What’s the deal? Amazon Outlet is the place for overstocks and major discounts

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18 October, 2021
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4 minute read
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Have you ever shopped the Amazon Outlet? If not, you may be missing out on the absolute best deals on Amazon. While there are usually a number of promotions, discounts, and clearance items across Amazon, the Outlet Store offers a special destination for customers to find the lowest prices on popular items in categories with a lot of traffic, including kitchen, electronics, consumables, toys, and more.

Many brand owners and sellers on Amazon may not have realised how they can participate in the Outlet experience. There’s a simple way to list products in this go-to location for customers, and this blog will provide instructions to maximise your benefit of selling in the Outlet Store.

What is the Amazon Outlet?

Amazon advertises this section of the store as “Overstock items at under-budget prices.” While customers are always going to love finding a deal, there is also a very specific reason for this store on Amazon for sellers.

“This is a great solution to help increase sell-through, improve cash flow, optimize inventory levels, and reduce total storage fees,” says Amazon in Seller Central. Sellers may need to clear out aged inventory to minimise costs, especially during certain periods of doing business. 

What do a cat harness, a bubble gun, and a two-pack of Texas state flags have in common? They’re all products on Super Discounts, at the time this blog was published. Amazon actually has a subcategory page to list Outlet-only deals under $10. This may be something to consider when planning and pricing an Outlet deal if the goal is to receive coverage on this page. Furthermore, top sellers will be featured on the Best Sellers page, which is even more reason to consider your marketing tactic.

What is required for Amazon Outlet deals?

Like all promotions, there are certain backend requirements for this deal creation. ​​Sellers can submit promotional offers with a minimum discount of 20% via the Create Outlet Deal section of the Manage Excess Inventory page. Once approved, selected deals may be featured on the Outlet page for a fixed period of one to two weeks. 

The Manage Excess Inventory page shows sellers which eligible products Amazon recommends for Outlet. These suggestions are made based on a few factors, such as customer demand and inventory age. Also, not every eligible ASIN will appear here. Continue to check this page to see refreshed eligibility frequently. Once a deal has run, it won’t be eligible for an Outlet deal again for at least 60 days.

According to Amazon, ASINs must meet the following criteria to be eligible for listing in the Amazon Outlet Store, and per Amazon, this criteria is subject to change without notice: 

  • Have inventory in Amazon fulfillment centers for at least 90 days.
  • Have more than 10 units of inventory on hand.
  • Have a sales history.
  • Be in “new” condition. (This deal type is completely different from Amazon Warehouse Deals). 
  • Have a product rating of at least 3 stars or no reviews.
  • Not currently enrolled in Subscribe & Save.
  • Not currently enrolled in another Deal promotion such as Lightning Deals.
  • Not on Outlet deals in the past 60 days.
  • Comply with Amazon’s customer product reviews policies and price policies.

How to create an Amazon Outlet deal

When you’re ready to create an Outlet deal, head to the Inventory drop-down menu in Seller Central and select Inventory Planning.

  1. Click the Manage Excess Inventory tab.
  2. To filter for eligible inventory, click Create Outlet deal in the Show recommendations by setting. You can also follow the links to the Manage Excess Inventory page by clicking on the Improve Your Cash Flow card on the Seller Central home page.
  3. From the drop-down menu to the right of the eligible item, select Create Outlet deal.
  4. In the pop-up window, enter your price in the Outlet deal price box. Your price must be less than or equal to the maximum price, which is filled in by default.
    Note: The maximum deal price takes into consideration the lowest price charged by sellers offering the product in new condition. This price might fluctuate if the product’s current sale price changes before the deal begins. After the deal begins, Amazon may cancel it without notice if the product’s sale price rises above the Outlet deal price.
  5. Review the start and end dates for your Outlet deal.
  6. Click Submit.

Successful submissions are processed twice per week, so keep an eye on your deals. You can check the status of your deal and review performance after the deal has run in the same tab in Seller Central.

Tip: Be sure to remove any pricing rules for an ASIN before submitting. Pricing rules might prevent the price of the ASIN from dropping automatically. These deals would be removed from Outlet, and could result in all Outlet recommendations being suppressed in the future for the account.

Important information for running an Amazon Outlet deal

There are no fees to create an Amazon Outlet deal, but standard fulfillment and referral fees will still apply. Also, sellers should note that Outlet deals and sale discounts can be combined with other discounts and/or promotions offered on that product at the same time. This includes coupons, promotions, sale prices, business prices, and giveaways. Be sure to plan carefully and don’t discount more heavily than intended. However, combining Outlet deals with coupons and other discounts will certainly improve conversion. Remember, customers love a deep (or at least deep-seeming) discount!

Similarly, there are no quantity or redemption limits to Outlet deals. Do not run one if the business cannot support the discount for a full two weeks. 

Like all deals, promotions, Amazon Advertising, and marketing efforts, sellers should be sure their ASINs and brand overall are retail ready before running an Outlet deal. Having strong product images is also particularly important for this page, as it relies mainly on tempting customers with only a price, title, and image. 

More Help

There are a lot of deal types on Amazon and businesses should consider the options carefully. Learn more about Amazon Outlet and check out the various deals currently on offer in the Outlet Store to get a feel for what is performing successfully. eCommerce Nurse can also help with all types of Amazon promotions and Amazon Advertising support. Please contact us for marketing advice, account management, or product acceleration needs.

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Katy Luxem

Katy Luxem

Katy Luxem is the senior content manager for eCommerce Nurse and Vendor Society. She has worked for Amazon in both Seattle and London, delivering results for multiple different teams and product lines across the U.S. and Europe. Katy's experience is centered on making sure customers have a best-in-class experience. She enjoys helping businesses and brands succeed and grow with next-level content.

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