The upcoming Amazon Prime Day, predicted to take place on July 11 and 12, can help shoppers secure some of the best possible online deals around. Second only to Black Friday, in terms of the mammoth array of potential savings to be made, Amazon Prime Day is an annual, two-day sale event that sees the platform reduce the cost of thousands of brand-name products for members of its Prime subscription.
With the event just around the corner, retail expert Nick Drewe of Wethrift.com has compiled some tips on how bargain hunters can ensure they are securing the best prices for their desired items ahead of Amazon Prime Day 2023, as well as some insight on the trending items set to be the most popular.
“Despite the fact that Amazon doesn’t tend to announce the precise date of its Prime Day until a couple of weeks before the event, based on the date it has fallen over previous years, it is widely predicted among the retail sector that it will occur on July 11 and 12 this year.
“By taking a deeper look into the products currently trending across the Amazon site, it looks as though some of the most popular electronic products trending at the moment are wireless headphones, smart watches, laptops and TV’s, so it will be interesting to see what kind of deals are offered across these devices come Prime Day.
“With consumers attempting to stay as frugal as possible this year, there are ways to ensure you are making the most of the event, as well as being aware of what to avoid:
Stay focused and stick to an affordable budget
It can be all too tempting to get a little carried away with the ‘one-click purchase’ option when shopping on Amazon, especially when the huge discounts and savings are flooding your inbox at every turn.
That being said, it’s important to think of events like Prime Day as an opportunity to secure the best deal on items you were already planning to buy, rather than merely spending for the sake of it on purchases you don’t really need out of temptation or the fear of missing out on a bargain.
Ahead of the day itself, set aside a certain amount of money that you are happy to spend on necessary products that are likely to be reduced as part of the event, and stick to it. Don’t let yourself become overwhelmed with the urge to spend more than you can afford on items, just because you think you should.
Stick to the brands you know and trust
Major brands, such as those that stock more expensive, electronic devices, will typically have to stick to a baseline level of quality, reliability and support, which will stay reflected in the prices of reduced items during an event like Prime Day.
Many brands on Amazon offering some of the most heavily discounted prices might be ones you’ve never heard of, with product names and descriptions stuffed with keywords that have been designed to help them rank, such as ‘Bluetooth Wireless Headsets Earphones’ or ‘Smart Watch for Men Women’. These items, although tempting in price, may not offer the same level of quality as the more respected and trusted brands would.
Ensure you are a Prime member + download the Amazon app
It may go without saying, but in order to take advantage of the deals, you need to ensure that you are signed up as an Amazon Prime member before taking advantage of the deals.
The year-round free next-day delivery of items purchased through Prime makes the investment of £8.99 per month (£4.49 for students) worth it if you are a regular customer.
Not all product deals will be immediately available during the event, so in order to ensure you don’t miss out on securing a bargain on your purchase(s) of choice, it’s worth downloading the Amazon app. It will send you live notifications over the course of the two days so you don’t miss out on anything of interest.
Through the app, you can also tab any products of interest, and pre-create an Amazon wish list of any gadgets or gear you are looking to purchase. You will then be able to receive personalised notifications via your smartphone to be informed if it’s dropped in price during the event. This can be a real lifesaver if you have your eye on something particularly popular that is only likely to be live for a number of hours.
Research the previous prices of products you’re tempted to buy
In order to really make sure you are benefitting from the best possible discounts on items - and not merely being tricked into buying something that has had its price elevated in the weeks or months leading up to the event to boast an inaccurate percentage drop - it’s worth carrying out some price-based research.
There are a number of sites, including camelcamelcamel.com, where you can track the historical prices of millions of Amazon products, to help you understand just how genuinely cost-effective the Amazon Prime Day deals you’re looking at really are.
