Amazon Prime Day 2020 in Australia: what to expect when the sale begins October 13

For the last couple of years, Amazon Prime Day has been our mid-year shopping spree – something to look forward to right after the end-of-financial year sales in Australia. However, July has come and gone, as has August, and finally Amazon has announced when its big sale will begin.

Prime Day 2020 is officially kicking off at midnight October 13 and will go on until 11:59pm AEDT October 14... at least for the offers available locally. You can continue shopping for an additional 18 hours – until 6pm on October 15 to be precise – for offers from the US, giving Aussies a marathon 66 hours of deals.

There's a dedicated Prime Day landing page on Amazon Australia where the company will be listing all its deals. You can bookmark this page for when the sale begins but the sheer volume of offers that are available during Prime Day can be overwhelming and can take a long time to trawl through.

So let us save you time and energy and TechRadar's Australian team will be on hand to sift through it all and list only the biggest bargains on the hottest tech in town. 

With just two weeks to go, it's time to get cracking on your Amazon wish list, which you can save on the site itself and use that during the sale to save you time and, more importantly, money.

• For free, fast delivery and a host of other benefits, sign up for Amazon Prime now

What is Amazon Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day began in the US in 2015 as a celebration of the company’s 20th anniversary, with more deals on offer than Black Friday back then. Prime Day then quickly transformed into Amazon’s mid-year sales event where members of Amazon Prime get exclusive discounts on a wide range of items. While it began as a one-day sale, 2018 saw the offers last for 36 hours, while 2019 saw a recording-breaking 65-hour event for shoppers in Australia.

How to shop during Prime Day 2020

The only way to maximise your savings during the Prime Day sale is to become a Prime member. Click on the link below to sign up now and you'll get a 30-day free trial, plus access to a lot of other Amazon services, including Prime Video, Prime Reading and Prime Gaming (previously called Twitch)
Sign up for Amazon Prime now

Why does Amazon have Prime Day? It's presented as a neat ‘thank you’ to its paying members, but one that involves giving Amazon more money and shifting a lot of stock at the same time.

Prime Day isn’t just about selling Amazon-branded products – many other brands and third-party sellers also save their best deals for Prime Day, completely aware that thousands of extra shoppers will be hitting the online store.

To make the most of Prime Day you’ll need to get yourself an Amazon Prime membership which, in Australia, will set you back just AU$6.99 a month or AU$59 a year – half the cost of the US subscription. 

While you’re paying for the privilege of free, swift delivery, signing up for Prime means you’ll also have free access to Amazon’s streaming services, including Prime Video, Prime Music and Twitch. Members also get free access to Prime Reading and Prime Photos for all their ebook and storage needs.

If you'd like to know more about how a Prime membership can benefit you, head to our dedicated page on Amazon Prime in Australia where we explain it all.

When is Amazon Prime Day 2020?

Amazon has finally confirmed the highly anticipated dates of Prime Day 20202. As mentioned earlier, this year the sale event kicks off at 12am AEDT on Tuesday, October 13 – a first as Prime Day is usually in July and always on a Monday.

In Australia, the sale will carry on for a massive 66 hours. Until 11:59pm on Wednesday, October 14, you'll be able to shop for all offers – those sold and shipping domestically and those shipping from abroad (like the UK and US). Once that ends there'll be 18 hours more of offers for Aussie shoppers, although these will be the US deals which, like last year, will carry on until they end in the US West Coast. That's 6pm AEDT on Thursday, October 15.

Last year's Prime Day was 65 hours, but thanks to daylight savings kicking in early October, we get an extra hour to shop this year.

(Image credit: Amazon)

Early Prime Day 2020 deals

Amazon Music Unlimited | AU$0.99 for four months

If you're a music buff, this might just be for you. If you're a new customer and sign up for Amazon's music streaming service now, you'll only need to pay 99c for a full four months of access to 60 million songs, all playing ad free. After the four months, though, you'll need to pay the usual monthly subscription fee of AU$11.99.View Deal

Kindle Unlimited | Three-month free trial, then AU$13.99/m

Avid readers, specifically those who've never tried Kindle Unlimited before, will be able to score a three-month free trial period instead of the usual one month. That means you get free access to over a million titles and their audiobooks as well. If you're loving the experience, then after the three-month trial you'll need to cough up AU$13.99 per month for the service.View Deal

