Prime Day dates announced
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Amazon has officially announced that Prime Day is happening on Tuesday, July 12, and Wednesday, July 13. Since the sale is only about a month away, experts told us it’s never too early to start planning, especially since the event offers thousands of deals on products ranging from gym equipment to electronics that you typically won’t see throughout the rest of the year. And going into Prime Day with an idea of what types of items you’re looking for and who you’re shopping for can help you stay organized and comb through all the deals.
Amazon said it’s hosting Prime Day in more than 20 countries with deals from "national brands and small businesses across every category." When the event began in 2015, it was on a much smaller scale — notably, Prime Day was 24 hours long and was only held in nine countries. In the years since, Amazon Prime Day has grown so much that “it has completely altered the retail calendar,” CNBC technology reporter Annie Palmer said.
Beyond bringing in billions of dollars in total sales each year, Prime Day has forced other retailers to respond to the event. While retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Lowe’s and more have yet to announce when their summer sales are taking place, they typically offer deals around the same time as Prime Day, giving shoppers even more opportunities to save.
SKIP AHEAD Prime memberships | What to buy during Prime Day | Prime Day 2021 bestsellers
To help you prepare for Prime Day 2022 this July, we broke down what we know so far about the event and shared expert tips for preparing ahead of time. We’ll continue to update you about Prime Day 2022 as we learn more over the next few weeks.
When is Amazon Prime Day 2022?
Amazon recently announced that Prime Day 2022 will be happening on Tuesday, July 12, and Wednesday, July 13. However, the company says that early Prime Day deals and offers will start rolling out on June 21 — starting June 21, select Amazon devices will be up to 55 percent off, and for every $1 spent on eligible small business products, customers will be entered into the Prime Day Small Business Sweepstakes, with prize offerings like a trip to Super Bowl LVII and VIP music festival passes.
In recent years, the date of Prime Day has been impacted by the pandemic. Amazon hosted Prime Day 2020 in October, the latest the sale has ever taken place. And last year, Prime Day took place in June — the earliest date on record — which experts said may have been due to the rescheduled 2021 Olympics and the surrounding July travel boom. Before that, the five Prime Day events between 2015 and 2019 were all held in July.
What is Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon Prime Day is a multi-day sale hosted by the mega-retailer during which it offers a wide range of deals exclusively to Prime members. Prime Day is typically 48 hours long and shoppers can find discounts on everything from clothing to kitchen appliances.
The benefits of Prime Day extend beyond saving on products. Amazon also often offers a variety of promotions and incentives leading up to and during the event. Before Prime Day 2021, for example, spending $10 with any of the small businesses on Amazon’s Support Small storefront allowed Prime members to earn a $10 credit they could use toward a Prime Day purchase. Other Prime Day incentives have previously been offered through the Amazon Prime credit card.
How to prepare for Prime Day 2022
“Know that Prime Day starts early, as in a couple of weeks early,” said Kristin McGrath, shopping editor at RetailMeNot. “If you start thinking about Prime Day ON Prime Day, you're late to the party and likely missed out on some early bird deals.”
Leading up to the sale, Amazon is offering teaser deals and ways to earn shopping credits to use on Prime Day. For instance, Amazon has created a Prime Stampcard this year that will give Prime members a $10 credit toward Prime Day purchases once completed. To "fill out" the card, activate the stamp card and then complete the four activities: Stream Prime Video, listen to Prime Music, borrow a Prime Reading or Kindle Unlimited book and make a Prime-shipping eligible purchase.
Recently, Amazon launched a new feature to make it easier for Prime members to find savings and shop with Alexa. The virtual assistant can now notify you up to 24 in advance of a deal becoming available for an item on your wish list, in your shopping cart or saved for later. The retailer said this feature is particularly useful during sale events like Prime Day when there are constantly new deals. Beyond notifying you of the deal, you can ask Alexa to remind you when the deal goes live. You can also give Alexa permission to order the item on your behalf once the deal goes live using your account’s default payment and delivery address.
Additional ways you can prepare for Prime Day include:
Setting up your Prime account beforehand
Downloading the Amazon app to get access to sneak peeks of deals in advance
Creating wish lists of your favorite items on your account, for which Amazon will notify you if any of the items are being offered with Prime Day Deals
Using the Amazon Prime credit card to get cash back on Amazon purchases during Prime Day
Using tools like Amazon Assistant, Keepa, CamelCamelCamel and Honey, which monitor and let you compare prices
One of the unique elements of Prime Day is Lightning Deals, which are limited-time offers that give shoppers a short window to purchase and check out before missing out on the savings. While you can’t really prepare for Lightning Deals before Prime Day, be aware that you’ll see them popping up during the event and may want to browse through them in case there’s a listing for an item you’re interested in.
Do I need a Prime membership to get Amazon Prime Day discounts?
Yes — Amazon Prime Day is exclusive to Prime members. It’s one of the many benefits Prime members have access to, in addition to fast and free shipping options, streaming and entertainment exclusives and more. But keep in mind that Amazon raised the price of a Prime membership this year for new and existing members. With the price increase, an Amazon Prime membership costs $15 a month (up from $13 a month), or you can pay $139 annually (previously $119). The retailer also offers a Prime Student membership for $69 a year, up from $59 a year.
Additionally, Amazon offers a discounted Prime membership that’s about half the price of a standard membership for those who qualify for certain types of government assistance programs, like EBT and Medicaid. The discounted option is $7 a month and you have to verify your qualification every 12 months.
