Ok, let’s talk Prime Day.

Otherwise, I’d feel like a poor-performing lifestyle blogger if I didn’t at least mention it. If you aren’t an Amazon Prime member, you’ve most likely overheard multiple conversations about the highly-anticipated event that is prime day.

And that’s because it is actually kind of a big deal…for consumers and competitors alike. Don’t believe me? Here are some facts:

• In 2015, Amazon scooped up 750,000 new members on Prime Day alone. That’s more than the total population of Alaska.
• On Prime Day 2016, Amazon sold over 90,000 TVs, 2 million toys and 1 million pairs of shoes.
• It’s estimated that Prime Day 2016 brought in 525 million dollars in sales.

So, yeah. Even with the explosive number of angry tweets from annoyed online shoppers, Amazon continues to surpass it’s Prime Day success year after year. So, how do you become a part of it?

First, sign up. Even if you don’t plan on shopping, you’ll regret it if you don’t at least take a look at what’s being offered. Treating yourself to a Prime membership is worth it, plus you get to try it free for 30 days. If you don’t feel like sticking around after Prime Day passes, you can cancel during your trial without being charged. The Prime membership fee after the trial is $99 a year, which in the grand scheme of things, is not too shabby.

Sign Up for Prime

After you sign up, start thinking through your shopping strategy (yes, I’m serious. If you’re not smart about it, Prime Day will do you more harm than good). If you really want to score savings and take full advantage of the event, you need to lightly prepare before diving into what could become a stressful situation. These five things will set you up for a winning Prime Day experience:

1. Make a List

Planning ahead is the smartest thing you can do off the bat. Too many Prime shoppers make the simple mistake of falling into the spending trap, or in other words, something I like to call the FOMO effect. 

To be completely honest, it happens to me more often than I’d like to admit.

It basically happens when you feel pressured to take full advantage of a limited-time offer, which leads you to overspend and overbuy things you don’t actually need. Instead of feeling obligated to grab every deal that catches your eye, prepare yourself by making a list of the items you really do need. In the end, you’ll avoid getting caught up in the hype. Just remember: stick to the list.

2. Set up Prime Alerts

Amazon has an awesome feature that lets you track certain deals…and it becomes exponentially more valuable on Prime Day. Open up a new tab, go to Amazon and check out all the deals in the promotion. Select a category and browse the deals on different items. When you see something you want, select the “watch this deal” option. This will give you notifications when that deal is officially live. That way, you can be one of the first to get your hands on the deals you can’t pass up.

3. Track Amazon Price History

Most people don’t even know you can do this. The site camelcamelcamel.com lets you track Amazon’s price history…which means you can see what’s historically been the best deal on any particular item. You can compare the absolute lowest prices to what’s being offered now and determine whether you’re actually getting the deal of a lifetime.

4. Shop on Your Computer

If you’re serious about Prime Day, you’ll want to avoid shopping on your phone or tablet. Using your desktop computer means you can have multiple tabs open at once, making it easier to view the best deals, browse, compare prices, and take swift action while prices are at their all-time low.

But, you should still definitely download the Amazon app on your phone. The app lets you enable push notifications, giving your phone instant updates about deals on your watch list.

5. Check the Prime Competition

This is a big one, but everyone seems to forget about it year after year! Large e-commerce retailers feel the heat from Amazon every day of the year, but on Prime Day, the competition gets real. Retailers like Macy’s, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy will typically go live with serious deals and discounts as a competitive incentive for customers. Keep an open mind and check out Prime Day deals not offered by Amazon. Chances are, you’ll find even more deals you can’t pass up!

That’s a wrap! Don’t forget to shop smart, stay focused, pay attention to your watch list and save $$$ like a pro. Happy Prime Day!

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