Amazon Turns to Price Cuts and Product Drops for Holiday Sales

Amazon will launch its 48 hours of Black Friday deals on Nov. 24 — Thanksgiving Day — while also making product drops before and after that time.

The eCommerce giant will offer early deals before the main event begins as well as promotional offers that will extend beyond the 48-hour event, the company said Monday (Nov. 14) in a press release.

In this, the firm continues the strategy of extending Black Friday promotions well beyond the original event that used to be limited to the day after Thanksgiving.

For example, as PYMNTS reported Nov. 7, Walmart is continuing its “Black Friday Deals for Days” strategy that includes sales events on each Monday throughout November, while Target has announced “Weeklong Black Friday Deals.”

This year, the strategy has been driven in part by consumer caution fueled by inflation. With discretionary spending down and inventory stacking up, retailers are stepping up their markdowns and promotions.

Amazon’s Black Friday event will also include features designed to keep shoppers engaged throughout the event. These include product drops every 30 minutes during parts of the 48-hour main event, previews of deals that are to be offered — including offers on items from YETI, Samsung, Adidas and Peloton — and a badge designating sellers that are small businesses.

Among the offers are deals of 30% to 50% of some items in the days leading up to Cyber Monday.

To help shoppers find deals, Amazon is offering deal alerts that notify customers if a deal becomes available on an item they’ve searched for, gift guides from influencers and help from Amazon’s virtual assistant, which will answer the questions, “Alexa, what are my deals?”

In select cities, Amazon is offering same-day delivery from retail stores in the local mall. Shoppers can buy items from these stores through the Amazon stores and have them delivered.

This continues one of the Black Friday trends identified by PYMNTS after last year’s event: the growth of convenient, fast home delivery. Last year, 86% of Black Friday shoppers chose home delivery.

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