Hacking Prime Day Deals: Facts, Predictions and Insider Tips from FatWallet

BELOIT, Wis., July 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- FatWallet.com, the online savings resource for millions of deal hunters, presents a Prime Day guide with past stats, predictions for 2016 and smart shopping tips to assure buying success. Starting at 12:00 a.m. CST on July 12, FatWallet will launch a Flash Deal Day promotion directing shoppers to real-time resources and tools for monitoring the best of 100,000 Amazon Prime Day Deals, and comparable retail offers from competing top stores. FatWallet users can quickly access intelligent discussion from thousands of deal hunters for advice and instantly share deals and comments with peers using the new FatWallet ToGo browser tool. (see full list of resources below)

"Days leading up to Amazon Prime Day brings deal leaks, sneak-peeks and a host of tips for how to sort through the clutter," states Brent Shelton, FatWallet Online Shopping Expert. "The key is finding a comprehensive resource like FatWallet whose savvy community can help Prime Day shoppers vet out the deals that offer better value."

6 Prime Day Facts, Forecasts and Deal Hacks:

• Movies and TV Shows: Last year Amazon Prime shoppers received an average discount of 57% on movies and TV shows. They bought 35,000 Lord of the Rings Blu-ray sets for $27.99 ($49.99 on Black Friday) and 12,000 50 Shades of Grey blu-rays. With trends moving fast towards streaming services, expect clearance pricing on hundreds of popular DVDs and Blu-rays. TIP – If you're not a Prime member, get the 30-day free trial started now so you can access Amazon's Countdown daily deals, including the LotR Blu-ray extended cut for $26.99.
• TVs: More than 1,200 TVs priced under $1,000 sold out in less than 10 minutes last year, yet social media backlash for lack of enough TV deals was rampant. Although we can expect more than double the amount of TV deals for Prime Day II including more 4K TV deals, like Black Friday TV deals, the chance of getting one will be equally difficult. TIP – Increase your chances of getting the deal you want by setting a keyword alert for "HDTV" to monitor dozens of TV deals daily, or instantly as they post.
• Toys: Expect a huge focus on toys, which is a new category in the Prime Day line-up. Recent kids' movies like Finding Dory and The Secret Life of Pets have put their corresponding toys on many shoppers' wish lists. Expect dozens of toy deals for 6-year-olds and up on July 12, including exclusive Furby deals. TIP – Use Amazon, and the major toy retailers' social media channels to watch for exclusive toy deals the week.
• Kitchen Items: 2015 Prime Day saw 28,000 Rubbermaid sets and 24,000 pressure cookers sold. Plasticware sets will again be a top selling item at a great value, with additional value from deals on other small kitchen appliances, utensils and gadgets. TIP – Competitor sales will offer aggressive discounts in this category with some stores offering free in-store pickup, allowing shoppers to skip membership fees and waitlists.
• SmartHome: The new Amazon Echo sold 4,000 units in 15 minutes during Prime Day I. This category is growing fast for demand, so expect significant savings on WiFi routers and smart hubs that control essential accessories like cameras and alarms, thermostats, lighting, locks and appliances. TIP – For smart home newbies, the Echo and its accompanying Alexa app are great places to start as it offers a hands-free shopping experience and user-exclusive savings.
• Amazon Products: Many top selling products from last year were Amazons, like the Fire TV Stick ($24) that sold out in an hour and Fire HD 7 Tablet ($79, $20 less than Black Friday). Expect another "fire sale" on older Amazon products, including the Fire HDX 8.9 and limited low pricing on newer Alexa products, including Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap and pre-order discounts on the new Amazon BLU smartphone. TIP – Not an Amazon power user, other stores will feature deals on competing products from Google, Roku and Apple throughout most of the week.

Key Prime Day Tools and Resources from FatWallet: 

• Monitor the best deals in real-time: Amazon Prime Day 2016 Deal Thread
• Follow deal hunter tips and tricks: Amazon Prime Day 2016 Discussion Thread
• Compare other store sales opportunities: Prime Day Competitor Sales
• Instantly share Prime Day with peers: FatWallet To-Go Tool

About: FatWallet is a smart resource for millions of online and mobile shoppers to find and share thousands of current coupons and deals from more than 2,000 retailers like Kohl's, Amazon, Walmart and Ebay. The much-celebrated FatWallet forums represent the pulse of an evolving online and mobile marketplace where the savviest deal hunters in the world gather to share and learn about ways to save money on everyday needs, wants and personal finance decisions.

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SOURCE FatWallet