A four-day-long Prime event is set to see Brits spend £1.9bn as consumers increasingly look to deals and discounts for their shopping.

Retailers are hoping the discount bonanza will be a boon after a tough first half of the year, and a chance to get ahead of what is expected to be a tough second half.

“There’s little doubt that both shoppers and sellers are set to gain from the midsummer madness of Prime Day, David Jinks, Parcelhero’s head of consumer research, said.

UK sales of £1.9bn and US sales of £20bn would represent a 60 per cent year on year growth rate for the event.

“The thinking is that a strong event now might help to offset a bumpy second half of the year,” Jinks said.

Online spending reached £49.7bn in the first half of the year, according to research from Adobe – a 1.6 per cent increase in what used to be a relentlessly-growing area.

Low confidence, inflation and high interest rates have discouraged spending; demand for discounted items has driven sales for nearly a year straight.

This is a particular issue for small traders, which rely on razor-thin margins and can’t afford to drop prices as much as bigger retailers.

Traders at risk from over-dependence and returns

Jinks warned, however, that as Amazon continues to grow its market share, even very successful smaller traders might be “at risk of becoming over-dependent on the platform”.

“If anything goes wrong with the relationship then that could be a big problem for sellers, especially if they have put all their eggs in the Amazon basket.

“Amazon can and will delist, suspend or even ban sellers who violate its policies,” Jinks said.