With Amazon Prime Day on the horizon, keen shoppers like the Post Wanted team work diligently to source the best deals, products and services for our readers to shop.
While we love each time you make a purchase, it’s equally as important to highlight what to skip, so you can spend your hard-earned coin the right way.
With early deals taking full swing and the two-day retailer shopping event coming up, we put together a cheat sheet of what to buy and what to avoid during Amazon Prime Day 2024. Consider this your expert-backed list of what to buy this very time of year.
RELATED: 100+ Amazon best-sellers to buy now
Sure, you can find a great deal on a smart TV or an even better one on some outdoor patio furniture. There are bound to be one-off deals that you should grab while you can, though it’s important to note what you may want to sit on for a while before you click the final button on your checkout cart.
From our experience, once Prime Day ends, planning for Black Friday and Cyber Monday begins, believe it or not. There’s always a good time to reap the benefits of a 50% off markdown on the item that’s been on your mind for months on end. But is it the best time to buy *exactly* what you’re looking for? What are the best items to buy during the retailer’s annual event?
Amazon Prime Day is still a terrific time to grab thousands (and we mean thousands) of items on sale, yet it can be overwhelming to decide what’s a great deal and what’s a “just OK” deal. That’s why the Post Wanted team has been discussing this very topic for months, and we’re now ready to dial down the deets, from our digital screen to yours.
“We continue to see price as the core consideration in shoppers’ purchasing decisions,” Ally Anderson, Director of Strategy & Insights at LTK, told the New York Post. “According to LTK’s Back-to-School Study, shoppers said price is their number one priority while shopping this year, and many will be using this major summer sales period as a way to save money and get a good deal.”
Oh, and BTW — you’ll need an Amazon Prime membership to shop Prime Day deals. Sign up for your free trial to unlock access to future retailer promotions, events and special offers. After your 30-day trial, Amazon Prime will cost you $14.99 a month or $139 a year.
With your Amazon Prime membership, you’ll also have access to Prime Video to stream your favorite movies and shows.
Check out our in-depth FAQ section on what to expect this Prime Day, located at the bottom of this guide.
Editor’s note: Some items may not be on sale during the time of publish.
What to Buy During Prime Day
Korean skincare
COSRX Advanced 96% Snail Mucin Power Essence
If you’re a lover of all things skincare, you’ll want to check out the incredible Amazon beauty deals that will take place during Prime Day. Last year, the COSRX Advanced 96% Snail Mucin Power Essence was a top seller among Post Wanted shoppers and on an extraordinary deal.
Not to mention, after reviewing the entire brand, we have to give the glass skin-inducing product our stamp of approval.
Everyday essentials
Glad ForceFlex Tall Kitchen Bags (110-Count)
If you have a locked-and-loaded Prime membership, you know how simple it is to one-click what you need. Ran out of cleaning products? Amazon has you covered. How about laundry detergent? Yep, you can grab that as well.
Everyday essentials — especially those less than $25 — are ones to watch during Prime Day. Each year we’ve been reporting on the two-day shopping event, we’ve noticeably seen traffic spike for items like trash bags, garage storage essentials and the like.
While you may not find markers like 50% or 60%, saving even $5 or $10 on items you know you’ll have to repurchase is a surefire win.
Apple products
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)
While generally on sale and oftentimes on act-fast Lightning Deals, Apple products tend to be at their peak price during Amazon Prime Day. Whether you’ve never given the brand’s acclaimed wireless earbuds a chance yet or you need to upgrade your current pair, now’s the time to buy some AirPods — more than any other time.
Don’t skip out on select laptops and tablets, either. Depending on if its brand-new or refurbished, great deals abound on Amazon’s site for the two days Prime Day is in session.
Designer lookalikes
Apsvo Chunky Gold Earrings
Scoring some designer lookalikes during Prime Day is one of the best tips we can give you. For example, the best-selling Apsvo Chunky Gold Earrings are always partially discounted and look just like the Bottega ones that cost $280.
Tablets
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
According to Angela Tricarico, Decider commerce writer/reporter, Amazon Prime Day 2024 typically hosts the best price of the year for the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. It’s a No. 1 Amazon best-seller with more than 55,000 rave reviews and worth the predicted discount this time around.
