This year’s Prime Day will be very different

Wednesday, 5 August 2020, 05:56:26
By Saritha RaiAmazon.com Inc. will kick off its first Prime Day since the coronavirus outbreak later this week in India, modifying almost everything about the retail bonanza to navigate the realities of a new era.Prime Day will have the customary deep discounts, hundreds of exclusive products, new launches and cashback offers. But in a profound departure from the past, the global retailer will have a virtual operations room instead of a real one, with thousands of employees coordinating the sale from their homes, and stringent hygiene protocols for its armies of packers, sorters and deliverymen.India is a test case for the e-commerce pioneer and founder Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest person. The U.S. version of Prime Day has been postponed from its usual spot in July, with the new date yet to be announced.“After a lot of conversations, we decided to go ahead with Prime Day,” said Akshay Sahi, head of Prime at Amazon India. “Life has to go on. Sellers have to get back on their feet.”That Amazon is holding its 48-hour sale despite the pandemic underscores the intense competition in the country’s online retail sector.
— Economic Times India

Amazon, Flipkart pad up for T20 sale beginning tomorrow before festive test

Wednesday, 5 August 2020, 03:35:10
Bengaluru: India’s top online marketplaces, Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart, are launching promotional events, beginning August 6, aimed at helping sellers liquidate old inventory and free up working capital ahead of mega festival sales, according to company executives.Amazon’s two-day sale will be its first large promotional event since the easing of the lockdown. Flipkart’s four-day event will focus on electronics, appliances and fashion, an analysis of the deals on the platform shows.“The sale(s) are largely a result of pressure from sellers,” said a top ecommerce executive, “to help move inventories they’ve been sitting on since before the lockdown and free up working capital ahead of the festive period”.For both ecommerce majors, hosting the sale this week has become a matter of urgency as the moratorium on working capital loans for sellers — granted by the government to ease disruption caused by the pandemic —is due to expire on August 31.“With the moratorium period coming to an end and no clear visibility on extension, it’s time for sellers to take actionable measures,” said a top executive at one of the leading invoice discounting platforms.
— Economic Times India

Walmart pushes back launch of Amazon Prime rival, report says – CNET

Tuesday, 4 August 2020, 23:07:00
The retail giant’s subscription service was reportedly slated to launch last month.
— CNET

Walmart pays $20 mln to end EEOC probe over physical ability tests

Tuesday, 4 August 2020, 21:38:50
Walmart Inc has agreed to pay $20 million to settle claims that its practice of giving job applicants at grocery warehouses across the country physical ability tests made it more difficult for women to get jobs with the retail giant.
— Reuters

TikTok influencers are obsessed with these $10 Walmart jeans

Tuesday, 4 August 2020, 21:10:03
For under $11, there isn’t much on the line.
— New York Post