*By Jacqueline Corba*
Amazon made [company history](http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2358868) in its biggest shopping holiday yet: during the fourth annual "Prime Day," the company lured more Prime members on a single day than ever before. So it's officialーPrime #FOMO is real.
Forrester Retail Analyst Sucharita Kodali said Amazon ー now valued at nearly $900 billion ー has a simple value proposition: "It's a good enough solution at a very attractive price," Kodali told Cheddar on Wednesday.
Amazon's discount day launched in 2015 and has since expanded to span 36 hours across 17 countries. In total, Prime members purchased 100 million products during the holiday this year.
Other retailers, eager to compete, are adopting the company's methods and creating their own shopping holidays.
Zulily, for example, will kick off its "Thrill Week" on July 23, featuring a scavenger hunt for consumers to find deals and steals.
"What we want to do is give them a 'Zulily on steroids' type experience, where every single day there's a treasure hunt on the site," Zulily Vice President of Brand Marketing Naama Bloom told Cheddar on Wednesday. "It's really about providing a fun, exciting, and entertaining shopping experience."
Even if Bloom isn't concerned, smaller companies may have cause to worry.
According to [Adobe Analytics data](https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/18/prime-day-boosted-other-large-retailers-sales-by-54-says-report/), large retailers with more than $1 billion in annual revenue saw a 54 percent increase in sales, while smaller niche retailers saw an 18 percent decrease in sales on Prime Day.
"The challenge for a lot of these brands is that if consumers want the brand, consumers are often agnostic for where the transaction happens," said Forrester's Kodali. "More of them, I expect, are going to choose to just have their best products available only direct-to-consumer, because that's where the margins are the biggest."
"Ultimately the question for Amazon is, how do you provide enough value to the brands so that you don't scare them away."
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/amazon-wins-big-on-prime-day)
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
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