Amazon.com Inc.’s second annual Prime Day promotion takes place July 12, but if last year is any indication, shoppers might be better off waiting until later in the year for the best deals.
A report from retailer pricing, advertising and promotions tracking firm Market Track finds that on Black Friday 2015, televisions were 15% cheaper compared to Prime Day. Video games, meanwhile, were 12% cheaper on the day after Thanksgiving than Prime Day, which last year was on Wednesday, July 15. Amazon Prime is Amazon’s annual subscription where shoppers pay $99 and receive perks such as free expedited shipping.
Market Track examined the prices of nearly 400 items on both Prime Day and Black Friday 2015 across five categories: TVs, video games, laptops, small appliances and tablets. Of the five categories studied, small appliances had the least difference in pricing, with those items 3% cheaper on Black Friday than on Prime Day. Overall, all categories studied were cheaper on Black Friday than they were on Prime Day.
“Amazon promoted the event as having ‘more deals than Black Friday,’ which created some disappointment when the categories they featured were more varied and less geared toward what consumers typically associate with holiday deals,” said Traci Gregorski, senior vice president of marketing at Market Track. “Consumer reaction to Amazon’s Prime Day event, in spite of Amazon’s record sales and membership enrollment, was less than favorable due to a misalignment of expectations.”
Amazon actually began rolling out some of its Prime Day deals today to existing Prime members, sending out an email letting them know the deals were now live including 29% off a 32-inch LED TV, 32% off an ASUS F555 laptop, and 62% off a waterproof digital camera.
In announcing the date of Prime Day this year, Amazon said shoppers can expect to see more TVs on sale this year—nearly double the number it typically discounts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving) combined, though the retailer didn’t specify how prices of TVs on Prime Day will compare to those two days.
The inaugural Prime Day was held last year to celebrate Amazon’s 20th birthday. Amazon, No. 1 in the Internet Retailer 2016 Top 500 Guide, reported sales on Prime Day 2015 were 18% higher than they were on Black Friday 2014, though it did not release a dollar figure.
