Amazon Unleashes the Influencers for Prime Day

To promote its Prime Day 2022 sales event, set for July 12 and 13, Amazon has dedicated more resources to a group of people who just keep growing in influence: influencers. For the first time ever, the ecommerce giant secured a handful of event spaces and filled them with merchandise set to go on sale during its eighth annual Prime Day. Replica bedrooms filled with curated home goods. Bathrooms equipped with beauty products. Closets stuffed with fashionable garments and handbags. The company then invited members of its Amazon Influencer Program to visit these so-called creator houses—located in New York, Los Angeles and Austin in the weeks leading up to Prime Day—to do what they do best: create content. "Ensuring creators are set up for success leading into Prime Day is our No. 1 priority going into July," Meredith Silver, director of creator growth at Amazon, said in a statement. "Content development is a large time commitment for any creator, so we held three events to give creators a visually compelling space and early access to deals to create content ahead of Prime Day." Amazon’s $30 Billion Advertising Business Debuts at Cannes This year, Amazon also hosted two webinars offering best practices for creators preparing to maximize earnings on Prime Day, along with a sneak peek at the deals and a Q&A session. The company claims more than 5,000 creators attended its Prime Day events, including its creator houses and online workshops. On June 21, Amazon began offering the public an opportunity to get early Prime Day deals on Amazon Live during livestreams with influencers and celebrities such as Porsha Williams, Lala Kent, Hilary Duff, and Joe and Frank Mele. Of course, this isn't the first time Amazon has tried to drum up interest with big names. In 2019, Amazon hosted its first-ever Prime Day concert featuring performances by Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, SZA and Becky G. The new persuasion Amazon's decision to lean harder on influencers for Prime Day comes at a time when the creator economy continues to expand. Nearly half of all Gen Z shoppers, for example, trust the creators they follow, according to influencer agency Whalar. “We used to think of creators as a ‘nice to have,’ but we’re now in a space where it’s a critical part of how we go to market and how we succeed—that’s been the biggest shift over the last few years,” Ukonwa Ojo, the outgoing global CMO of Prime Video and Amazon Studios, said during a Cannes Lions panel discussion hosted by Adweek in late June in France. Amazon’s influencer program debuted in 2017 and is now available in eight countries, including the U.S., U.K. and Canada. Members receive their own page on Amazon to showcase product recommendations and earn a commission each time one of their followers purchases one of the items. A recent survey from Coresight Research shows 22.5% of U.S. consumers intend to make a purchase on Amazon.com during Prime Day, while 42.2% plan to browse for deals but do not know whether they will buy. Last year's Prime Day, held on June 21 and 22, generated more than $11 billion in sales, according to Adobe’s Digital Economy Index. Here’s What’s in Store for Prime Day 2022