WASHINGTON — It's time once again for one of Amazon's biggest sales of the year, with the company promising "millions of deals" for Prime Day 2022.
The 48-hour online shopping event has been an Amazon tradition since 2015 and has quickly grown into one of the company's biggest shopping days.
What is Prime Day?
Last year, consumers spent more than $11 billion during the two-day Prime Day event, according to estimates from Digital Commerce 360. This year's two-day shopping event will be the first without Jeff Bezos as CEO, after stepping down in 2021.
When does Prime Day start?
This year's shopping event starts at 3 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, July 12 and runs through Wednesday, July 13. However, the company has been promoting early deals available for members since late June.
Is Prime Day only for Prime members?
While Prime Day deals during the two-day event are member-exclusive, Amazon offers a free 30-day trial. After the trial ends, Prime is $14.99 a month or $139 per year. College students can get a discounted Prime membership for just $7.49 per month.
What are some of the best Prime Day deals for 2022?
Some of the items that experts recommend buying during Prime Day include Amazon devices, Amazon subscriptions, summer items and back-to-school essentials.
But experts say you're better off waiting if you're planning to buy furniture, gaming consoles, TVs or phones. That's because those product categories tend to have better deals near Labor Day or come Black Friday.
What other sales happen during Prime Day?
As Prime Day has grown through the years, other retailers like Target, Walmart and Best Buy have scheduled their own summer shopping events for the same days as Amazon.
This year, Target is running its Deal Days sales event from July 11-13. Best Buy is running a Black Friday in July sale from July 11 through July 13.
A Walmart spokesperson told CNBC the company won't be doing it's own rival event this year, but the big-box store has been touting discounts across the board in recent weeks.