Despite the Glitches, Shoppers Can’t Quit Amazon

Updated on July 17 at 4:30 p.m. ET

The promotions started more than a week ahead of time: Amazon, the world’s biggest e-commerce site, was launching its annual Prime Day on July 16, with 30 hours of deals online and in Whole Foods markets. The company issued five press releases promoting Prime Day, during which shoppers who pay $119 for a yearly Prime membership are offered flash sales and discounts on various products. Consumers gleefully prepared for the deals, and competitors planned their own sales to lure in buyers, with Target, eBay, and Macy’s launching their own events.

And then, at noon eastern time on Monday, as Prime members sat down at their computers and tried to shop, the site failed. Shoppers were redirected to pictures of dogs, with