Audible | three months for free, plus free monthly audiobook

Another excellent offer for Prime members right now – if you're looking to try out Audible audiobooks, Amazon Prime members can get three free months of the service. On top of that, you'll be getting a free audiobook of your choice each month. After the trial, it'll return to AU$16.45 per month.
View Deal

Prime Video Store | AU$0.99 movie rentals

Prime Video is part of Amazon's Prime membership package, but not everything is free to stream. There's a store where you can buy or rent the blockbusters and classics that aren't available for free. In the lead up to Prime Day, Aussie Prime members will be able to save on movie rentals with some of them starting at just 99c. Great time to catch up on all those flicks you've been wanting to watch.View Deal

Amazon Echo Show 5 | AU$99 (RRP AU$129; save AU$30)

With a 5-inch screen and all the Alexa smarts on board, this little device will fit into any space and help you control your smart home setup. If you don't have connected devices, you can still use it to watch videos, check the weather, keep up with the news and listen to music. Better yet, the 23% discount makes the Echo Show 5 a lot more affordable at just AU$99.View Deal

Amazon Echo Show 8 | AU$159 (RRP AU$229; save AU$70)

For those who might find the 5-inch screen of the Echo Show 5 too small, there's the option of going one step higher for the 8-inch display of the Echo Show 8. Not only do you get a bigger screen, you get a better, higher resolution one, with a speaker that boasts bigger sound too. It's the perfect middle ground if you don't want to spend the premium price for the new Echo Show 10, and it's available with a AU$70 saving.View Deal

Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) + Fire TV Stick Lite | AU$89 (RRP AU$138; save AU$49)

Amazon’s just-released Fire TV Stick Lite is already pretty cheap, but there’s a great deal available if you’re looking to buy a smart speaker too. If you bundle the Stick Lite (which retails for AU$59) with the third-generation Echo Dot (worth AU$79) you’ll score both of them for just AU$89. That’s a great price for the smart speaker and the streaming stick bundle, saving you AU$49 in total. The Fire TV Stick Lite is now available to pre-order from Amazon, shipping on October 6.View Deal

Nikon Z5 + Nikkor Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 | AU$2,249 (RRP AU$2,699; save AU$450)

It's not very often you find retailers discounting recently announced cameras. But Amazon is and it's official Nikon stock too. So if you're looking for an entry-level camera with some serious skills and features, you really can't go wrong with this full-frame mirrorless marvel that takes a leaf or two out of its more expensive and older Z6 sibling. This single-lens kit is a good buy at 17% off the listed price.View Deal

Garmin Venu | AU$549 (RRP AU$649; save AU$100)

Garmin has been edging towards smartwatch territory, and the Venu is its best effort yet. It comes with a vibrant AMOLED touchscreen display, which it matches with a strong battery life and a full suite of fitness features, as a Garmin watch should. While it can't quite keep up with the likes of Apple, it's a superb sports watch which can track almost anything you throw at it.View Deal

Are Prime Day deals competitive?

Amazon has a plethora of offers on its site each day and those are usually some of the best prices you can find on consumer tech. Whether you’re after a Samsung Note 10 or a Philips Hue smart lighting system, chances are you’ll get them cheaper on Amazon than any other Aussie retailer. It’s even more the case with Prime Day deals. 

Leading the raft of deals during Prime Day 2020 will be Amazon’s own products, including all the Echo and Kindle products, not to mention Ring security devices. Amazon is also one of the most convenient places to score a discount on the Oculus VR headsets and, now, lay your hands on official stock of Samsung devices, Xiaomi phones, Instant Pots and Nikon photography gear.

You can easily score about 35% off on Amazon’s own devices during Prime Day which, for the rest of the year probably don’t drop more than 28% or thereabouts. If you’ve managed to score a $500 discount on Samsung or Huawei devices during one of Amazon’s regular deals, then it’s highly likely that the discount will be much deeper come Prime Day. It’s the perfect time to snag a Nintendo Switch or find the lowest prices on the best premium headphones – cheaper than any other retailer who will likely be scrambling to price-match.

What were people searching for on Amazon Prime Day 2019?

According to analytics experts Hitwise, Amazon saw an increase in traffic across all major categories on the Australian site, with the Electronics & Computing showing a 359% growth in reach between 2018 and 2019, with Amazon-branded items being the most popular products on the site, followed closely by the Nintendo Switch. There were nearly 100,000 page views for all NIntendo-branded items, including consoles and games. 

