Schwartz observed that recent years have shown consumers often shop early and then disengage. “We know that the consumer is still really cautious. So it’s likely we could see a similar pattern where they come out early, they’re ready to buy and then they take a step back,” she said.
Tariffs and Inventory Strategies
Tariffs remain a looming issue. Amazon executives noted earlier this year that both the company and third-party sellers stocked up on imported goods before new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump took effect, helping avoid immediate price hikes. As a result, many sellers have kept pricing steady for now.
Adobe’s Pandya predicts discounts will remain similar to last year, with U.S. retailers offering 10% to 24% off manufacturers’ suggested retail prices through the Prime Day window.
However, Schwartz from Salesforce noted retailers are growing more precise with discounts, opting for targeted promo codes over broad price slashing across entire product catalogs.
Necessities May Take Center Stage
Prime Day has traditionally sparked back-to-school shopping and prompted early seasonal buying. This year, analysts expect many consumers to focus on essential goods amid tariff fears and economic uncertainty.
“They’re going to buy more everyday items,” said Brett Rose, CEO of United National Consumer Supplies, a wholesale distributor of excess inventory like toys and beauty products.
Highlights From The Deals
As usual, Amazon rolled out early deals ahead of Prime Day, and the event itself features discounts on popular Alexa-enabled products, including Echo devices, Fire TVs, and Fire tablets.
Competing retailers are countering with aggressive offers. Walmart’s sale includes a 32-inch Samsung smart monitor discounted to $199 from $299.99 and $50 off a 50-inch Vizio Smart TV, usually priced at $298. Target, meanwhile, is maintaining 2024 prices on key back-to-school items such as $5 backpacks and a 20-item school-supply bundle under $20.
Third-Party Sellers Take Mixed Approach
Independent sellers account for over 60% of Amazon’s retail sales, but not all are participating in Prime Day. Several sellers have chosen to sit out this year to preserve their profit margins amid tariff uncertainty, opting to hold onto pre-tariff inventory until market conditions stabilize.
Brett Rose noted that some sellers “would rather take a sales hit this week than use up a lot of their pre-tariffs inventory and risk seeing profit margins suffer later.”
However, other businesses are eager to move inventory stockpiled earlier in the year. Patrick Jones, founder of home fragrance brand Outdoor Fellow, said his company relies on Chinese suppliers for items like candle jars, lids, and reed diffusers. Jones stocked up on inventory in early 2025, effectively doubling his supply to buffer against tariff hikes.
“All the product that we have on Amazon right now is still from the inventory that we got before the tariffs went into effect,” Jones explained. He plans to offer 32% off candles usually priced at $34 during Prime Day.
Still, Jones is anxiously waiting to see whether the goods he ordered in June will be subject to steep customs duties when they arrive.
As Amazon embarks on a longer-than-ever Prime Day, the company and retailers alike are navigating a complex landscape of consumer caution, global trade tensions, and competitive pressures. Whether four days of deals will translate into record-breaking sales—or simply spread existing spending over a longer window—remains to be seen.
Wall Street Wavers As Trump Extends Tariff Deadlines/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Wall Street opened mixed Tuesday as investors digested President Trump’s new tariff deadlines, with some relief over delayed hikes. Markets slipped Monday following Trump’s 25% tariffs on Japanese and South Korean goods, though volatility has moderated. Overseas markets showed mixed performance while traders await further tariff negotiations.
Quick Look
- Wall Street mixed after Monday’s tariff-driven slump
- Trump delays broad tariffs but targets Japan, South Korea
- Global investors watching for August 1 tariff deadline
- Amazon shares tick higher on launch of Prime Day
- Oil prices dip slightly; dollar strengthens versus yen
Wall Street Opens Mixed as Investors Weigh Trump’s Tariff Moves
Deep Look
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street was steady but cautious in early trading Tuesday, as investors weighed the latest twists in President Donald Trump’s escalating trade maneuvers and upcoming tariff deadlines.
Futures for the S&P 500 ticked up 0.1% ahead of the opening bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.1%. Nasdaq futures climbed 0.2%.
Markets were rattled Monday after Trump announced a 25% tariff on goods from Japan and South Korea, alongside planned new levies on imports from a dozen other countries set to begin Aug. 1. The S&P 500 fell 0.8% Monday, its largest single-day drop since June, though it remains near record highs. The Dow and Nasdaq posted similar declines, but recent volatility from earlier in the year has somewhat eased.
Trump disclosed his tariff plans by posting letters addressed to various world leaders on his social media platform, Truth Social. The letters warned nations against retaliatory measures, threatening even higher tariffs if they respond in kind.
“Financial markets have reacted to news of higher U.S. tariffs in sanguine fashion,” wrote Chris Turner, ING’s global head of markets. “Presumably, the view is now that there are more deals to be done before the Aug. 1 deadline.”
Trump initially unveiled sweeping tariffs set to hit imports from nearly every country back in April, but quickly postponed the measures for 90 days to allow room for negotiations. That window is scheduled to close this week.
In corporate news, Amazon shares rose modestly—less than 1%—in pre-market trading as the retail giant kicked off its Prime Day event, which now spans four days. Amazon launched the members-only shopping promotion in 2015, expanding it to two days in 2019.
Overseas markets showed mixed performance. Germany’s DAX gained 0.4% midday, while Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.2%. France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.1%.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.3% to 39,688.81, and South Korea’s Kospi surged 1.8% to 3,114.95. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index climbed 1.1% to 24,140.13, and the Shanghai Composite added 0.7% to 3,497.48. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged down 0.1% to 8,590.70.
On the commodities front, U.S. benchmark crude dipped 17 cents to $67.76 per barrel, while Brent crude, the global standard, slipped 6 cents to $69.52.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar strengthened to 146.37 Japanese yen from 146.01 yen, while the euro edged up to $1.1734 from $1.1714.
Markets remain on edge as investors wait to see whether Trump’s tariff threats turn into action—or another delay.
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