Amazon's Summer's Big Event is Almost Here: Things to Know Before Prime Day

M.C. Millman

Amazon announced that Prime Day this year will begin Tuesday, July 11, and will last for 48 hours, ending on Wednesday, July 12. 

As in previous years, Amazon Prime Day is expected to offer deep discounts on thousands of items on the Amazon marketplace. But are Prime Day discounts truly all they are hyped up to be? The short answer is: only sometimes. Getting a good deal on Prime Day involves a little research on the customer's end. 

For starters, if you are not an Amazon Prime member, you will need to become one to participate in the event. You can sign up for a free 30-day trial for Amazon just before Prime Day to shop the sale, just put a reminder in your calendar to cancel before you get charged for the next month. Customers who have signed up within the last 12 months may not be eligible for the free trial. EBT and government assistance recipients can also sign up for a 30-day free trial and get 50% off their membership if they keep it. 

Before buying anything on Prime Day, do a quick online search, as Amazon does not always offer the best prices. Do not assume a product is a good deal simply because it was marked down from a higher price. 

Prime Day is different every year. This year, Amazon said that "new deals will drop every 30 minutes during select periods throughout the event, with deep discounts on top products from the hottest brands. New this year, Prime members can request an invitation to access exclusive Prime Day deals that are expected to sell out and can shop additional deals using Buy with Prime." 

Shoppers should keep their eyes out for the three main kinds of deals and understand what they mean.

Deals of the Day last 24 hours, so don't wait until the second day of the sale to purchase a deal of the day item you have been eyeing. The second day will have new offers.

Lightning Deals are promotions that generally last until the item sells out or the timer runs out. According to Consumer Reports, new lightning deals can be posted as frequently as every five minutes. They are even more limited promotions on specific items. Monitor lightning deals easily on the Amazon Prime Day page.

Alexa Deals are exclusively available via Amazon's voice-powered digital assistant. Ask an Echo smart speaker, "Alexa, what are your deals?". This will give you access to exclusive deals not available elsewhere or can allow a shopper to access specific deals an hour or so before they appear on the Amazon website. If you do not own an Alexa-enabled device, you can access these offers by downloading the Alexa app.

Invite-Only Deals are a new shopping tool offering one of the best ways to save during Prime Day. You can preregister for Prime Day discounts on items to have a better chance of buying them before they sell out. It also saves you the stress of checking the Amazon Prime Day page throughout the sale since you know beforehand what to expect. There are limited invites to deals based on the number of products in stock. If Amazon approves your invite request, they will send an email with a link to buy the product when it goes on sale.

To receive alerts about deals, it's a good idea to download the Amazon app and allow for notifications. You can then receive personalized notifications updating you on recently viewed items. Alexa can also help by notifying you of deals on things in your cart, wish list, or "saved for later" section. All you have to do is ask Alexa, "What are my notifications."

As always, it's good to remember that an educated consumer is the best consumer, including when it's Amazon Prime Day - so do yourself a favor and prime yourself before the big day.