Amazon’s annual Prime Day event is happening on July 16 and 17 this year, when shoppers can save on a variety of products ranging from college dorm room essentials to electronics and Amazon devices.
The two-day sale could be a great way to stock up on essentials before the next school year begins.
Here’s a basic guide to how Prime Day works and how you can get involved.
What is Prime Day?
Prime Day is an annual sale and shopping event for those with Prime memberships. The first Prime Day was held in 2015, per NBC News, as a celebration of Amazon’s 20th birthday.
Prime Day has expanded significantly since then; the first Prime Day lasted 24 hours and was available in nine countries, while this year’s Prime Day is 48 hours long and is available in over 20 countries.
Do you need a Prime membership to participate?
According to Amazon, “Anyone can participate in Prime Day by becoming a member of Amazon Prime.”
This means that participants in the sale must sign up for a Prime membership. Those who are not Prime members can still purchase items, but the items won’t be discounted.
There are a variety of sales and deals on Prime Day, per CBS News. Some of them include:
- Spotlight: Deals that typically include “in-demand products” and last longer. The sale can include more expensive, large items.
- Lightning: Deals that involve discounts on items for a shorter period of time. CBS News calls them “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it deals,” when items can be purchased until they are sold out.
- Invite-Only: These deals are more exclusive and require shoppers to request an invite in order to participate. According to Amazon, if you receive an invite to purchase a product after you submit a request, a mobile push notification or an email will be sent to you during the event.
How does Prime Day work?
Amazon provided some tips and tricks for making the most out of Prime Day. The first thing to do, if you haven’t already, is sign up for a Prime membership. According to Amazon, “In the U.S., anyone can join Prime for $14.99 per month or $139 per year, or start a free 30-day trial if eligible.”
There are a couple discounted Prime memberships as well, including Prime Access and Prime Student. A Prime Access membership can apply to “recipients of qualifying government assistance programs,” while a Prime Student membership can apply to college students and young adults between the ages of 18 and 24.
Customers can look at Amazon’s Prime page for information about the best sales and deals. Additionally, customers might also want to receive alerts for deals they like.
This is done by subscribing to receive “deal alert notifications” related to items they’ve recently viewed or searched for, per Amazon. Members will then receive push notifications for deals.
According to Business Insider, last year’s Prime Day included great deals on electronics and tech, including Apple products and headphones.
Household products and essentials were also popular, with deals on brands such as KitchenAid, Dyson and Nespresso. Other essential items, like soap, toilet paper, makeup wipes, mattresses and mixing bowls are anticipated to save customers money this year.
Because some of the best deals could go fast, consider making your Prime Day purchases as soon as possible. The event officially begins at 12:01 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, July 16, per USA Today.