Amazon Prime Day is coming back. Well, kind of.
Amazon
AMZN,
is debuting a new holiday shopping event this week called “Amazon Prime Early Access Sale” where shoppers can get exclusive access to hundreds of thousands of deals ahead of the holidays.
The new sale is essentially another Amazon Prime Day event, where subscribers can get certain deals for a 48-hour period, just with a different name.
As millions of shoppers are impacted by record-high inflation in the U.S., some data still suggest, consumers are still set to spend more than last year this holiday season.
According to data insights from Adobe Inc.
ADBE,
online-only holiday spending (Nov. 1 to Dec. 31) is expected to grow 2.5% in 2022, representing the smallest increase since Adobe began tracking this data in 2015. In 2021, holiday spending was 8.6% higher than the year prior, despite, at the time, the rate of U.S. inflation at a 30-year high.
Here’s what you need to know about Amazon’s Early Access Sale:
When is Amazon Prime’s Early Access Sale?
Amazon’s savings event is two days long, running from Tuesday, Oct. 11 through Wednesday, Oct. 12.
What time does Amazon Prime’s Early Access Sale start?
The Early Access Sale begins at midnight PT (3 a.m. ET) on Tuesday, Oct. 11, and runs for 48 hours, through the end of the day on Wednesday, Oct. 12.
Which countries participate in Amazon Prime’s Early Access Sale?
Fifteen countries in total are participating in the deals. Those countries include: Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the U.K., and the U.S., according to Amazon.
How does Amazon Prime’s Early Access Sale work?
Items for sale can be viewed on Amazon.com or on Amazon’s app. Anybody can locate which items are listed on sale through Amazon’s platform, but the deals are only available to Prime subscribers, similar to how Amazon’s flagship annual savings event Prime Day is structured.
Is Amazon Prime’s Early Access Sale only for Prime members?
Yes. Only Prime members can participate in the deals. Non-Prime members can make purchases on Amazon, but won’t get the type of savings that members get — non members also don’t get access to typically cheaper, and sometimes free shipping costs.
Additionally, people who sign up for a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime can participate in the Early Access Sale.
How much does Amazon Prime cost?
An Amazon Prime subscription is $14.99 a month, or $139 for a full year. The subscription includes access to free delivery on millions of items, Prime Video, Prime Gaming, Amazon Music, and Amazon Photos, and broadcasts of “Thursday Night Football.”
Earlier in 2022, Amazon increased its Prime subscription price from $119 to $139.
Amazon increased its Prime subscription price from $119 to $139 in 2022.
What are the best Amazon Prime Early Access deals this year?
According to a statement from Amazon prior to the event beginning, some of the top deals will be on items including Fire TVs, Alexa enabled devices, and products from LEGO, Adidas
ADS,
and Ashley Furniture.
There will also be a Top 100 list that features the best deals on the e-commerce platform. The list will highlight the most popular products being purchased, Amazon says, and will launch in unison with the event’s start on Tuesday.
Are retailers like Target and Walmart starting holiday deals too?
Target Inc.
TGT,
announced customers will enjoy “earlier than ever” holiday shopping deals this year, including seven weeks of Black Friday deals, marking another instance when retailers are ditching the traditional shopping calendar of the holidays.
See also: Sorry folks, Black Friday has already started. But don’t worry if you miss the early sales.
Last month, Walmart
WMT,
announced a “holiday guarantee” that extends the return window for purchased items, beginning Oct. 1, and running through Jan. 31.
