When Is Amazon Prime Day 2016?

Some things in life are tough to remember. But days when we can get significant savings on electronics, clothing and other household purchases — those are events we want to commit to memory.

And it just so happens that one of those annual discount days is just around the corner.

Here’s everything you need to know about Amazon Prime Day 2016, a 24-hour period when Amazon Prime members can snag steep savings across Amazon.com.

Spoiler alert: It’s coming July 12.

What is it?

Prime Day began one year ago, and the event promised to deliver to customers a single day packed full of sales and deals, with fresh discounts on products staggered throughout the day.

Customers could be greeted with new savings each time they visited Amazon.com, and since quantities were extremely limited, products were scooped up rapidly. Prime Day’s claim to fame was its sheer volume of sales, which was captured by its “more deals than Black Friday” slogan.

So what exactly was on sale? A little bit of everything. Highlights included Bose SoundTrue headphones for $79.99 (regularly $149.95), up to $50 off select Philips headphones, and 30% off select clothing and jewelry. Televisions were on sale, DVDs were discounted, and Fire tablets were also up for grabs. There were even sales on open-box and used products.

Many shoppers complained the day didn’t quite live up to its hype. Inventory sold out remarkably fast, and some products (such as nail clippers and stuffed animals) weren’t exactly what you’d consider serious deals.

Despite some negative reactions, Amazon is bringing the shopping holiday back again.

This year, Amazon is promising over 100,000 deals on Prime Day, with new deals beginning as often as every five minutes. There will be a variety of deals, including Spotlight Deals (deep discounts on popular products that last until inventory runs out) and Lightning Deals (promotions that last for just a few hours). Shoppers can download the Amazon Shopping app to receive notifications when deals they choose to follow become available

When is it?

Prime members can start shopping Amazon Prime Day 2016 at midnight Pacific time on Tuesday, July 12. If you’re planning on shopping or browsing, you can RSVP to attend on the Prime Day Facebook event page, where you’ll receive updates from Amazon.

» MORE: Amazon sales and events guide

What else do you need to know?

While you’re waiting for Prime Day to arrive, there are a few ways to get prepared.

First, remember that Prime Day is limited to Prime members. If you don’t already belong to Amazon Prime — it costs $99 annually — now might be a good time to sign up for a free 30-day trial.

Second, don’t go crazy buying everything you need on Amazon in the days leading up to the sale. Hold off on major purchases like vacuums or electronics so you can see if the model you’ve been eyeing is included in this year’s sale.

» MORE: Is Amazon Prime worth it?

Keep checking NerdWallet for continued coverage of Amazon Prime Day 2016.

Courtney Jespersen is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: courtney@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @courtneynerd.