We've heard rumblings in recent months that this year's Prime Day would be delayed, and now Amazon has made it official.
Amazon today confirmed that Prime Day 2020 will be happening "later than usual this year." The big sales event normally takes place in mid-July, which means if this were any other year, Prime Day would have happened either this week or last.
The company hasn't said exactly when Prime Day 2020 will happen, but the latest rumors are pointing toward October. Consumers in India will be able to take part in Prime Day sooner, with Amazon saying it'll host its Prime Day 2020 sales there on August 6 and 7.
As for why this year's Prime Day event is being delayed, the coronavirus pandemic is the culprit. Amazon says that the safety of its employees, customers, and selling partners is a top priority.
Here's Amazon's statement to TechCrunch on the Prime Day delay:
"Over the last five years, Prime Day has become a special celebration and time for Prime members to shop incredible deals for themselves and for friends and family – and it’s something we look forward to every year.
"This year we’ll be holding Prime Day later than usual, while ensuring the safety of our employees and supporting our customers and selling partners. We are excited Prime members in India will see savings on August 6-7, and that members all around the world will experience Prime Day later this year. We look forward to sharing more details soon."
Prime Day is one of Amazon's biggest sales events of the year, with the retailer offering heavy discounts on all kinds of products. In 2019, Prime Day actually ran for two days and had more than one million deals available. So it's no wonder that there's a lot of interest about when Prime Day 2020 will happen.
We’ll be bringing #PrimeDay savings to members later than usual this year. Safety of our employees, customers, and selling partners remains our #1 priority. #PrimeDay in India will take place on Aug 6-7, with details for the rest of the world coming soon! pic.twitter.com/ITBTQvcFKl
— AmazonNewsUK (@AmazonNewsUK) July 21, 2020