Prime Day is back between the 13th and 14th October – in time for seasonal and early Christmas shopping – with incredible savings and deep discounts on more than one million deals for Amazon Prime members.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this has been a difficult year for people across the world, and small business owners have been particularly challenged. That’s why we are putting a greater focus on supporting small businesses with our biggest ever small business promotion.
This Prime Day, and throughout the festive season, Amazon will spend more than £75 million on promotional activities to help small businesses around the world increase their sales and reach new customers.
Up until 12th October, Amazon will offer a £10 promotional reward to use on Prime Day to Prime members who spend £10 on items sold by select UK small businesses in Amazon’s store. This promotion is funded by Amazon to connect customers with local innovators, artisans and entrepreneurs selling in its stores.
We spoke to some of the small businesses set to benefit – including Pets Purest, Sandy Leaf Farm and Wee Woolly Wonderfuls – to find out how Amazon has helped to grow their business, and why this year’s Prime Day is so important.
Pets Purest
Oliver and Evie Bristowe launched Pets Purest in 2017 after Evie’s family dog started to have skin issues. They wanted to use cruelty-free and all-natural products to help him get better but couldn’t find any on the market.
This set them on a mission to create a new product range that could fill the gap in the market. Once they started selling their products on Amazon, the business took off – in fact, Pets Purest has been able to double its size in the last year.
Selling on Amazon has given us the potential to grow with no limits.
“As Amazon handles everything from storage and sales to distribution, it means we can focus on growth,” Oliver explains. “Our products are now available across Europe and the US through Amazon, and we have been able to expand our product range to cater to all pet types, from cats and dogs to reptiles and horses!”
Oliver believes Prime Day and the focus on small businesses will be a vital time for the business: “As an up-and-coming brand, getting your products seen by customers is always a challenge. Promotions such as Prime Day allow us to go up against the biggest brands in the industry and showcase our products. This exposure is vital to gain new customers.”
Sandy Leaf Farms
Based in London, the founders of Sandy Leaf Farm, Scott MacDonald and Gabriel Yao, have been helping people across the UK to keep occupied during lockdown with their DIY food, drink and homeware kits.
Scott and Gabriel's business really took off with their ‘Gin Makers Kit’, available through their Amazon storefront. Scott says that Amazon’s fulfilment has helped them to grow the business and expand their product line to include homeware kits, cheese making kits and much more. Selling on Amazon has also helped the business continue to grow, despite lockdown restrictions.
“Fulfilment by Amazon has allowed us to keep running throughout recent events, especially as we've seen a boost in sales of our unique DIY kits since lockdown. Having Amazon's logistics and technology supporting us means we can focus on the important things like giving our customers exceptional experiences and answering any questions about the product they may have.
“We were even lucky enough to host Rylan Clarke at our workshop this year in the run up to Prime Day so he could make his own gin!”
Scott adds that this year’s focus on small businesses for Prime Day will be critical to help them continue grow throughout the rest of the year.
“It’s great to see Amazon supporting small businesses for Prime Day, every pound spent really does support the creative manufacturing and retail businesses that are so important to the British economy. The small businesses getting started on Amazon today even may become the household names of the future.”
Wee Woolly Wonderfuls
Lisa Dobbs started crocheting when she was pregnant with her first child as a creative outlet and a way to de-stress. “Initially, I really struggled to get the hang of crocheting. It takes some skill and patience. But I did I wanted to show others how to do it easily,” she says.
In 2017 Lisa launched her business Wee Woolly Wonderfuls from her Yorkshire home, selling easy-to-follow crocheting kits online.
When she started selling through her Amazon Handmade storefront, her business started to build up momentum. “I really believed in the product and selling on Amazon helped to prove to us that the business was viable. It has meant that I did not have to return to an office job and could spend more time with my son.”
With Amazon bringing focus to small businesses with Prime Day, it’s easier than ever to bring our customers a bit of joy!
“This year, more than ever, people have needed a hobby to distract them from the news. With Amazon bringing focus to small businesses ahead of Prime Day, it’s easier than ever to bring our customers a bit of joy!”
Tens of thousands of UK-based small and medium-sized businesses sell their products in Amazon’s stores across the world, and Amazon provides practical support and services to help them grow. More than 60% of UK businesses selling on Amazon export to customers all over the world. In 2019 they achieved total export sales of more than £2.75bn and supported more than 85,000 job opportunities in the UK.
Find out more about how Amazon is supporting small businesses this year.
