July is full of sales. It kicks off with Fourth of July sales and only gains steam with Prime Day (July 12 and 13). At the end of the month, tax-free shopping season kicks off. And that’s all good news for inflation-strapped shoppers who have a lot to buy for summer and back-to-school.
To help you take advantage of the best midsummer savings, we used our internal discount data to calculate average discounts July shoppers can expect in popular categories — and zero in on the Top 5 categories to shop this month.
The 5 Smartest Things to Buy in July
1. Computers and Electronics (Average Discount: 37% Off)
Prime Day is a huge time for tech deals, including laptops, tablets and smart home devices. Because Prime Day is Amazon’s sale, expect some of the biggest savings on Amazon’s own products (Fire Tablets and Echo smart home devices). But you’ll also find savings on Apple products, including iPads and Apple Watches. Shopping tip: While Prime Day doesn’t officially kick off until July 12, Amazon has been known to launch some deals early.
Besides Prime Day, back-to-school sales offer another opportunity for tech and computer savings. Apple traditionally kicks off its back-to-school offers in July. Best Buy, similarly, offers back-to-school deals specifically for students. And be sure to check out retailers like HP, Dell and Lenovo. They often offer Black Friday-like doorbusters and special student pricing starting in late-July.
2. Health & Beauty (Average Discount: 33% Off)
Health and beauty products are another smart Prime Day buy. Plenty of beauty and personal care brands (drugstore and luxury) sell on Amazon, and they’ll be participating in Prime Day. Last year, we saw some great deals from Mario Badescu, Living Proof and more.
And don’t forget about styling tools. While it’s highly unlikely we’ll see the ever-popular Dyson Airwrap on sale, you might find deals on products from Chi and other brands that carry straighteners and blow-dryers.
In addition to Prime Day:
- Ulta is also known for throwing a summer sale in July, so keep an eye out.
- Target’s big Deal Days sale runs July 11 to 13 and will offer up to 20% off beauty products. Shop Deal Days here when it goes live.
3. Entertainment (Average Discount: 32% Off)
As summer passes its half-way point, expect theme parks, online ticket sellers and movie theater chains to tempt you with discounts. See a real-time list of the best entertainment offers here.
Plus, be sure to check out streaming deals on Prime Day. In past years, we’ve seen deals for Amazon Music Unlimited, discounts on Prime Video movie downloads and more.
If you live in Florida, check out Freedom Week (July 1-7). You’ll be able to buy tickets to events, concerts, plays museums and more tax free.
4. Clothing (Average Discount: 24%)
Good news for back-to-school shoppers: You can expect plenty of clothing discounts in July. Part of that is seasonal, as the end of July is when we first start seeing summer fashion (including swimsuits!) head to the clearance racks. That stuff will still serve for the first (still hot) month of the school year.
In addition to seasonal discounts, Prime Day offers plenty of savings on clothing. Expect some of the biggest discounts to be on Amazon’s own clothing lines, like Amazon Essentials, Goodthreads and Amazon Aware. But plenty of brands that sell on Amazon will offer discounts of their own, too.
Target will offer 50% off select apparel and accessories during its Deal Days sale July 11-13. And make sure to check out this year’s crop of Fourth of July clothing sales. Big retailers like Macy’s, Kohl’s, Carter’s and more go BIG with deals.
5. Sports & Fitness — Outdoors (Average Discount: 19%)
July is when outdoor retailers start offering sales to ensure they sell all their summertime wares before the weather cools. You’ll see a lot of these sales pop up during Fourth of July week. Think deals on hiking boots, outdoor wear, fishing gear, rugged sandals, backpacks, coolers, bikes, helmets, kayaks and more. In particular, check out:
- REI for up to 30% off outdoor, camping and sporting gear.
- Cabela’s for up to 33% off during the Star-Spangled Summer Sale.
- Bass Pro Shops for up to 50% off during the Fourth of July Sale.
Honorable Mention: Patio Furniture
Normally, it’s best to wait until around Labor Day to pick up patio furniture on sale. But this year, major retailers over-ordered bulky home goods during last year’s supply chain issues — and are therefore in more of a crunch to sell off the big stuff. The result? Some of the best patio furniture sales we’ve ever seen this time of year from Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s and more. See the best ones we found.
The post 5 Things to Buy in July: Tech, Fashion, Sporting Goods appeared first on The Real Deal by RetailMeNot.
