June has been a busy month for both Walmart and Amazon. Walmart hosted its annual Shareholders’ meeting on June 2 and Amazon is closing out the month with its annual Prime Day, which continues a several-year trend of being offered for two days.
This was the second year in a row that the Shareholders meeting was a virtual event and there were no major announcements made, unlike other years. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon gave a rundown of how 2020 went for the retail giant, which, was a proverbial mixed bag. Walmart saw huge gains in their income in part because people were ordering so much online, but also because many other stores were shut down.
Local publication Talk Business wrote about the meeting in this article:
“(McMillon) said the world looks different from just a year ago, but Walmart’s priorities remain constant. He said ensuring the health and wellness of employees, keeping the supply chain moving, and advancing the company’s long-term strategies for success behind the flywheel business model are all fundamental to the company,” it reads.
Fast forward to this week and Amazon Prime members are getting their annual treat of Prime Day(s) where the deals can be better than Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Like both of those shopping holidays, some deals started at least a week earlier than the official days.
If it feels like Prime Day is a little early, you’re not imagining anything. It’s actually back to the mid-year window where we normally see the event, but 2020’s pandemic drama pushed Prime Day to October, making this year seem a bit early. There have been rumors of a second Prime Day later in the year, but we’ve not heard confirmation on that from the online retail giant itself.
Whether you’re talking about Walmart or Amazon, it’s clear that retail is far from damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. It just looks a little different, especially as those of us in the supply chain and logistics industries navigate the “new normal” as the world continues to rely on online shopping for a growing majority of their needs.