Everything was a mess last year, and even the world of online shopping was sent into a spin. We had Prime Day in October, guys. Just before Black Friday. There was panic, confusion, and an overwhelming sense that things were plain wrong.
Fortunately, a little order has been restored in 2021. Nature is healing, and Prime Day is almost back to its regular spot in the calendar.
When is Prime Day in 2021?
Prime Day is taking place on June 21 and 22 this year, and there’s even a press release from Amazon to prove it. Amazon has confirmed that Prime Day 2021 will begin on Monday, June 21 at one minute after midnight, and will offer over 2 million tantalising deals until midnight on Tuesday, June 22.
Eagle-eyed shoppers will spot that Amazon has moved Prime Day from its usual mid-July time slot to try something new. This new date may also offer better timing for summer travel plans. This change would normally be a big deal, but it doesn’t feel so significant when you consider that last year’s Prime Day was less than two months away from Black Friday. Last year’s Prime Day was postponed multiple times due to concerns about the coronavirus, and eventually settled on Oct. 13 and 14. We’re pleased that some sort of normality has been restored.
Mark down June 21 and 22 in your calendars.
Image: pexels
It’s worth noting that the official Prime Day landing page is live, and we recommend keeping this page bookmarked — Amazon is already highlighting some of the best early Prime Day deals, so you could beat the rush by taking your pick from this page.
What is Prime Day?
Prime Day started way back in 2015 to celebrate Amazon’s 20th anniversary, and was marketed as a “one-day only event filled with more deals than Black Friday, exclusively for Prime members around the globe.” The first Prime Day resulted in stock shortages and long wait lists for sought-after items, so the appetite was clearly there, but improvements were needed for it to continue. Amazon quickly sorted things out
Prime Day has since expanded into an annual two-day event, with plenty of early deals available in the days leading up to the main event. Fellow retailers like Argos and Currys PC World now offer rival sale, so this really is a great time to save.
How does Prime Day work?
We know you’re probably pumped for Prime Day and impatient to start shopping, but there is a catch. We’re sorry to break it to you this way, but you’ll need to be a Prime member to bag the best bargains.
If you’re not already a member, you can join for free for 30 days with a trial. If you choose to continue with your membership, you can pay for the whole package at a cost of £79 each year, or pay monthly for £7.99 a month (which comes to £95.88 each year). Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of the free trial period, but you can cancel this at anytime. So you can get all the benefits of Amazon Prime membership over Prime Day without spending a penny.
What should you buy this Prime Day?
There is a lot that we still don’t know, so we’re not going to make any bold predictions about deals. That’s not to say we can’t point you in the right direction, because Prime Day does tend to follow a pattern.
The best Prime Day deals are often in line with Black Friday, meaning TVs, kitchen appliances, robot vacuums, and Apple products will probably make the most impact. This could be your chance to find AirPods Pro for well below £150, and you could even find discounts on AirPods Max beyond 5% off. Amazon’s press release specifically mentions brands like iRobot, Samsung, Levi’s, Lego, Mattel, and Le Creuset, so we can safely say that these brands will be on offer for less. We also predict sales on treadmills, Peloton alternatives, and more home fitness gear that’s been flying off the shelves since last summer.
Deals on Amazon’s own devices will feature heavily.
Image: pexels
Whilst you can expect to see millions of deals on just about everything, it’s important to remember that Amazon holds Prime Day for itself. Deals on Amazon’s own devices will feature heavily. You are guaranteed find deals on Echos, Fire tablets, Kindles, and Fire TV streamers, and Amazon will often discount these devices heavily. Prime Video, Prime Gaming, and Amazon’s other subscription services will also see exclusive deals.
Can you support small businesses this Prime Day?
Massive brands like Samsung, Apple, and iRobot will always feature in Prime Day, but thoughtful shoppers may appreciate what Amazon is investing in this year: small businesses. During the build-up to Prime Day and throughout the popular shopping event, Amazon is offering a £10 credit to Prime members who spend £10 on items sold by small businesses on Prime Day.
There are around 300,000 eligible small vendors in 2021, which is more than double the number of eligible small businesses from last year. Everything you need to know about this special promotion can be found on the “Support Small” storefront page, which can be organised by women-owned shops, Black-owned shops, and more.
How can you shop on Prime Day?
When it comes to shopping on Prime Day, you have plenty of options. We’ve highlighted how you can make the most of this massive shopping event:
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Amazon Smile: Have you heard about Amazon Smile? It seems like a secret, but it really shouldn’t be. When you shop via smile.amazon.co.uk, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to a charitable organisation of your choice. Sounds good, right? The interface is the same, so it’s an easy way to give back as you stock up.
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Amazon app: If you are likely to be out and about on Prime Day, we recommend downloading Amazon’s mobile apps. Then you can log in and you’ll be ready to shop wherever you are.
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Ask Alexa: Alexa is more than willing to help you add things to your cart. To start, say “Alexa, shop small business” to hear about products eligible for the Spend £10, Get £10 promotion. If you don’t have Prime yet, say, “Alexa, sign me up for Prime,” and get a £5 credit.
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Amazon Live: Throughout Prime Day, Amazon Live will spotlight deals curated from small businesses across Amazon.
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Amazon: We know this is shocking, but you can still use Amazon.co.uk to shop the best deals on Prime Day. Yep, you could forgo the app and everything else if you’re likely to be sat with your desktop or laptop all day, and keep things simple.
We don’t really have a recommendation on which shopping method you should use, because it really depends on what works for you. Think about where you are going to be on June 21 and 22, and pick the option that is going to be easiest and most effective.
What are the benefits of Amazon Prime?
The list of Prime benefits is long, so we’ve gone ahead and highlighted the things that you should care about:
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Prime memberships like Prime Video, Prime Music, and Prime Gaming
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Discounts on popular memberships like Amazon Music Unlimited, Amazon Kids+, Kindle Unlimited, and much more
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Access to Prime Wardrobe, where you can try on select clothes and send back the ones that don’t work within seven days (free of charge)
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Special deals and voucher codes that are only available to Prime members, plus early access to some deals (including 30-minute early access to Lightning Deals)
A membership is clearly stacked with benefits, including, of course, access to Prime Day deals on June 21 and 22. If you don’t think Amazon Prime is for you long-term, but you still want access to Prime Day deals, we recommend going for the free trial and cancelling your membership once Prime Day is over. Just don’t forget to cancel.
Once you are signed up, whether with a free trial or a full membership, you can maximise your chances to save on Prime Day 2021. With plenty of big discounts on laptops, tablets, TVs, games consoles, fitness equipment, and more expected in this shopping event, there has never been a better time to sign up.