Amazon Gears Up for Prime Day With Store Tie-Ins, Concerts, Content Perks

Amazon began July by launching its Happy School Year online store, pitching several company-branded deals and announcing Prime-themed entertainment in the two-week runup to Prime Day, July 15-16. It called the school year store a “one stop shop” for parents, students and teachers. Monday’s Amazon.com featured deal, meanwhile, was the Fire TV Recast, which plays and records over-the-air TV programs when paired with a Fire TV or Echo Show; the $229 recorder was knocked down to $129 for Prime members. Beginning July 8, Amazon will slice $80 off the Ring Video Doorbell Pro (regularly $249) and Echo Dot ($49) combo, selling the duo for $169, it said. It dangled a four-month 99 cent trial of Amazon Music Limited in front of Prime members who haven’t tried the premium on-demand streaming music service and advertised 50 percent off popular movie rentals on Prime Video. Prime members can save 66 percent on the first three months of an Audible subscription, bringing it to $4.95 a month, or they can save $30 when signing up for an annual Audible subscription ($149.50 annually) with a Dot for 99 cents. The e-commerce giant also discounted Amazon clothing brands up to half, sliced 20 percent from AmazonBasics items, offered free two-hour delivery on Prime Now on orders of $35 or more and teased a new customer discount of $15 for Prime Now customers spending over $35. In a Whole Foods-Prime Day mashup, customers who spend $10 at Whole Foods stores Wednesday-July 16, get a $10 credit to use on Amazon for Prime Day, it said. Prime members who are new to the Amazon App can get up to $25 in Amazon credits when they sign in and use it the first time. Beginning July 8, customers can tap the Prime Day banner within the Amazon App to see select products that will be Prime Day deals, and they can set an alert to be notified when the deal goes live. Beginning Saturday, members who shop at Amazon Books or Amazon 4-star locations can get a $10 Amazon.com gift card on a purchase of $50 or more throughout the stores, which will have exclusive Prime Day giveaways and deals on products from top categories online, including devices, electronics, toys, books and home and kitchen products. Adding live entertainment to the Prime week mix, Taylor Swift will headline a Prime Day Concert on July 10, streaming live on Prime Video at 9 p.m. EDT, exclusively for Prime members, Amazon said. Additional artists scheduled to perform are Dua Lipa, SZA and Becky G. The concert will be available to Prime members to stream after the live show for a limited time on Prime Video, it said.