So last year, Amazon Prime Day was ruled a dud -- even inspiring a PrimeDayFail hashtag to accompany the many complaints on social media that ranged from the limited supply of deals to deals on things no one wanted-- ever -- like a shoehorn.
On July 12 at 3 a.m. (Eastern Time) the fun returned. According to Amazon, the deals are better than ever (which shouldn't be too hard.) Company officials have said the deal inventory is double what it was last year.
Remember that you have to be a Prime Member to participate. If you are not a member, sign up for the 30-day free trial and you can still shop. TVs and toys are expected to be the hottest categories.
Here is how the deals are structured this year:
Spotlight Deals: Deep discounts on top brands and popular items that are available while supplies last.
Lightning Deals: Flash sales for Prime members that are available for a few hours or until they sell out. You can set reminders through the Amazon mobile app and if you miss a deal, you can sign up for the waiting list and be notified if it becomes available again.
Prime Savings & Deals: These deals last all day and are featured on the Prime Day Deals page . Click on details to see the discount amount that will be reflected at checkout.
Alexa Deals: Users of Amazon Echo, Echo Dot or Amazon Tap can ask Alexa: "Alexa, what are your Prime Day deals?" to get exclusive deals on products to order on their Alexa device. Prime members can get $10 off their first purchase on an eligible order over $20 when they shop through their Alexa device. "You must be a Prime member and have one-click shopping enabled.
Shopping expert Andrea Woroch says you can get the most out of your shopping experience by setting sale alerts to get price-drop notifications for Amazon products. The Amazon app will also give you price-drop notifications as well as let you create product watch lists.
Use the one-click buying option for faster purchasing, Woroch says, and apply coupon codes from Amazon and other deal sites.
Naturally, other retailers don't want Amazon to take all the shoppers, so check out the online events of other retailers like Walmart and Toys "R" Us, for savings on a range of items.
