Shoppers, charge your phones, memorize your credit card’s CVV and log into your Amazon Prime account.
Amazon Prime Day is on July 12, and you’ll want to be poised to snatch up all the exceptional deals.
[See: 10 Websites to Check Before Shopping.]
Amazon has been dropping hints about its upcoming shopping holiday for several months, but the company only revealed the official date in early July. On Amazon Prime Day, the massive online marketplace is set to release more than 100,000 deals across all departments and product categories. These deals will be available exclusively to Amazon Prime members in the U.S. and abroad, including those in the U.K., Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada, Belgium and Austria.
What to Expect on July 12
When the clock strikes midnight Pacific Time, the 24-hour savings storm will commence. According to Amazon, Prime Day will be its “biggest event ever” and feature more deals in one day than ever in Amazon history. The 2016 Prime Day sale is to feature more than twice the number of deals of Prime Day 2015, and boast twice as many TVs as Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales combined. Prime Day is expected to rival these major shopping holidays as one of the most heavily trafficked holiday of the year.
[See: 6 Ways to Treat Yourself on a Budget.]
Throughout July 12, the site will offer new deals as often as every 10 minutes. Shoppers will see savings on nearly every type of product imaginable, from HDTVs to women’s shoes to health supplements. Most deals will fall into three main categories, including:
Prime Day Spotlight Deals
These deals include huge discounts on renowned brands and coveted products. Prime Day Spotlight products will be available until they run out of stock. Amazon calls Spotlight Deals the “best deals you’ll find on Prime Day.”
Amazon Lightning Deals
These fleeting promotions will pop up and disappear within a few hours throughout the sale. On every Lightning deal icon, a timer counts down the minutes until the deal is over, while a status bar lets you know how many items are left in stock.
Prime Savings and Deals
These promos run through the whole sale. Prime Member promotions will be available on the Prime Day Deals page, and discounts will be applied at checkout.
In addition to Amazon products, the sale will spotlight a huge array of small businesses. The online marketplace has promised twice as many third-party sellers as last year, and maintains that 30 percent of all Lightning Deals will be from independent businesses.
The Amazon Prime Day Countdown
Leading up to Prime Day, Amazon has been giving shoppers a taste of the exceptional sale to come. Every day from July 5 to 11, Amazon has doled out Countdown deals in different themes. Here’s what the 2016 Amazon Prime Countdown schedule included:
July 5: Summer Entertainment
July 6: Tastes of Summer
July 7: Summer Travel
July 8: Gadgets on the Go
July 9: Outdoor Living and Summer Parties
July 10: Wardrobe Essentials: Back-to-School and Summer Fashions
July 11: Summer Basics
[See: 10 Things to Know Before You Shop for Back-to-School Supplies.]
Throughout the Amazon Prime Countdown Sale, we saw significant savings. Past deals included things like:
— $119.99 for a 32-inch TV bundle with a Fire TV Stick
— 20 percent off a Garmin vivofit fitness band
— $250 for an Acer 15-inch Chromebook
— A 50-inch Vizio with a $150 eGift card
— 24 set of James Bond movies for $90
— Up to 50 percent off jewelry top sellers
— Up to 66 percent off men’s and women’s bestselling watches
— 60 percent off luggage and accessories
Throughout the Prime Countdown sale, Amazon has been offering up to 40 percent off Kindle subscriptions, as well as deals on streaming of popular movies and TV series.
Essential Tips for Shopping the Sale
With Amazon Prime Day coming but once a year, you have only 24 hours to snap up the deals. So before you key “amazon.com” into your address bar, keep these essential Prime shopping tips in mind:
1. You’ll need an Amazon Prime account. Without an account, you won’t be able to shop the sale. If you’re not a Prime member, set up a 30-day trial on the site. You’ll be able to access the sale and enjoy Prime benefits until your trial is up in a month, when you can cancel the membership, free of charge.
2. Consider downloading the Amazon shopping app. Using the app, you can track your favorite deals and receive notifications as soon as they launch. This will help you catch the most sought-after Lightening Deals before they disappear.
3. Set up one-click purchasing. The one-click purchase setting allows you to place orders with a single click. To turn on one-click, visit your account and navigate to the “manage addresses” page to link a payment method with your shipping address.
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Everything You Need to Know About Amazon Prime Day 2016 originally appeared on usnews.com
