The midsummer sale has become a hallmark move for retailers looking to avoid a slump during the off-season. And even more so now that Amazon’s Prime Day is a permanent fixture for the season.
eBay is the latest e-tailer to join the craze, launching its Summer Brand Outlet on Monday. The online outlet offers 70 percent discounts on a number of lifestyle brands and categories, from footwear and apparel to electronics and vitamins.
The microsite, which can be found at ebay.com/brandoutlet, features newly-added deals daily and will remain open through the summer, including deals on wares from brands like Sony, Adidas, Tiffany & Co., Ray Ban, Rolex and more. Plus, brands and sellers will provide free shipping.
To ring in the program’s launch, eBay released a first wave of deeply-discounted offerings under the moniker “Hot Deals for Hot Days.” The temporary sales feature some of the lowest prices of the season, the company said, and will only be available through July 22.
“Our new outlet gives eBay customers amazing discounts on quality products from trusted brands they know and love,” said Jay Hanson, VP and COO for eBay Americas in a statement. “The new destination offers shoppers who love the thrill of the hunt for discounts, big savings during the prime summer shopping season across dozens of categories from electronics, apparel, shoes, accessories, health, toys, home to appliances.”
With Amazon’s Prime Day taking place on July 15 and 16, the opening of eBay’s Summer Brand Outlet seems fortuitously timed. Amazon’s e-commerce market share is projected to reach 52.4 percent of the entire U.S. consumer base by the end of the year, and Prime Day has proven a massive driver for both sales and loyalty.
Still, findings from research firm Valassis indicate that almost 45 percent of Prime Day shoppers compared prices with other retail sites throughout the sale last year, indicating that loyalty only extends so far. The shopping holiday has spurred rivals like Walmart and Target to roll out deals of their own, and now eBay appears to be following suit.