Amazon’s Prime Day like “Black Friday in July”

SEATTLE — Amazon has declared July 15 as its first “Prime Day,” and will offer “more deals than Black Friday”—but only to those who pay the $99 annual subscription to Amazon Prime. Held on the occasion of Amazon’s 20th anniversary, the event is designed to boost Prime membership. Prime has been crucial to Amazon’s business, with purchases tending to skyrocket once a customer signs on for the service, which includes unlimited streaming video and two-day delivery on most purchases. Amazon is encouraging shoppers to sign up for a free 30-day trial on Prime Day, which analysts expect to spawn a number of imitators. Walmart has already announced it will hold its own sale on Wednesday, with more than 2,000 “rollbacks” or discounts.