What we know about the sales event in October

Amazon just announced that it’s hosting Prime Day 2022 again — sort of. For the first time ever, Amazon has a second Prime Day-like mega sale in one year: Amazon already hosted Prime Day in July, and the second sale will take place on 11-12 October.

Like Prime Days before it, Amazon’s Prime Early Access sale is exclusive to Prime members. It will offer Black Friday-level deals across product categories and brands such as Peloton, New Balance, Philips Sonicare and more, according to the retailer. News of a second Amazon sale comes after Target set the dates for its second Deal Days 2022 event last week — June 6-8. October ̵[ads1]1; and Overstock announced Overstock Day will take place on 2-3 October.

Prime Day, Deal Days and Overstock Days are just the beginning of the early Black Friday deals you’ll see this season, experts told us. In recent years, retailers have started launching deep discounts as early as October to give shoppers a head start on holiday shopping. This could be one reason why Amazon decided to host another Prime Day in 2022, experts said.

“The move and timing would really allow Amazon to position its sale as a kick-start to the holiday shopping season,” said Jessica Young, director of research at Digital Commerce 360. “This is about tapping into consumers who increasingly demand sneak peek, cyber deals at the weekend level, which starts earlier and earlier every year.”

To help you prepare for Prime Day, we talked to experts about what sales might look like and what kinds of deals we might see. We’ll continue to update you in the weeks leading up to Amazon’s sale as we learn more.

When is “Amazon Prime Day 2”?

October’s Prime Early Access sale will take place on 11-12 October. This is the first time Amazon has hosted two Prime Day-like events in one year, but it’s not the first time Prime Day has been scheduled for October. Due to pandemic-related challenges, Amazon held Prime Day 2020 in October – otherwise the sale usually takes place in the summer. Amazon sold billions of dollars worth of products during Prime Day 2020, even with the supply chain hurdles it faced, so “there’s little reason to think an October event won’t be a big win this year,” said Vipin Porwal, founder and consumer savings expert at Smarty .

But members do not have to wait until 11 October to shop for offers. Amazon has already started rolling out early access deals exclusive to Prime members, as well as exclusive coupons you can use on specific products at checkout. Some early bird offers are only available for a specific time period, and other offers only apply to a limited batch of products. To make sure you don’t miss anything you have your eye on, you can set up alerts through Amazon to know when they go live.

What is Amazon Prime Day and what will October’s event look like?

Amazon Prime Day is a multi-day sale hosted by the mega-retailer where it offers a wide range of deals exclusively for Prime members. Prime Day is typically 48 hours long, and shoppers can find discounts on everything from clothing to kitchen appliances. Amazon said October’s Prime Early Access sale is taking place in 15 countries including Canada, Italy, Turkey and more. In contrast, over 20 countries had access to July’s Prime Day.

The benefits of Prime Day extend beyond saving on products. Amazon also often offers a number of promotions and incentives leading up to and during the event. Before July’s Prime Day, for example, Amazon offered a stamp card where members could collect stamps by completing tasks like watching shows on Prime Video, using Prime Reading and more to earn a $10 credit. Other Prime Day incentives have previously been offered through the Amazon Prime credit card.

October sales are likely to look very similar to July, experts told us. But because it’s the second Prime Day-like event in a year — a new concept for Prime members and Amazon sellers — Porwal said there may be a smaller selection of deals to choose from. Amazon sellers “need to see the value and hype in this ‘second Prime Day’ to be able to justify significant price drops,” Porwal said.

With just a few months between July’s Prime Day — the retailer’s most successful yet — and October’s event, Amazon’s upcoming sale is an experiment for the retailer, which will be watching closely to see how customers react.

“Yes, shoppers will be more mentally prepared for holiday shopping next month than they were during the summer days, and yes, heightened price awareness may prompt them to consider some of the deals,” Young said. “But when sales aren’t rare and special, it dampens the sense of urgency when one is announced. Because you know another one will be around the corner soon enough.”

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, along with 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.

In addition, Amazon offers a discounted Prime membership that is about half the price of a standard membership for those who qualify for certain types of government assistance programs, such as EBT and Medicaid. The discounted option is $7 a month and you must verify your eligibility every 12 months.

What other retailers are hosting early Black Friday sales?

Experts expect many retailers to announce their early Black Friday sales and deals in the coming weeks. As of now, we know that Target Deal Days are 6-8. October and Overstock Day is 2-3 Oct. We will continue to update you as we learn more.

Will a second Prime Day-like event happen every year?

“This is always the million dollar question,” Young said. Amazon has yet to announce whether two Prime Day-like sales will occur annually. But “if it works like other Prime Day events, it could well become an annual challenge to Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday events,” Porwal said. He noted that customers have already shown interest in taking advantage of early Black Friday deals, so Prime-exclusive early Black Friday deals could become a benefit members expect during the holiday shopping season.

