Prime Big Deal Days: How to Prep Your Property & Predictions for This Year’s Sale

If you thought “Christmas in July” was pushing up the holiday shopping season, then get ready for the actual start of the year’s biggest shopping season when Prime Big Deal Days kicks off October 7-8, 2025.

Amazon Gets a Head Start on Customers’ Gift Lists

2024 was a watershed year for Amazon with the behemoth retailer labeling it the “biggest October shopping event ever.”¹ The retailer claims that globally, Prime members saved more than $1 billion across millions of deals in last year’s sale, including savings on seasonal gifts and merchandise. Amazon usually marks this event as the start of its holiday shopping season and associated promotions, designed to help customers check items off their gift lists for the year.

The upcoming 2025 event is an Amazon member-exclusive, designed to spur membership, which is currently $139/per year. 30-day trials are available as are student memberships and Prime for Young Adults.

Redefining the Start of the Holiday Shopping Season

When the e-commerce leader announces its sale dates, other major retailers schedule their promotional events accordingly, recognizing the concentrated consumer spending during these periods. This year, for instance, Target announced its Circle Week sale will run October 5-11, directly overlapping Amazon’s shopping event. Retail analysts predict Walmart will launch its Walmart Deals event and Best Buy will roll out its Best Buy Flash Sale during the same timeframe.

Amazon’s influence on retail timing is measurable and immediate. July’s Amazon Prime Day generated $24.1 billion in online spending, above analyst predictions, proving that when Amazon creates a shopping moment, the entire retail sector sees increased consumer activity. Last year, Wayfair reported a 46% jump in sales when it joined the October sales bandwagon.²

This sale period is also expected to unleash an onslaught of packages as American shoppers stock up on everyday essentials as well as holiday purchases. Toys, electronics, and beauty deals, for instance, are projected to be big sellers. And, with more same-day delivery, community managers should expect more of everything arriving at their property – including oversized packages, refrigerated parcels, and prescriptions that may need special attention.

How to Prep Your Property

The scale of sales activity during the holiday season underscores the importance of being prepared for surges in resident package deliveries. Clear communication keeps your residents protected throughout the season, whether through festive social posts, holiday bulletins, or seasonal email updates. Here are a few ways you can prepare your property for the holiday package influx:

1. Employ Travel Smarts: Overflowing mailboxes and package piles on doorsteps are dead giveaways that nobody’s home. Properties with smart lockers should remind residents to register now to make sure their holiday purchases and gifts arrive safely and are secure until they’re ready to collect them. Otherwise, encourage residents to enlist trusted neighbors as holiday helpers, to collect any mail or packages that might be arriving.
2. Share the Holiday House Rules: Remind your residents about any changes to package pickup procedures for the holidays, including required identification, office hours, and any leasing office closures. For properties using Parcel Pending systems, remind residents about late fees, the Vacation Mode feature for extended trips, and any special processes for collecting oversized packages.
3. Staff Up for Peak Package Periods: Retailers’ holiday sales can drive unprecedented package volumes to your property. Get ahead of the package influx by scheduling additional staff coverage and implementing stricter pickup policies. Consider temporarily shortening or eliminating grace periods for any accounts not in vacation mode to maintain manageable package areas during high volume periods.

Protect Residents’ Prime Purchases with Smart Lockers

According to a recent National Business Research Institute (NBRI) survey, lockers consistently rank as the top amenity among residents with access to lockers, surpassing both business centers and clubhouses/common areas, as well as pools and spas. This preference is backed by compelling usage statistics: more than 90% of residents utilize lockers weekly and receive at least one package through the system.³

Residents’ Top Priorities: Package Security and Convenience

Package security remains a critical concern for residents and for good reason: more than 58 million Americans reported a stolen package in 2024.⁴ A recent Vivint survey revealed seasonal shopping spikes play a major role in when packages go missing, with nearly 2 in 5 apartment residents reporting package theft during Black Friday, and a quarter of residents reporting theft around Prime Day.⁵ It stands to reason that porch pirates want to take advantage of when residents are shopping more online, and, potentially, are not at home.

Smart parcel lockers provide a robust defense against porch pirates while also delivering unmatched convenience, allowing residents to retrieve packages on-demand, 24 hours a day. It’s no wonder, then, that most residents (84%) believe smart lockers prevent theft, and an overwhelming majority (95%) agree that “Knowing my package is secure until I can retrieve it is important to me.”^6,7

Operational Efficiency: Streamlined Package Management

Smart lockers deliver immediate relief to property management teams who previously handled the demanding logistics of package distribution. Staff no longer need to play phone tag with residents, struggle with storage space limitations, or manage oversized deliveries. By automating resident notifications, property managers can focus on more strategic work that enhances the resident experience.

Retention Results: How Satisfaction Drives Renewals

Satisfied residents stay longer, dramatically reducing costly turnover expenses that can impact your bottom line. They also become enthusiastic advocates for your community, generating positive word-of-mouth reviews and quality referrals for a fraction of traditional marketing costs.

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With Prime Big Deal Days officially kicking off the holiday season, property managers should plan now for the upcoming package onslaught. Smart lockers present a win-win: on-site teams can devote their resources to key tasks instead of managing packages, and residents appreciate knowing their packages are stored safely until they are ready to retrieve them.

Ready to lock in your property’s package management solution? Contact a Parcel Pending representative today.

Sources:

1. Haleem, Abbas. Prime Big Deal Days 2024 sales grow over 40% for some sellers. www.digitalcommerce360.com. October 14, 2024. https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2024/10/14/amazon-prime-big-deal-days-oct-2024-sales-recap/
2. Stambor, Zak. Wayfair, Amazon generated big lifts from their October sales events. www.emarketer.com. October 23, 2024. https://www.emarketer.com/content/wayfair-amazon-october-2024-sales-results
3. Parcel Pending by Quadient. Key Findings from Parcel Pending’s 2025 Resident Preferences Report. www.parcelpending.com. September 10, 2025. https://www.parcelpending.com/en-us/blog/key-findings-from-parcel-pendings-2025-resident-preferences-report/
4. Adkins, Matthew. 2024 Package Theft Annual Report and Statistics. www.security.org. November 12, 2024. https://www.security.org/package-theft/annual-report/
5. Vivint. Porch Pirates in the Hallway: 1 in 4 Renters Suspect a Neighbor Took Their Package. www.vivint.com. N.d. https://www.vivint.com/resources/article/apartment-porch-pirate-report-2025
6. Ibid.
7. Parcel Pending by Quadient. Key Findings from Parcel Pending’s 2025 Resident Preferences Report. www.parcelpending.com. September 10, 2025. https://www.parcelpending.com/en-us/blog/key-findings-from-parcel-pendings-2025-resident-preferences-report/