If you are an online retailer and think you’ve still got time to start thinking about the Holidays, think again. Amazon has completely torn up the traditional holiday marketing calendar and left online retailers scrambling to catch up.

Amazon is planning to take advantage of the news that consumers plan to shop earlier than ever this holiday season by pre-empting the busy Black Friday sales period with a second Amazon Prime event.

The online retailer and marketplace has announced it’s Amazon Prime Early Access Sale will run from October 11-12, 2022, some six weeks before the traditional Black Friday sales event.

What Will Be On Offer?

During the sale, Amazon will promote a list of the Top 100 of the festive season’s most popular gift items. In addition, the online marketplace promises to offer some fantastic deals on electronics, fashion, home, kitchen, pets, toys, and Amazon devices.

With consumers painfully aware of the threat of product shortages caused by the ongoing supply chain issues following Covid, it’s expected that trade will be brisk.

Speaking to journalists, Jamil Ghani, vice president of Amazon Prime, said: “We are so excited to help Prime members kick off the holiday season with Amazon’s new Prime Early Access Sale – an exclusive opportunity for members to get deep discounts on top brands we know they are looking for this time of year.”

How to Access The Sale

Amazon is already promoting the event with pre-sale discounts and holiday gift catalogues.

To access the sale, consumers must already be Amazon Prime Members or register for the free 30-day trial before the event.

The Early Access Sale will be available in the following countries: Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the UK, and the US.

Is This a Sign of the New Normal for The Holidays?

With so much geopolitical and economic uncertainty, this holiday season was always going to be far from normal. However, when large players like Amazon make a move like this, the trend tends to be more widely adopted the following year.

Many retailers used to consider the weeks leading up to Halloween as the start of their holiday season. That start date is now consigned to ancient history. The holidays start now.

To learn more about how Frooition can help your retail business plan for Christmas and the Holidays, book a 15-minute discovery call with one of our eCommerce experts.