- Amazon Black Friday Deals: Savings Compared
- After Black Friday: Apple & Amazon Products Still Discounted (But Not By As Much)
- Are Black Friday Deals 2021 Worth it?
In the lead-up to Thanksgiving every year, millions of Americans wait around for the much-anticipated Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, where thousands of products are marked down for a limited time only. With online shopping making Black Friday shopping so much easier, more of us are opting to shop from the comfort of our homes versus battling the crowds at the mall.
Amazon is one particular company that has significantly benefited from the transition from in-person to online shopping. In 2020, sales from independent businesses over the 4-day weekend increased 60%, totaling over $4.8 billion worldwide.
But how much are you really saving on Black Friday, and is it worth waiting around for? We took a look at some of the most popular items that were discounted on Amazon during Black Friday 2020 and discovered that many things are still discounted several months later, but Black Friday deals are still worth waiting for.
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Amazon Black Friday Deals: Savings Compared
Some of the popular products that we looked at included Apple products, Amazon tech, and other much sought-after home products. More than half of the 25 that we looked at (65%) were still discounted long after Black Friday.
| Amazon Product | 2020 Black Friday Discount | Average Discount After Black Friday | Black Friday Price |
| Apple AirPods (Wired Charging) | 30.82% off | 25.16% off | $9.01 cheaper |
| Apple AirPods (Wireless Charging) | 24.63% off | 19.60% off | $10 cheaper |
| Apple AirPods Pro | 32.13% off | 20.88% off | $28 cheaper |
| Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 12.9-Inch | 5.73% off | 5.73% off | Same |
| Apple Watch Series 6, 40mm | 17.30% off | 17.54% off | $0.98 more |
| Apple Watch SE | 6.47% off | 12.63% off | $19.02 more |
| Apple Watch Series 6 | 17.30% off | 17.54% off | $0.98 more |
| Apple iPad Smart Keyboard Folio | 27.93% off | 5.04% off | $40.98 cheaper |
| Apple iPad 12.9-Inch Smart Keyboard Folio | 39.71% off | 4.53% off | $70.01 cheaper |
| Apple iPad Magic Keyboard | 5.73% off | 5.73% off | Same |
| Apple Magic Keyboard | 7.75% off | 13.91% off | $7.95 more |
| Bose QuietComfort 35 II Wireless Bluetooth Headphones | 33.44% off | No discount | $100 cheaper |
| Sony Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones | 56.00% off | 11% off | $90 cheaper |
| Insignia 32-Inch Smart HD Fire TV Edition Television | 16.67% off | 25% more | $50 cheaper |
| Belkin Wireless Charger | 16.67% off | 8.5% off | $2.45 cheaper |
| Samsung 50-Inch Crystal UHD 4K Smart TV with Alexa | 12.09% off | 50.7% more | $270 cheaper |
| TCL 32-Inch 1080p Roku Smart LED Television | 31.58% off | 14.74% more | $88.01 cheaper |
| Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones | 40.01% off | No discount | $80 cheaper |
| Dell 24-Inch Ultra-Thin Bezel Monitor | 30% off | 90.09% more | $180.13 cheaper |
| Anker PowerCore Portable Charger | 37.79% off | 11.11% more | $17.60 cheaper |
| Sony Mini Bluetooth Portable Speaker | 44.99% off | 16.85% off | $16.88 cheaper |
| iRobot Roomba E5 Robot Vacuum | 34.47% off | 21.05% off | $50.99 cheaper |
| Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker and Slow Cooker | 20.96% off | 10.96% off | $10 cheaper |
| Keurig K-Mini Coffee Maker | 25% off | 13.79% off | $8.97 cheaper |
| Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal Cordless Stick Vacuum | 8.33% off | 3.34% off | $29.99 cheaper |
| Echo Dot (4th Generation) | 42.01% off | 30.01% off | $6 cheaper |
| Echo Dot (4th Generation) Smart Bulb Bundle | 51.67% off | 25.01% off | $15.99 cheaper |
| Fire 7 Kids Edition Tablet | 40% off | No discount | $40 cheaper |
| Fire TV Stick 4K Streaming Device | 40.01% off | 30.01% off | $5 cheaper |
| Ring Video Doorbell | 30% off | No discount | $30 cheaper |
| Kindle | 33.34% off | No discount | $30 cheaper |
Of these products we analyzed, Black Friday sales saved shoppers an average of 23.66%. Looking at just the products that continued to be discounted post-Black Friday, the holiday sales still offered discounts of over 10% more than if you waited until after Thanksgiving weekend to purchase.
