Amazon Prime Day often feels like a midyear Black Friday-style sale. But how do the markdowns truly compare?
While you (alright, we) were getting sidetracked by all the quirky bargains that pop up during Prime Day, rest assured that people were crunching numbers and digging into the data for this major retail event.
Best Black Friday, a site that tracks prices and promotions as the holiday shopping season approaches, has been comparing Prime Day discounts to Amazon’s Black Friday offers since Prime Day launched in 2015.
The researchers discovered that last year, 76% of Prime Day prices beat their Black Friday counterparts. Just under 6% of items were priced the same on both Prime Day and Black Friday.
This year, the analysts predict that at least 70% of Prime Day deals will be better than Amazon’s 2017 Black Friday prices.
But are those reductions worth pursuing? That depends on what’s on your purchase list.
What to Buy — and What to Pass On — During Prime Day
“We’ve observed that Prime Day discounts on Amazon-branded gadgets are typically cheaper than, or at least match, Black Friday prices,” said Best Black Friday co-owner Eric Jones. “That’s welcome news for anyone planning to pick up a new Echo Dot or Kindle.”
Even better, these items are frequently discounted across the event window, so you don’t need to wait for a single flash sale once Prime Day begins.
How about non-Amazon consumer electronics? These items often earn a dubious reputation when they’re deeply marked down during big shopping holidays.
“Ultimately, Prime Day resembles Black Friday in that the absolute lowest-priced, limited-quantity doorbuster electronics aren’t necessarily the best picks,” Jones noted. “Rather than chasing the rock-bottom TV deals, we usually suggest spending an extra $50 to $100 to get the specific screen size you want and a higher-quality set that’s still a solid bargain.”
Jones mentioned that while Amazon has been offering a few early pricing previews to app users, a large portion of Prime Day offers won’t be unveiled until a day or two before the event kicks off.
His team hasn’t detected a consistent timing pattern that signals when Amazon will reduce prices across different categories during Prime Day. He advises installing the Amazon app and turning on notifications for price drops on items you’re watching.
Best Black Friday intends to live-blog the entire 36-hour sale.
For those looking for tips to make the most of Prime Day savings, check out this guide to amazon prime day deals tips.
Maria Torres is a senior retail reporter at Savinly covering shopping and grocery trends.
