Even as Amazon has postponed its global sales event, Prime Day, in the US till October, it is going ahead with it in India -- starting tonight (August 5). The 48-hour Prime Day sale will have discounts ranging from 15-75 percent across categories.
For thousands of sellers, too, the two-day event is a big boon as they have been hit hard by the pandemic.
“Prime Day brings the best of Amazon, so that you have great deals and selections with the product launches across categories. So, from smartphones, consumer electronics, appliances, TV sets, kitchen essentials, daily essentials toys, fashion and beauty to Amazon devices, you will have good deals. What is really interesting is the focus on small and medium business partners," Akshay Sahi, Head of Prime, Amazon India, told Moneycontrol.
Unlike every year, the sale this time will not witness heated war rooms with executives shouting, clapping or vehemently typing on their laptops. All these activities will now take place from their homes as they are working remotely.
Across its operations sites, including fulfillment centres, sortation centres and delivery stations, Amazon is providing masks for all associates to wear at sites and while making deliveries. There is the regular temperature check as well.
The company is catering to customers in containment areas as well by delivering products at the periphery of such zones.
It has restarted the cash-on-delivery option, given that it constitutes over 90 percent payments in India. However, it is available only across select pin codes.
According to a Nielsen research in the last week of July, 43 percent sellers are participating in the event for recovering from the recent slump. Twenty two percent are participating to accelerate their business, while the rest are doing so to gain new customers.
Around 77 percent sellers are participating in Prime Day for the first time. Sixty eight percent product launches are expected. The survey was conducted across 14 cities in India among 407 sellers.
This is one of the first big sales being organised by Amazon, post COVID-19, and it will lock horns with rival Flipkart, which has also announced a five-day sale -- Big Saving Days.
This sale is being seen as a precursor to the flagship sales of the two companies, which are likely to be announced ahead of the Diwali festival in India.
In order to keep the motivation level high, Amazon is shipping meals and snacks to their employees, besides organising stand-up comedy shows. Power and internet backups have been ensured to reduce glitches as they work from different areas.
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