Amazon Opens ‘Black Friday Deals’ Store

Let the deals begin. Amazon has announced that its Black Friday Deals Store is now open, marking the official (or unofficial?) start of the holiday shopping season.

As expected, the online giant is offering deals on just about everything, including electronics from the likes of LG, Samsung, and Sony — all three of which were singled out in the first paragraph of the press release Amazon issued yesterday.

Electronics shoppers looking to winnow the choices rather than scrolling endlessly through deal pages are encouraged to check out the curated Electronics Gift Guide, which includes a Gift Finder tab to help you sort by price and jump to Featured and Best Selling items.

Amazon is playing up voice shopping this season, which is not at all surprising given the runaway popularity of its Echo line of smart speakers and devices. The company said “tens of millions of Prime-eligible items” are available for purchase using its Alexa voice service.

“It’s as simple as saying, ‘Alexa, order [product]’ and Alexa will find a top-rated product that ships with Prime,” Amazon said, noting that all you have to do is say “yes” to make a purchase. In case you’re wondering (we were), “any physical product purchased with your voice is eligible for free returns,” provided the buyer is an Amazon Prime member with default payment and shipping information specified in their account.

Amazon also touted its app, noting that 70 percent of Amazon customers worldwide shopped using a mobile device during last year’s holiday season. “Customers can find where their holiday packages are in seconds, use camera search to quickly and easily find the items they want by pointing at an item or barcode, and never miss a deal by setting Watch-a-Deal alerts,” the company said, noting that the barcode-scanning Package X-Ray feature can be used to see what’s inside a package when it arrives.

The app even has an AR (augmented reality) view mode that lets iPhone users (6S or later) “visualize the aesthetic and fit of products in their own living space.”

Leaving no shopping angle uncovered, Amazon also introduced the Treasure Truck, which will offer a crazy new way to shop in 25 cities. “At Treasure Truck, we hand-pick our favorite new, trending, local, or delicious items, load them on the Truck, then cruise around town spreading joy for everyone with a smartphone and an appetite for fun,” Amazon explained. You can sign up to receive a text message when the truck is in your area.

Amazon says more than a hundred million items are eligible for free shipping this holiday, including eligible orders of $25 or more shipped by Amazon. Starting on November 8, Prime members will also have access to Amazon Key, a new service that will allow eligible packages to be securely delivered inside their homes when no one is home.

To peruse the electronics section of Amazon’s Black Friday Deals Store, click here.

X