Amazon Touts Faster Delivery Ahead of Big Deal Days

Amazon says its Prime Big Deal Days sales event will return in October.

The event will give Prime members early access to holiday deals, the eCommerce giant announced Thursday (Aug. 22), with the launch planned for 19 countries — Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Turkey and the United States.

In its announcement, Amazon touted some of the benefits of Prime membership, such as faster and free delivery.

“We hit our fastest Prime delivery speeds ever so far this year, with more than 5 billion items arriving on the same or next day globally — a new record,” the company said.

Recent research by PYMNTS Intelligence examined data from this summer’s Amazon Prime Day and Walmart+ Week sales events to glean insights for executives, merchants and consumers alike.

“Amazon Prime Day and Walmart+ Week are seen by most consumers as opportunities to snag good deals on frequently purchased items rather than motivators to join these paid memberships,” PYMNTS wrote earlier this week.

The data shows that about three-quarters of consumers took part in these events primarily to get deals on products they regularly purchase. But these sales were not the primary reason consumers subscribe to Amazon Prime or Walmart+.

According to the research, 80% of Amazon Prime subscribers point to free shipping as their main reason for joining, with 57% specifically citing it as the most important factor. Similarly, 61% of Walmart+ members value free shipping, while 49% appreciate grocery delivery. Just 30% of Walmart+ subscribers and 23% of Amazon Prime members signed up for the sales events themselves.

“This suggests that while these events are attractive perks, they are not strong drivers of membership,” PYMNTS wrote. “For Amazon Prime and Walmart+, there is an opportunity to enhance the impact of these sales to convert more non-subscribers into members.”

Also Thursday, PYMNTS wrote about Amazon’s expansion of its grocery delivery subscription service, which now offers an annual plan for Prime members and an extension for its discounted subscription to all Prime Access members.

These new offerings expand upon the success the grocery subscription has seen since its debut in April, the company said.

“Since launch, we continue to see strong sign-ups for the grocery subscription and a positive customer response,” the company said in a news release. “Customers see immediate value in the subscription as it saves them money on grocery delivery fees and makes their grocery shopping experience more convenient.”