July 2022 Prime Day Best Sellers

Every year, Amazon announces best-selling Prime Day products worldwide as well as in select countries. The retailer said top-selling product categories in the U.S. during the July 2022 event included consumer electronics, housewares and home products.

To give you an idea of ​​the types of items that are typically popular during Prime Day, we listed products from a few brands that Amazon said were among the US best sellers in July 2022, according to its data. This summer, we have also collected selected reader favorites from Prime Day, as well as employee favourites.

Apple Watch Series 7

The Apple Watch Series 7 was a popular product among Prime Day customers and select staff—senior editor Morgan Greenwald and I both took advantage of the sale and bought one. The watch has a built-in GPS system to track workouts like runs or walks, and the brand says its Always-on Retina display offers nearly 20% more screen real estate compared to the Series 6 watch, which was also on sale during July’s Prime Day . You can measure your heart rate and blood oxygen level with the watch, take an EKG and monitor your sleep cycle. It is IPX6 dust and water resistant and comes in two sizes: 41 mm and 45 mm.

Crest 3D Teeth Whitestrips

Amazon said Crest’s teeth whitening products were top sellers during July’s Prime Day, and these teeth whitening strips were also popular with featured readers. You get 22 sets of strips in a box, and they’re formulated with hydrogen peroxide, an ingredient the American Dental Association says is often used in whitening treatments to penetrate tooth enamel and break down discoloration.

Bentgo Kids leak-proof 5-compartment Bento-style Kids lunch box

July’s Prime Day was when some families started shopping for school supplies, including lunch boxes like this one from Bentgo. It is designed with five compartments for food and two locks that the brand prevents the contents from leaking out. The lunchbox is microwave and dishwasher safe, according to the brand.

Amazon Echo Dot (4th generation)

Experts told us that Amazon devices are some of the most discounted products on Prime Day every year, and we saw many Echo devices listed at their lowest price ever during July’s event. Echo Dot is a speaker equipped with Alexa, so you can use voice commands to play music, check the weather, set alarms or timers, and more. The device is also compatible with smart home devices such as lights, locks and thermostats, so you can also control them with voice commands. The 4th generation Echo Dot also comes in a version with a built-in clock, which I bought on Prime Day.

Blink outdoors

Blink was another popular brand during July’s Prime Day, and the outdoor camera was a reader favorite. The brand says the wireless camera has a two-year battery life and lets you monitor your home day or night with infrared night vision. The camera pairs with the Blink app and is built with two-way audio, so you can see, hear and talk to visitors in real time. You can also get motion detection notifications for your phone.

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

This lip mask was one of the beauty products Prime members shopped for in July, and it also made our list of curated reader favorites. It is formulated with coconut oil, shea butter and murumuru seed butter to hydrate lips, as well as antioxidants such as vitamin C and a berry fruit complex to nourish and condition lips, says the brand. Each container is packaged with a small applicator, and you can buy the lip sleeping mask in flavors like berry, gummy bear, vanilla, pumpkin spice, and more.

Why is Amazon hosting a second Prime Day-like event?

Below, experts told us more about why Amazon might be motivated to host a second Prime Day-like mega sale in 2022.

• Amazon wants to compete with other retailers who are hosting early Black Friday sales. Amazon’s second Prime Day is happening around the same time other retailers like Target and Overstock are hosting savings events. But Prime Day is exclusive to members, and members can wait in hopes of getting even lower prices compared to what’s offered at other retailers, take advantage of Prime’s free, fast shipping and, if they have one, use their Amazon Prime Rewards Visa -signature credit card to earn cash back on purchases.
• October’s Prime Day allows Amazon to capitalize on the gift-giving season. One of the biggest differences between July’s Prime Day and October’s Prime Day is the consumer mindset. During July’s Prime Day — as well as Labor Day, Memorial Day and similar shopping holidays — people are more likely to buy products for themselves, experts said. But leading up to and during Black Friday, people are more likely to buy gifts for their loved ones. By hosting another Prime Day around the time people start thinking about gift-giving, Amazon Prime members have an opportunity to get exclusive deals on gifts that arrive quickly before products start running out of stock later in the holiday season.
• Shoppers are hungry for deals during inflation. “People are looking for deals and savings just about everywhere they can,” Porwal said. Retailers such as Amazon are meeting the demand by hosting events that experts said essentially kick off early Black Friday sales and give shoppers a chance to start saving on gifts now. Those circumstances make this year a “great test for a second Prime Day,” according to Porwal.
• Amazon may want to make one last push this year to draw in more Prime members. Young said data Digital Commerce 360 ​​collects suggests that Prime memberships have stagnated recently, at least in the U.S. — this could be because many people already have memberships and the retailer increased membership fees this year. “Having a second Prime-centric sale as a new membership boost towards the end of the year could be Amazon’s attempt to lift plateau numbers,” Young said.

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