With Samsung now having partnered with Amazon to sell its products on the e-commerce platform in Australia, it was no surprise that the South Korean brand clocked up over 95,000 pageviews during Prime Day 2019.

The other big winners in Australia included Sony, Sandisk, Corsair and Philips.

What to expect from Prime Day 2020

We’re not expecting shopping trends during Amazon Prime Day 2020 to change very much. The Nintendo Switch is still going to disappear within minutes of being discounted, and this could happen to the Switch Lite too if you aren’t quick enough. We're not expecting the next-gen game consoles from Sony and Microsoft to be discounted either, but you'll be able to save a packet on older models still in stock.

Of course, Amazon’s Echo devices will likely be flying off the shelves like before, and we’ll still see the Paperwhite beating out the other Kindles in terms of sales. You can even expect to pocket some decent savings on Ring’s range of security devices, including the Doorbells and the cameras.

Premium headphones have been very popular on Amazon over the last couple of years and 2020 will likely see that continue, particularly for Sony and Bose headphones. With the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 one of the more expensive ANC cans on the market, Prime Day will be a great time to get a set for less.

With more TVs available on Amazon Australia now, we think Prime Day 2020 would be an ideal time to upgrade your home entertainment system, especially if you’re in the market for a good 4K smart telly – we've already seen Sony's TVs discounted on the site on a regular basis.

It will also be a good time to get yourself a new fitness wearable, be it from Garmin’s very premium GPS sports watch range or more affordable options from Fitbit. Likewise, cameras and drones will see a price drop, too, so keep that credit card handy.

How to shop on Prime Day in 2020

1. Check out our deals predictions and, eventually our Prime Day deals list

There are also too many deals available on Prime Day. It's never a problem finding discounts, it's always an issue of figuring out what deals are worth your money. That's why we always set up a curated list during the sales marathon. 

We spent some good time last Black Friday thinking about smart ways to shop on Amazon – they're still some great Prime Day tips and tricks.

2. Amazon Prime Day has historically required being a Prime member, so be sure to have a subscription on Prime Day

Amazon started Prime Day as a clever way to drive up its Prime subscription count, and this online shopping marathon – conveniently opposite Black Friday – accomplished just that. 

You'll need to sign up for Prime (you can get a free 30-day trial), which comes with free shipping and Prime Video access, among other smaller perks.

3. Create a wish list to curate what you want, as there will be loads of deals

You're also going to want to create a wish list ahead of time, which will let you sort out what you want and how much everything costs. This will give you a head start. You'll be able to see which deals dropped in price and which did not. 

4. Snap up the best Prime Day 2020 deals before they're gone

We often find the best deals to go in a matter of minutes, at which time Amazon rolls out a waitlist for those who were just behind the curve.

Prime Day: why does it matter more to Amazon?

There are some crucial differences between Prime Day and Black Friday. The first is that Prime Day is Amazon’s own day. It’s right there in the name which, of course, refers to Amazon’s Prime membership program and associated services. Amazon doesn’t own Black Friday, and that means ultimately it’s just another retailer shouting for attention – a massive retailer with a really loud voice. Black Friday is a sales event for the entire retail sector. With Prime Day as its own take on November sale period, it makes it much harder for rivals to muscle in on something that Amazon has effectively created from thin air.

The second and more important difference is that Black Friday doesn’t create new spending. It just moves it slightly. As we’ve discovered in recent years, the money people spend over the Black Friday period is money they were probably going to spend anyway: all Black Friday really does is concentrates pre-Christmas shopping in the last week of November. 

Prime Day spending is different in two ways. First of all, people aren’t spending the money they’d already planned to spend on Christmas presents. And secondly, they’re buying mainly for themselves, not for others.

There’s another key benefit for Amazon. Its global bestsellers on Prime Day weren’t just Amazon devices; they were Amazon devices that connect to Amazon services. Fire TVs, Kindle Fires, Echo devices, Alexa remotes. Each one of them connecting to Amazon Prime, and each one of them requiring a Prime membership to buy in the first place. So when Black Friday rolls around, Amazon will have a whole bunch of Prime members for whom shopping on Prime is the default, and who might want to enhance their Amazon-powered smart homes with Amazon-branded Black Friday deals.

Prime Day means that, for Amazon, Christmas now comes twice a year.

• You don't need to wait for Prime Day to score a great bargain on Amazon. We handpick some of the best tech deals on Amazon and regularly list them right here.

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