Amazon says its Prime Day promotion will run from June 21-22

Amazon is bringing back its annual Prime Day as a mid-year event, aiming to juice sales during the typically slower summer period for retailers. The change comes after the ecommerce giant in 2020 postponed the two-day event until October due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Day will kick off June 21 at midnight Pacific time (3 a.m. Eastern) and run through June 22, the company said Wednesday in a statement. Since debuting in 2015, Prime Day has generally taken place in mid-July, which means Amazon is holding the event earlier this year after last year's delay. While the pandemic shuttered many brick-and-mortar retailers, Amazon enjoyed a surge in sales last year as consumers switched to online shopping to avoid leaving their homes or because local shops were closed. But the company has also come under increasing scrutiny for everything from its treatment of warehouse workers and delivery drivers to concerns from lawmakers over Amazon's growing size and dominance over smaller businesses.