Amazon quietly ditched celebrity promotions to build up Prime Day this year after cuts to marketing spending due to COVID-19 by Eugene Kim

Commentary by Rick Watson:

The celebrity promotions, however, are likely to come back once things settle down, according to Rick Watson, CEO of RMW Commerce Consulting. He said COVID made it unusually dicult to lock in celebrity endorsements this year, given the constantly changing policies and dates for Prime Day, which was pushed back three months. It was also hard to predict inventory and schedule the supply chain, making it almost impossible to plan for big promotions, he said.

Celebrity promotions, in particular, are still a highly eective and proven method for retailers looking to stand out in a crowded eld, he said. Since Amazon started Prime Day in 2015, other retailers have launched similar sales events during the same week as Prime Day. Amazon still did a smaller scale live-streamed concert in the UK for this year's Prime Day.

"COVID really screwed with [Amazon's] plans," Watson said. "Celebrities could easily be back next year with a new campaign."