Amazon Prime Day: Here’s how to monitor the sales and get the best deals

Amazon Prime Day has arrived, but the two-day sales event could prove overwhelming if you don’t go in with a plan.

Typically held in July, Prime Day was pushed back to Oct. 13 and 14 in an effort to keep Amazon employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Hosting Prime Day this close to Black Friday is a bold move for Amazon,” Michael Bonebright, consumer analyst at DealNews, told Consumer Reports. Though he said it seems par for the course this year.

This year’s event features majors deal for Prime members across a wide range of categories including electronics, fashion, beauty, kitchen, home and Amazon devices.

While there may be a lot to see, there are several easy steps you can take to get the most out of Prime Day and score the deals you’re after.

Make sure you’re a Prime member

Prime Day is specifically for members of Amazon Prime, the retailer’s online subscription service that offers free one- and two-day shipping options, music and video streaming for $12.99 a month.

Make sure you’re a member, otherwise you won’t be able to shop the sale.

You can find more information here.

Know the deals

There are two main types of Amazon Prime Day deals.

Spotlight deals feature discounts on popular items in each category. They have large quantities of stock and the sales last longer, Amazon said. The deals run until Amazon runs out of stock, per Offers.com.

Lightning deals are a bit harder to catch. The sales only last for a short time — sometimes just hours — and new ones pop up every few minutes, according to Offers. They often sell out in minutes, but offer some of the deepest discounts.

Download the app

Amazon’s smartphone app will give you a heads up on upcoming Prime Day deals and let you sign up for push notifications, according to Consumer Reports.

You’ll also be able to see lightning deals before they launch so you’ll be ready to pounce once the deal goes live.

Join a waitlist

If a lightning deal item gets snatched up before you have a chance to purchase, all is not lost. You can sign up for the waitlist.

Items that sit in a customer’s cart for more than 15 minutes are made available to the next person on the waitlist.

After joining an item’s waitlist, you’ll be notified if it becomes available. If you have the Amazon app, you can also turn on notifications to receive an alert on your phone.

However, the waitlist expires when the sale ends, so being on the waitlist is no guarantee you’ll get the product you’re after. Space on the waitlist is limited, so if you’re not seeing a waitlist icon, there may not be room.

Ask Alexa

In Prime Days past, Amazon has offered deals exclusively through the Alexa smart speaker, Offers reported.

Be sure to ask “Alexa, what are my Prime Day deals?” to get a list of available deals you might not find elsewhere.

Typically, the deals are on Amazon products such as Fire TV streaming sticks and Alexa compatible speakers, according to Consumer Reports.

Know what you want

It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of finding a great deal, but be sure you want what you’re buying.

“Force yourself to elaborate on what the potential future outcomes or consequences of this particular purchase might be,” consumer psychology expert Kelly Haws told CNBC.

Try making a list of items you’re interested in, then adding them to your Amazon wish list to help guide you through the sale, CNBC reported. You’ll be notified if and when they’re marked down.

Experts also recommend doing a bit of research before hand to make sure a deal is actually a deal.

“Frequently, the price that is used as a reference when you have a reduced price is not the price at which the product sells,” Priya Raghubir, a marketing professor at New York University, told CNBC.

Compare prices

Prime Day isn’t the only deal event in town.

Walmart and Target are hosting major sales that coincide with Amazon Prime Day on Oct. 13 and 14.

Target’s Deal Days features slashed prices on hundreds of thousands of products in categories such as electronics, home, essentials, toys and beauty, the retailer said. Deals are also available for the entirety of the event.

Walmart’s Big Save event started Oct. 11 and runs through Oct. 15, featuring price cuts on items in electronics, home, toys and beauty, the retailer said.

Be sure to check out the items you’re after on their sites, as well, to ensure you’re getting the best deal.

This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Amazon Prime Day: Here’s how to monitor the sales and get the best deals."