By Tommy Tindall | NerdWallet
Amazon Prime Day is July 16-17. It’s like Black Friday, but in July and with less burden to buy for others.
Some people may already have holiday gift-buying in mind, but most are likely shopping for themselves, says Jane Boyd Thomas, a professor of marketing at Winthrop University.
More emphasis from retailers on summer deals has shifted trends on Google. “In recent years, searches for ‘deals’ have spiked in mid-July, even surpassing search interest in ‘vacation,’” said Sean Scott, vice president and general manager of consumer shopping at Google, in a blog announcing Google’s enhanced shopping tools. Its updated “deals destination” is intended to make it easier to shop for deals across retailers in one place.
Whether you start on Amazon or Google, the key is to nab deals on planned purchases over impulse buys. Keep this list in mind as you decide what to buy (or skip) on Prime Day.
Buy: Electronics
Thomas says electronics will be the best category for Prime Day deals, which will likely include Apple products. She chuckled when mentioning an Apple Pencil she recently paid full price for ($129.99), only to hear later that it’ll likely be cheaper on Prime Day. In fact, it is $79 on Amazon at the time of this writing, before Prime Day. AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) ear buds were down to $189.99 in late June (Apple’s price is $249, but Amazon regularly sells them for $199), and could go lower during the sale.
Select models of TVs, soundbars, speakers and other headphones should see deep discounts too. Amazon is already touting an invite-only deal of up to 40% off Sony wireless headphones. But be mindful that limited quantities on the hottest products could mean you have to act quickly.
My experience: I dropped the “bar” last Prime Day. I had coveted a particular model of Sony soundbar that normally sells for about $300 all year long. I saved it and waited for the price to drop. On Prime Day, it went down $100. But…
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