What to shop for during Amazon Prime Day
As experts previously told us, Amazon usually highlights its products during Prime Day and offers steep discounts on its in-house brands. For example, McGrath said you can assume there will be big discounts on items like Echo smart home devices and Ring video doorbells — “[they] reliably drop to their Black Friday prices for Prime Day, so expect around 50 percent off,” she said. Ahead of Prime Day, Amazon is already offering deals on popular devices like the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick, Echo Show 5 and Halo View.
McGrath also said that while Prime Day usually receives attention for its tech deals, you should also keep your eye on everyday, health and wellness items, too. Last year, Amazon Basic Care health care products were 20 percent off, as were Solimo pet products. Overall, “Prime Day can be a good chance to take a home and pantry inventory and stock up,” McGrath said.
And while a lot of physical products are on sale during Prime Day, don't forget about digital subscriptions like Kindle Unlimited, Prime Video, Amazon Music and Audible, McGrath said. In past years, for example, she noted that Amazon offered free months for new subscribers and heavily discounted monthly costs.
What not to buy during Amazon Prime Day
McGrath said shoppers can expect a wider range of TV deals during Black Friday and leading up to the big game in February. She noted that gaming is not the best Prime Day category, either —it may be wise to buy console bundles and video games on Black Friday or during the Steam Summer Sale instead. Finally, for big-ticket home items like furniture, three-day weekend sales like Memorial Day and Labor Day offer steeper deals and more options compared to Prime Day, McGrath said.
What other retailers host sales during Amazon Prime Day?
During Prime Day — and the weeks leading up to it — other retailers like Walmart, Target and Best Buy offer competing sales. Between the deals themselves and what McGrath called “generous free shipping benefits,” she recommended comparing prices across retailers before making a purchase. You can use browser extensions like Honey to do this, but McGrath said to be aware that they may not capture all the discounts you can get once promo codes are factored in. To get a clearer picture of prices after all savings are added, “quickly place any big-ticket items into your cart at a few retailers and compare your final cost after any promo codes have been applied,” she advised. “Yes, some Lightning Deals might sell out, but consider taking that extra few minutes to compare. You might even consider adding any items you really want to your carts in advance.”
2021 Amazon Prime Day bestsellers
Every year, Amazon announces bestselling Prime Day products worldwide as well as in select countries. The retailer said bestselling product categories worldwide in 2021 included tools, beauty, nutrition, baby care, apparel and household products, as well as electronics including Amazon devices. In fact, Amazon said the Fire TV Stick 4K with Alexa Voice Remote was the most popular item purchased during Prime Day — according to Amazon, customers purchased more Fire TV 4K streaming media players on Prime Day 2021 than on any previous Prime Day.
To give you an idea of what types of items are typically on sale and popular during Prime Day, we listed U.S. bestsellers from 2021 below according to Amazon’s data. Last year, we also compiled Select reader favorite Prime Day 2021 items, as well as staff favorites.
Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser
This water flosser has a 22-ounce capacity and it’s designed with 10 pressure settings you can choose from. Waterpik’s water flosser comes with seven tips, including classic, orthodontic, toothbrush and more. It also has a one-minute timer with a 30-second pacer to help guide your flossing, and the on/off button is built into the handle.
Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser
Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder
Available in flavors like Vanilla, Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Iced Coffee, Orgain’s Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder has a 4.6-star average rating from 47,992 reviews on Amazon. The brand says the protein powder is gluten-free and vegan and made without added sugar, soy or other artificial ingredients. Orgain suggests mixing the protein powder in water or milk and making smoothies, baked goods and other items with it.
Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder
Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder $26.99 at Amazon
Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder $24.99 at Target
Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder $33.99 at Orgain
23andMe Health + Ancestry Service
When you purchase 23andMe Health + Ancestry Service, you get an at-home DNA kit to collect a saliva sample that you then return in the prepaid package. According to the brand, you’ll have results back in five to six weeks, which includes everything you get in the Ancestry + Traits Service as well as health predisposition reports, carrier status reports for different conditions and wellness reports. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry Service has a 4.7-star average rating from 30,696 reviews on Amazon.
23andMe Health + Ancestry Service
23andMe Health + Ancestry Service $149.00 at Amazon
23andMe Health + Ancestry Service $149.00 at 23andme
iRobot Roomba 692 Robot Vacuum
The iRobot Roomba 692 Robot Vacuum is Wi-Fi-enabled and pairs with a companion app, which you can use to set cleaning schedules and more, according to iRobot. It’s also compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can start a cleaning session with your voice. The vacuum can clean carpet and hard floors and is built with sensors that allow it to navigate under and around obstacles as well as prevent it from falling down stairs, the brand says. It also has a three-stage cleaning system and dual multi-surface brushes, in addition to an edge-sweeping brush. The robot vacuum has a 4.4-star average rating from 69,013 reviews on Amazon.
iRobot Roomba 692 Robot Vacuum
iRobot Roomba 692 Robot Vacuum $226.00 at Amazon
Instant Pot Duo Plus 6 Quart 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot’s pressure cooker is designed with a steam release switch that automatically resets when the lid is closed, and offers nine functions ranging from rice cooker to saute pan and sous vide. Its removable, stainless steel inner pot is dishwasher-safe, according to the brand, as is the multi-cooker lid. The pressure cooker also offers delay start and keep warm functions. It has a 4.7-star average rating from 50,063 reviews on Amazon.
Instant Pot Duo Plus 6 Quart 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot Duo Plus 6 Quart 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker $94.95 at Amazon
Instant Pot Duo Plus 6 Quart 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker $99.99 at Best Buy
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