Fitness equipment
NordicTrack T Series Treadmill
Big-button fitness equipment like treadmills and rowing machines tend to be well-discounted during Amazon Prime Day. Holly Coley, commerce updates editor, snagged her NordicTrack Treadmill during a previous Prime Day and scored a fantastic deal.
Premium beauty items
Dyson Airwrap
We’ll be the first ones to tell you that premium beauty is where it’s at, especially during Amazon Prime Day. Items like blow-dryer brushes, luxury shampoos and under-eye patches are what we recommend looking for more than most.
Items in bulk
Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes (1008 Wipes Total)
The key to shopping Amazon Prime Day like a pro is searching its catalog for items in bulk. Miska Salemann, commerce writer/reporter, said she considers the two-day shopping event as a great time for “buying anything I’ll inevitably be buying regularly, but is on sale and too big to buy at stores, like big boxes of diapers or wipes.”
Sunglasses
Ray-Ban Classic Aviator
An under-the-radar purchase the Post Wanted team recommends making on Amazon Prime Day? Sunglasses, whether they’re designer sunglasses or a spare, affordable pair to have. “I always almost buy some kind of Ray-Bans, and those have been on sale the past few Prime Days,” Jackie Goldstein, VP of commerce, shared.
What to avoid
Smart TVs
Amazon Fire TV 32-Inch Smart TV
Traditionally, Black Friday and Cyber Monday showcase stronger deals on smart TVs compared to Amazon Prime Day. However, you may be able to score some pretty sweet deals on Amazon brand models, like the Amazon Fire TV 32-Inch Smart TV.
Lighting
Industrial-Style Chandelier
Sometimes, you may get lucky and find a *really* good deal on a chandelier or ceiling fan. From our experience, Amazon doesn’t have the most wonderful deals on lighting during Prime Day — even though its options are chic and well-varied — and we think you may have better luck at destinations like Wayfair.
Right now, the Industrial-Style Chandelier is on a pretty solid deal.
Gaming items
Xbox Core Wireless Gaming Controller
While everyone’s on a quest to find a great gaming deal, Prime Day isn’t the best time of year for them. Sure, you may find one-off deals like the Xbox Core Wireless Gaming Controller, but they’re usually only $10 off or so. For more of a selection, Walmart tends to have more inventory and greater sales.
An FAQ on Prime Day shopping habits
Post Wanted consulted with two retail experts who dial down the economy, how consumers are shopping and what to expect this Prime Day.
What items do you predict consumers will shop for this Prime Day?
Many shoppers will be using this year’s massive summer sales period for back-to-school shopping, per Ally Anderson, Director of Strategy & Insights at LTK. “According to LTK’s recent Back-to-School Study, 33% of the general population plan to start their back-to-school shopping by June and nearly 70% will start by July, she explained.
This back-to-school shopping season, the top items parents plan to purchase for their kids are items for school like backpacks, lunchboxes, core school supplies and water bottles, as well as kids’ clothing, kids’ shoes, women’s clothing and accessories and even cold weather items.
Additionally, back-to-school shopping intent remains high, with 80% of consumers shopping for children plan to spend more or the same this season. “And the majority of the general population (56%) will be shopping creator recommendations, which grew 64% in the past year,” Anderson added.
Aside from seasonal back-to-school shoppers, certain product categories are on the rise.
“Year-on-year, the product categories we’re seeing the biggest trends for include wristwatches (+19%), designer fragrances (+12%) and headphones (+11%),” Chris Beer, data journalist at GWI, told The Post.. “We can naturally expect more activity in these categories, but they also point towards a broader change in consumer sentiment. The last couple of years have been marked by trends like de-influencing, where consumers cut back on spending and adopted a more minimalist approach.”
But with consumer confidence on the upswing, over the last 12 months, Beer has seen increases in the number who describe themselves as fashion-conscious, who like to be the center of attention, who take notice of what celebrities and influencers wear and who are motivated to buy products online based on their social media likes.
“So, as well as the categories mentioned above, we may see a resurgence in fashion and personal style for Prime Day this summer, and influencers becoming a more important gateway for consumers to access deals,” he noted.
