Online shoppers disappointed by Amazon's Prime Day sale

Amazon.ca's front page is shown on 'Prime Day,' Wednesday, July 15, 2015.

It's a good day to buy protein power, cat toys or an e-reader, but don't expect to score many big deals in Amazon's much-hyped Prime Day sale.

Canadian and American shoppers were largely underwhelmed by Amazon's attempt to create a shopping holiday on Wednesday, as the online retailer offered up moderate discounts on a mismatched assortment of items to mark its 20th anniversary. Amazon advertised its Prime Day event as a sale "offering more deals than Black Friday," but many customers said it felt more like a garage sale to get rid of "junk."

Wednesday's deals on Amazon.ca were offered exclusively to those with a $79 Amazon Prime membership. However, non-members were offered free 30-day trials to get immediate access to the deals.

The deepest discounts appeared to be on high-end headphones, with several models on sale for more than 50 per cent off. Amazon also quickly sold out of 4K Ultra HD TVs shortly after they went on sale for 30 per cent off. There were also considerable discounts on small items like memory cards, DVDs and pendants, but the selection was limited.

Other sales were decidedly lacklustre, such as 10 per cent off a PlayStation 4 system bundle, 11 per cent off a Smart TV box and 17 per cent off an HP Stream laptop.

Amazon offered a 37 per cent discount on its line of Kindle e-readers and tablets all through Wednesday, with other "Lightning Deals" flashing by throughout the day.

By late Wednesday morning, sale items like nutrition powder, pencil sharpeners and closet organizers were sold out, while big-ticket items like Rosetta Stone software and Tassimo coffee makers proved less popular.

Disappointed shoppers turned to Twitter to vent their frustration over the meagre discounts and limited selection.

Walmart also gave Amazon some direct competition on Wednesday by launching its own rival sale.

"We've heard some retailers are charging $100 to get access to a sale," Fernando Madeira, president and CEO of Walmart, said in a blog post earlier this week. "But the idea of asking customers to pay extra in order to save money just doesn't add up to us."

Amazon memberships are more expensive in the U.S.

Amazon Prime's vice-president fired back at Madeira shortly after the blog post was written. "We've heard some retailers are charging higher prices for item in their physical stores than they do for the same items online," Amazon VP Greg Greeley said in a statement. "The idea of charging your in-store customers more than your online customers doesn't add up for us, but it's a good reminder that you're usually better off shopping online."

Marketing expert Vikas Mittal says Amazon and Walmart should be focusing on improving their online stores, rather than trying to compete with each other through one-day sales.

"Increasing e-service quality enhances customers satisfaction and the likelihood of customer repurchase," Mittal, a marketing professor at Rice University's Jones School of Business, said in a release. "If Amazon and Walmart want to keep their customers coming back, they must focus on increasing satisfaction via e-service quality."

Mittal says low prices are important, but online retailers also need to offer good selection, fast shipping and a user-friendly website to keep customers coming back.

With files from the Associated Press