What Is Amazon Prime Day 2020? The Best Deals & Everything to Know
Amazon Prime Day 2020 is slowly approaching—and many of us have questions about what is
Amazon Prime Day 2020 is slowly approaching—and many of us have questions about what is Prime Day during the coronavirus anyway? There’s a lot of talk about what the shopping event may look like this year (it’s been pushed back several times), but if the bounty of sales and clearance events we’ve shopped this summer is any indication, this year’s Prime Day may be bigger than ever.
We know, we know, the thought of all those slashed prices can be overwhelming, and that’s because it is. Prime Day is hardly another sale event you can just casually browse, so if you’re looking to prep your wish list ahead of the madness, here’s everything we know so far about Amazon Prime Day 2020.
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What is Amazon Prime Day?
In case you’re new to Prime Day, it’s Amazon’s biggest sale of the year. Yes, bigger than its Big Style Sale. And yes, also probably bigger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Now in its sixth year in the United States, Amazon Prime Day is a free-for-all for millions of Prime members who can score sweet deals across a range of categories for a full 48 hours. (The sales event started as a one-day celebration of Amazon’s 20th anniversary, but it’s been so popular that people keep asking for more, and sellers are more than happy to oblige.)
As a Prime member, you can expect to see generous discounts across fashion (the company does own Shopbop, after all), premium beauty, fitness, home, and tech items. Big-name brands like Levis, Olaplex, Apple, Samsung, Nintendo Switch, and Roomba tend to join the action, meaning you can stock up on fall fashion essentials, refresh your top shelf, and finally score that wireless vacuum you’ve been eyeing since tidying up became a form of meditation.
When is Amazon Prime Day 2020?
In typical Amazon fashion, the online retailer remains tight-lipped about when Amazon Prime Day 2020 is actually taking place. But here’s what we do we know: It’s happening sometime in October.
Historically, the e-commerce giant has held the annual shopping event during the second week of July to get in on traditional summer sales—and attract new Prime members just ahead of the frenzied gifting season. If the event does end up taking place in October, that means there will be only a few weeks left before Thanksgiving and the torrent of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales (a.k.a. the most lucrative period of the year for merchants).
How does the coronavirus impact Amazon Prime Day 2020?
Amazon has slowly returned its supply chain operations to normal after being overwhelmed by orders at the height of the pandemic, but fears of a second wave of the COVID-19 could result in new delivery delays and inventory shortages. There’s a lot at stake, and sellers—both big and small—need to be prepared to handle another rush of purchases during the deal event. These concerns combined may be yet another reason why Amazon is holding off from confirming an official date for Prime Day 2020.
To be honest, it’s unlikely that Amazon Prime Day will get canceled due to COVID-19, but if the date gets pushed back any further, it may overlap with the holiday season. Technically, this is good news for shoppers because it means more days of special savings to take advantage of, but it’s less than ideal for all the merchants on Amazon who’ve likely been hit by the pandemic—and now may see a portion of their holiday revenue cannibalized. Of course, much will depend on how the next few weeks play out, and we’ll be keeping our ears to the ground for updates.
How to get Lightning Deals during Amazon Prime Day 2020?
Ah yes, the infamous Lightning Deals. These limited-time, make-your-pulse-quicken bargains are exclusive to Prime members—and they often end up being some of the best Prime Day deals. If you’re not yet a member, you can sign up today for a free 30-day trial (which you can always cancel later on) to start building your wish list. An annual Amazon Prime membership costs $119 (students pay $59) and includes access to Prime Video, Whole Foods promotions, and free two-day shipping in case you were wondering about the subscription perks.
As the name suggests, Lightning Deals invoke somewhat of a “don’t blink or you’ll miss it” feeling, meaning you’ll need to move fast to hit the checkout button. Don’t fret too much if those smart speakers or AirPods sell out, though, since some Lightning Deals make an encore towards the tail end of Prime Day.
If you really have your eye on something (and we mean like really, really), you might find it helpful to curate a wish list ahead of time. You can then set up push notifications in the Amazon app in case they turn out to be Lightning Deals. Just a thought!
Will there be competitor sales during Amazon Prime Day?
Multibrand retailers like Target, REI, Best Buy, and Walmart may end up running promos of their own, and popular brands like Dyson, Breville, and Nespresso may match offers to compete for customer’s coins during the two-day affair. As we said, nothing’s set in stone yet, but if something you or want or need sells out on Amazon Prime Day 2020, it may end up still being available elsewhere (or vice versa).
The best Amazon Prime Day deals sold last year
In the last few years, Prime Day has emerged as a strong contender for home and tech deals you’d otherwise snap up during the holiday season. (Think Vitamix blenders, Apple Macbooks and iPads, and all the Alexas and Echo Dots your home can sustain.) And with many of us continuing to study or work from home for the foreseeable future, we expect to see the same range of Prime Day sales up for grabs.
If you’re curious about what specific products were trending last year, here’s a snapshot of what people added to cart: e-readers and Fire tablets, wireless vacuums, blenders, smartphones, and smart TVs (or their cousins, like the Amazon Fire TV Stick). Bundle deals also turned out to be crazy popular, with many customers signing up for free trials of Kindle Unlimited and Audible books. (Makes sense, right? How else are you going to use your new Amazon devices?)
Can’t wait to start building your wish list? Check out eight best-sellers from Prime Day 2019 ( that we’re 99.9% sure we’ll see in crazy demand whenever Amazon Prime Day 2020 lands).
Kindle Paperwhite
$160.00, Amazon
BUY NOW
iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum
$300.00, Amazon
BUY NOW
Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker
$130.00, Amazon
BUY NOW
23andMe DNA Test
$199.00, Amazon
BUY NOW
Vitamix 5200 Blender Professional-Grade, Self-Cleaning 64-Oz. Container
$550.00, Amazon
BUY NOW
Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips
$50.00, Amazon
BUY NOW
Amazon Echo Show 5
$90.00, Amazon
BUY NOW
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Streaming Device
$50.00, Amazon
BUY NOW
Originally Appeared on Glamour