3 Essential Tools Every Prime Day Shopper Should Use

Amazon Prime Day is back again from Oct. 10-11. And if you're wondering, "Didn't Amazon Prime Day just happen?," you'd be correct, as the last Prime Day was in July.

But even for the savviest of shoppers, Amazon Prime Day (officially dubbed Prime Big Deals Day) can get confusing. Distinguishing the real deals from the hype isn't always easy. Plus many retailers, including Walmart and Best Buy, are offering rival sales events of their own.

How do you make the most of Prime Day? We'll explore three must-have tools for every Prime Day shopper. And even if you're skipping Prime Day, keep reading. These tools will be helpful in your everyday online shopping, considering that the average American spends $91 on Amazon each month.

1. Keepa

Keepa is a free Chrome browser extension that will create a chart showing the price and selling activity for most items on Amazon. It's also available as both an iOS and Android app. If you're not sure whether a product has actually been deeply discounted, you can scroll down to the Keepa chart that the extension generates on the Amazon product page.

For example, I was researching a digital picture frame that was advertised as a Prime Big Deal, priced at $53.99. Amazon said that was a 46% discount from its normal $99.99 price tag.

Keepa showed me that the average price for the item over the last 90 days was $92.91. That means the discount isn't quite as generous as Amazon advertised, but confirms it's still a good deal. However, Keepa also revealed that the digital frame was also offered 29 days ago for $53.99. Knowing that Amazon recently slashed the price of the frame even when it wasn't Prime Day made me feel a little less urgency about buying it.

You can also set up a price watch on any Amazon product page and get notifications any time the price of an item drops.

2. Alexa

New Prime Day deals pop up as frequently as every five minutes. If you've got something saved on your Wish List, cart, or Save for Later, Alexa can notify you up to 24 hours in advance before it goes on sale.

When a deal becomes available, you'll get a yellow ring light or pop-up notification on your Echo device. You can ask Alexa for a reminder once the item goes on sale or have Alexa automatically make the purchase by saying, "Alexa, buy it for me." If you don't want to miss future Prime Days, you can ask Alexa for a reminder about Prime Big Deal Days.

3. Fakespot

Have you ever made a purchase after reading countless glowing reviews -- only to discover that the item wasn't what you expected, that it was impossible to assemble, or that it broke 10 days later? Phony reviews abound on Amazon, and distinguishing the legit reviews from the fake ones isn't always easy.

Fakespot uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assess whether reviews are real or fake. You can add it as a browser extension or download the app on the App store or Google Play. It assigns the reviews for any particular product page a letter grade. Note that Fakespot is grading the quality of the reviews, not the quality of the product, though. An "A" rating doesn't mean the product is great or that it gets stellar reviews, but rather, that the reviews appear to be written by real humans. Likewise, an "F" doesn't indicate a terrible product, but it does mean the reviews are unreliable.

If you rely on reviews to make purchasing decisions, Fakespot is a helpful tool not just on Prime Days but for your everyday shopping. In addition to Amazon, you can use it for online shopping at several major retailers and websites, including Best Buy, Home Depot, Sephora, TripAdvisor, Walmart, and Yelp.

Should you shop on Prime Days?

Shopping on Prime Days can help you score serious deals -- but try to limit your purchases to items you already had your eye on. If you find a great deal on the item you wanted, go ahead and buy, as long as it's in your budget. But avoid buying things you don't need just because they're on sale.

If you do plan to shop on Prime Day, shopping with a rewards credit card is a smart move. Some of the best cards for online shopping will give you anywhere from 3% to 5% cash back on Amazon purchases or other online purchases. If you're already planning to spend money, why not get rewarded for it?