This year, Amazon’s Prime Day pulled record sales in Canada, with sales rising 60 per cent from 2016’s event.
The 30-hour retail event was geared toward Amazon’s Prime customers, allowing shoppers to purchase certain items far below their suggested retail price. Sales were comparable to those in the holiday season, a highly unusual trend in the conventionally slow summer retail period.
What’s more, Prime Day increased the number of customers who signed up for an Amazon Prime membership. According to the retail giant, more new customers signed up for the $79.99 annual service on Prime Day than at any point in the company’s history.
These high sale levels present a further threat to Canadian retailers at the hands of Amazon. Inreasingly, the retail giant has expanded its Canadian customer services, now offering same-day delivery service guarantees in both Toronto and Vancouver and one-day delivery in Montreal, Calgary, and Edmonton. For Canadian businesses, this presents a further need to compete with—or join—Amazon’s ranks in order to remain profitable.
