Amazon Prime Day is set for Oct. 13-14

It’s official. Amazon Prime Day 2020 will be Oct. 13-14.

After delaying the annual Black Friday-like sale amid the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon confirmed the dates and details of the shopping event early Monday.

Several early Prime Day deals are now available, including what the ecommerce giant calls its “biggest small business promotion.”

Now through Oct. 12, Prime members who spend $10 on items sold by select small businesses on Amazon get a $10 credit to use on Prime Day on almost any product on the site including small businesses, which can be found on a new dedicated landing page with curated collections at Amazon.com/supportsmall.

“We’re really trying to put the spotlight and the energy of Prime Day behind these small businesses,” said Jamil Ghani, vice president of Prime, in an interview with USA TODAY.

The credit is “fully funded” by Amazon, Ghani said, noting it is part of the company’s $100 million commitment to support small businesses this Prime Day and throughout the holiday season.

Amazon started its annual summer sale in 2015 as a way to reward members of its Prime subscription program.

Sales from the 2019 Prime Day event held in mid-July were higher than sales during 2018’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.

Members worldwide purchased 175 million items during the two-day sale, which is available only to subscribers of Amazon’s Prime service, the company said.

Colleen Sundlie, owner of Date Lady in Springfield, Missouri, said her small business has been growing sales with Amazon even in an “unsettled economy.”

“Selling online has helped us stay connected with customers and continue growing our small business despite the challenging times,” Sundlie said in a statement.

The big sale has been held annually in July but amid the pandemic Amazon postponed.

Rumors surrounding a Prime Day delay began swirling in April after a memo circulating around Amazon leaked that said Prime Day would be pushed back at least until the following month.

Oct. 13-14 is the right time to hold the shopping extravaganza, Ghani said.

“We prioritized the items folks needed most in the early months of the COVID situation.

“And we’ve been working really closely with teams around the globe to ensure that we can not only have a successful Prime Day, but more importantly, a safe Prime Day,” he said.

With the later date, many are expected to use Prime Day to start their holiday shopping and to shop for themselves, Ghani.

According to data from Braze, a customer engagement platform headquartered in New York, consumers habits have shifted to digital channels.

Some 83% of consumers saying they will shop online the same or more postCOVID-19.