2 Is Better Than 1? Amazon Reportedly Prepping Second Prime Day in the Fall

pcmag.com:

If one Amazon Prime Day isn’t enough for you, there’s good news: Amazon is reportedly trying to hold a second Prime Day event later this year.

The e-commerce giant has been telling select merchants via its Sellers Central portal about a Prime Fall Deal Event, according(Opens in a new window) to Insider. Public discussion(Opens in a new window) of the sales event is scant, though. According to the notifications, Amazon is giving sellers until July 22 to submit so-called “Lightning deals” for the fall Prime event. 

Merchants also have until Sept. 12 to ship their product inventory to the company’s warehouses if they use Amazon’s fulfillment services. Sellers invited to participate have told Insider the second Prime Day looks like it’s scheduled for October, well before the typical Black Friday shopping bonanza in November. In addition, merchants are required to offer at least a 20% discount on their current prices to be eligible. 

Amazon declined to comment, saying "we do not comment on rumors or speculation." But the company may be holding a second Prime Day to boost sales amid growing concerns that the US is headed toward a recession amid rising inflation and price hikes.

But the big question is whether enough merchants decide to participate in a second Prime Day. Insider points out some merchants have been complaining about Amazon giving little details and such short notice on the sales event.

It also comes as The Wall Street Journal reports(Opens in a new window) that Prime Day sales growth has slowed, even though sales are projected to be 17% higher than last year's event.

In 2020, Amazon pushed Prime Day to October after it struggled to keep up with demand during the coronavirus-fueled online shopping crush, but it