There's no doubt that Amazon deals are pretty amazing—the average discount on the above products was over 25% or around $45. Who wouldn't want to save $50 on a new pair of Apple AirPods?
We're expecting similar sales on all of your favorite tech on Black Friday 2021 (and Cyber Monday), but if you can't make up your mind or don't have enough in the bank to buy everything you want/need in one weekend, there are still savings to be made later on.
Best Amazon Black Friday Deals on Tech
Some products you should buy on Amazon this Black Friday to get the best discount, include:
- Apple Airpods Pro
- Apple iPad keyboards (and other accessories)
- Bose headphones
- Sony headphones
- Beats by Dre headphones
- Smart TVs
- Smart vacuum cleaners (e.g., iRobot Roomba)
- Amazon devices (e.g., Firestick, Ring doorbell)
After Black Friday: Apple & Amazon Products Still Discounted (But Not By As Much)
Although the deals in the months following last year's Black Friday deals and leading into this year's Thanksgiving sales aren't as great as they were during the 2020 long weekend, it's still pretty easy to get a good deal, depending on the product.
Apple Products
Many Apple products continued to be discounted long after Black Friday sales ended, with only around a 6% increase in sales price, still offering an average savings of $35 off the original prices.
However, many Apple products went out of stock following the Cyber Monday sales, with some Apple AirPods not becoming available until months later.
Amazon Products
Only half of the Amazon products we looked at still carried a discount post-Black Friday, although they were not as heavily discounted. Of the discounted items, which included Echo Dots, buying on Black Friday meant a 44% discount. If you had waited a few weeks after Thanksgiving, you would have only paid $1 extra, as the deals stayed pretty much the same.
Now, almost a full year later and a month before Black Friday 2021, there is still a discount on the Echo Dot, but it's meager-in-comparison, priced at 16% off.
You're still saving, but you would have paid a lot less had you bought during the Black Friday sales and into December of 2020. (If this item is still on your wish list, you may be better off waiting for Black Friday 2021.)
Other products, such as the Ring Doorbell and Kindle, did not keep their discounts and still cost the original amount they were priced at before 2020 Black Friday sales.
Need Another Reason to Shop on Black Friday?
Some products sell out during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, so if you're leaning towards buying one, you might want to buy it then, or you could be waiting months for them to come back in stock.
Are Black Friday Deals 2021 Worth it?
For the most part, yes (especially if you're planning on buying new technology and gadgets). Although Amazon offers discounts on items several times throughout the year, Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals usually have the best sales.
Even if the discounts aren't as high as you would like, if you're buying holiday gifts, you should buy during the Black Friday sales, just in case the items you want end up being out of stock.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales aren't the only times you'll find great discounts. Prime Day, a 2-day event that usually happens in June, allows subscribers to buy products earlier in the year with similar (and sometimes better) discounts than you'll find on Black Friday.
Methodology
We scoured the internet for some of the best deals and popular items on Amazon in 2020 and recorded the:
- Black Friday pricing for 2020
- Pricing as of October 22, 2021
- Pricing on various dates throughout the past year (from Black Friday 2020 until now)
We used the Wayback Machine to check pricing, sales, and out-of-stock dates throughout the year.
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