What specific items do you think consumers will shop for less this Prime Day 2024?
Uniquely, there may be less demand for certain health and wellness items.
“We’ve seen in the data that there’s declining interest in veganism, and meat substitute products,” Beer said. “After years of experimenting with different diets, the number of Americans who describe themselves as meat-eaters is the highest it’s been since 2020 – very likely due to the perceived higher cost of a more plant-based diet when food prices have risen.”
We can therefore expect to see vegan food products, supplements, and cookbooks less in demand this year.
Top Prime Day predictions, per retail experts
Here at Post Wanted, we’re always at the top of the conversation when it comes to retail and shopping trends. Below, our team of experts outline the top trends they predict for Prime Day 2024 this year, with us feeling the same:
- Women’s fashion on the rise: Looking to upgrade their summer wardrobes women’s fashion will be a top category for shoppers again this year. Summer dresses were the number one search term last year, per Anderson, and shorts and jeans were other top search trends too.
- A need for tech on sale: Unsurprisingly, like many major sales periods, shoppers are looking for deals on the hottest electronics. Hoping to score a deal on high-ticket items, we expect electronics to be a very popular category for shoppers again. Last year, the Apple Watch was a top search term among shoppers, according to Anderson.
- Hunting down unique home decor finds: Summer is the perfect time for hosting guests, and home decor will be another popular category with shoppers looking to add life to their space. “Last year, outdoor furniture, bedding, living room decor and more were trending searches among shoppers on LTK and will likely be hot items for this year’s summer sales period,” Anderson noted.
- More search interest for TikTok-inspired accessories: Trying to add some flare to their looks, accessories were trending with shoppers last year, based on Anderson’s insights. Trucker hats, sunglasses (what we suggested to buy this year above!) and necklaces were all top search trends and will likely be a hit again this year.
- Footwear won’t be going anywhere: Just like LTK’s Back-to-School study shows, shoes will be another trend this year, whether you’re shopping for kids or yourself. “Last year, sneakers, sandals and heels were top searches among shoppers,” Anderson said.
- More shopping intent for wellness products:The growing importance of mental health in the aftermath of the pandemic is rising. “We see this in a number of areas, as more consumers are visiting counselors or experiencing stress,” Beer said. “Products and services designed to offer relief in this area are likely to be in higher demand.”
- A rise in soccer-related products: “Thanks in part to Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami this year, interest in soccer has quickly grown in the U.S.,” Beer said. “The number who play it has grown 24% year-on-year, while the number who watch games in person has grown by 22%. It’s likely we’ll see a surge in purchases of soccer-related products.”
- Athleisure items growing in popularity: Another sport trend we’re picking up is the growth of athleisure, with strong trends in recent years for ownership of brands that straddle sport and fashion, like Hoka and lululemon. Athleisure is another trend we might see in action during this year’s Prime Day.
Will inflation impact Prime Day 2024?
Inflation is down from its 2022 peak, but it’s hovered stubbornly around 3 to 3.5% over the last 12 months. This is higher than the Federal Reserve’s target but is at least stable. And this stability has led to mixed consumer behaviors.
“On the one hand, consumers are still visiting dollar stores and opting for own-label products, indicating that they’re still focused on saving money,” Beer explained. “On the other, consumer confidence has increased to the highest level we’ve seen since 2020.”
In a nutshell, consumers are cautiously optimistic. “Part of the appeal of Prime Day is that it’s an annual event which allows consumers to predict when they’re most likely to make savings on planned purchases, so we can usually expect big sales despite inflation,” he noted.
Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post
For over 200 years, the New York Post has been America’s go-to source for bold news, engaging stories, in-depth reporting, and now, insightful shopping guidance. We’re not just thorough reporters – we sift through mountains of information, test and compare products, and consult experts on any topics we aren’t already schooled specialists in to deliver useful, realistic product recommendations based on our extensive and hands-on analysis. Here at The Post, we’re known for being brutally honest – we clearly label partnership content, and whether we receive anything from affiliate links, so you always know where we stand. We routinely update content to reflect current research and expert advice, provide context (and wit) and ensure our links work. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.
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