Amazon Canada confirms Prime Day delayed to later this year

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has affected many businesses, including even e-commerce giants like Amazon.

Confirming previous rumours, Amazon Canada has now released a statement regarding the company delaying Prime Day to later this year.

Below is a statement from an Amazon spokesperson regarding the 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.”

Last year, Prime Day started on July 15th and ran for 48 hours.

While we know when Prime Day India will occur, there’s no word for when it will run in North America, as Amazon in the U.S. has also delayed Prime Day.

Months ago rumours regarding a possible Prime Day delay surfaced online. One leak indicated that Amazon would host Prime Day in September and an even more recent leak suggested Amazon might hold the event the week of October 5th. 

The purported cause of the delay is the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon warehouses have been put under significant strain due to increased e-commerce, and for a while, third-party sellers weren’t allowed to ship from the tech giant’s facilities.

Additionally, the pandemic has forced the company’s warehouses to add necessary safety measures, which adds to the workload.

Back in April, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos stated that the company aims to contribute $4 billion USD (roughly $5.5 billion CAD) towards COVID-19 related expenses.