Prime Day 2021 is gearing up to be a huge event. How can you get ready to take advantage of eager shoppers and a Black Friday-like shopping experience? Our experts at eCommerce Nurse have some tips for sellers and vendors as the prep for, potentially, the biggest shopping day of the year.
What is Prime Day on Amazon?
Prime Day began on Amazon in 2015 to celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary with 24 hours of deals. Now, it is a two-day global event with Lightning Deals, Prime Exclusive Discounts, and huge markdowns all around. To take advantage of deals, customers must be subscribed Amazon Prime members.
With the 2020 summer shopping extravaganza delayed multiple times due to COVID-19 unknowns, Prime Day 2020 took place in mid October. This year, Prime Day is back in its summer spot. Though Amazon has not announced the exact date, they did confirm it will be before the end of Q2, with CNET reporting late June. Amazon should announce a firm date very soon, but if Seller Central and Vendor Central deal slots are any indication, the speculation is spot-on.
How to take advantage of Prime Day
Even if you have not prepared yet or submitted any deals, it’s not too late to get some traction for your brand for the event. Here are five ways to capitalise on the June event for 2021.
- Create a Prime Exclusive Discount or other deal types
Missed Lightning Deal submission? That’s ok. One of the best, easiest, and most visible deals for sellers on Prime Day is the Prime Exclusive discount. Items with this deal type will feature on the event page and also get a badge near the price that distinguishes it as Prime Exclusive Deal during the event.
There is still time to create this deal type and get it approved before Prime Day. This can be done under the “Advertising” tab in Seller Central. Choose “Prime Exclusive Discount” under the drop-down menu and proceed to create a deal that fits the guidelines for your product. You must meet Amazon’s deal criteria, which includes being Prime-eligible, having at least a 3-star rating, and a discount that is at least 10% off non-member non-promotional price. Read about Prime Exclusive Discounts and submit as soon as possible.
It will also be a good idea to check your pricing as the dates are finalised. You will likely want to turn off other promotions (such as coupons or vouchers) that usually run on your products. Be aware of your pricing and the overall discount you are offering customers.
Vendors are not able to create Prime Exclusive Discounts, and the Lightning Deal submission window has closed. If you choose not to (or cannot) offer a Prime Exclusive Discount, consider adjusting your pricing to be competitive during the event. You can also always create a coupon or voucher to get your items some traction during Prime Day when traffic levels are high.
- Ensure your stock levels are adequate ASAP
For the US, EU, and UK, fulfilment centre queues are unpredictable. Depending on your product, order size, and location, you may experience delays similar to Q4. Brexit, pandemic issues, a fuel shortage in the US, and sellers working around ramping up sales and storage limits can all impact how long it takes your items to be received at the FC. Right now, you should anticipate at least three weeks from the time you create an FBA order and the time it is fully received at the fulfilment centre. This means you will need to get those orders created and sent very soon.
Once you have created your marketing plan, ensure your stock levels for all products will be sufficient for Prime Day coverage.
- Create an additional budget for advertising
After creating deals and slotting in your logistics, you should plan to maximise your potential by scheduling and targeting ads. You may want to revisit your budget and plan ads specific to your deals. This will likely mean increasing bids on crucial keywords during the event, once dates are announced.
- Make a coordinated marketing plan
Prime Day is the ideal time to drive traffic from other channels to your Amazon detail pages and deals. Customers will be anticipating the Amazon event and you can capitalise on this. Plan to coordinate your off-Amazon marketing campaigns for Prime Day. Consider driving traffic to your deals from other channels:
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- Social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter.
- Marketing lists: If you have a large email audience, plan to send an email announcing your deals.
- Other advertising: Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, and more may be utilised to promote your Amazon listings during Prime Day.
- Optimise your product listings
There is no point in driving traffic to your items or deals if customers will be poorly informed when they arrive at your product detail page. A bad customer experience is a turn-off and will limit your conversion rates.
Before Prime Day, update your catalogue and ensure your products are fully optimised. This includes utilising hidden keywords to boost organic search, making sure your images are within Amazon guidelines, and submitting any A+ Content edits a few weeks in advance so they have time to get approved. We recommend avoiding these common listing optimisation issues, especially during a huge sales event.
Even if you are not creating deals or drastically lowering prices, you can anticipate a large amount of traffic on the site overall during the two days of Prime Day. Ensure customers have a good experience and you can increase your sales organically through well-thought-out detail pages.
Need more help?
We’re down to the wire on Prime Day 2021, with likely only a month until the big day. The next few weeks are crucial to your success for this year’s summer sale. Try to resolve any additional issues, such as outstanding tickets and content problems before the rush, and get your deals in now!
If you would like more assistance with your account and getting it in the best shape possible for future events, such as Prime Day or Q4, please contact eCommerce Nurse. We are a full-service agency specialising in Amazon.
