Perfecting Your Amazon Prime Day Strategy from Start to Finish

Marcel Hollerbach

July 8, 2019

One of the most anticipated retail events of the year is almost here: Amazon Prime Day. On July 15 and 16, millions of consumers will browse the site, scouring for the best deals. But they’re not the only ones who mark the days in their calendar each year. Brands and retailers increasingly compete for the attention of the record-breaking number of consumers that shop during Prime Day. If you’re a seller, the deal event presents opportunities to increase brand awareness and drive sales, and you can’t afford to have your marketing tactics flop. But identifying the tactics that best fit your business model can be tough.

However, there are certain must-do items before, during and after Prime Day that all brands should have on their list to make the most of the shopping palooza.

What you should do BEFORE Prime Day

Leading up to Prime Day, focus your attention on three areas: Inventory, Product Details, and Ads.

1. Preparing inventory: Each year, Prime Day yields record sales. In fact, last year, consumers purchased 100 million products during the event alone. Yet many brands underestimate the number of sales they will make from the event and don’t account for a high enough inventory. If you run out of stock on an item before it’s over, not only do you miss out on potential sales, but you risk frustrating customers. Prepare for the influx of shoppers by increasing your inventory and ensuring you have enough of each product ready to go.

2. Perfecting product information: Prime Day shoppers are after the best discounts and deals, and they don’t want to waste their time reading through confusing product information. Clean and organize product listings before Prime Day to remove any friction that might cause consumers to venture to a different vendor.

Customers demand clear, concise and accurate production data. Detailed information, like color, size, and materials, should all be part of the description, as well as keywords that help consumers find the product in their searches. Adding clickable titles and high-quality images will enhance the shopping experience and tell a more compelling story to shoppers. To maximize the potential of your product data and comply with all of Amazon’s guidelines, consider a strong Product Feed Management tool that can help prepare this information.

3. Creating Amazon ads: While there are millions of consumers shopping during Prime Day, there is also an overwhelming number of sellers. Without the right promotions, shoppers may never see a brand’s listing because of the dozens of pages they have to scroll through to get there. That’s why creating Amazon ads is an essential part of the pre-Prime Day preparation.

To make the most of these ads, increase your advertising spend. Amazon ads pause when the budget runs out, so to ensure the sponsored content has optimal visibility during the entire event, allocating more ad dollars during Prime Day than usual is key.

Once you’ve got your inventory stocked, product data cleaned and ads created, you’re ready for the big event. However, the work doesn’t stop there. You need to actively promote your products during Prime Day for the best results.

What to do DURING Prime Day

It might sound nice to sit back and watch the action of Prime Day rollout, but unfortunately, products don’t sell themselves. The marketplace is too competitive to let listings be without adjusting them throughout the days based on consumer activity. Monitor competitors’ prices at each hour to ensure price points are comparable. Sales will nearly always go to the better deal during Prime Day, so staying on top of other sellers’ pricing strategies will help keep customers interested in your products.

Some companies use AI solutions to adjust their prices automatically, relieving employees from some of the work. Either way, you need to be on the edge of your seat during Prime Day, adjusting your pricing to stay competitive. When the 48-hour event is over, you might think your work is done. But while the chaos may have passed, there are loose ends brands still need to wrap up.

What brands should do AFTER Prime Day

Not only is Prime Day an opportunity for brands to sell products, but it also provides a channel to engage with millions of new consumers. Take advantage of the touchpoints created from Prime Day by following up with customers to build on the relationship.

To evolve these relationships from one-time encounters to lasting connections, reach out to customers with a personalized message, hand-written note or phone call. Checking in to see how the quality of the delivery and product met their expectations can encourage shoppers to buy from your brand in the future. This also gives brands a chance to ask for a review or additional contact information. Product reviews make a big impression in e-commerce and influence many consumers’ purchasing decisions, and the more customers you can reach, the more information you can share with them about upcoming promotions.

Conclusion:

There’s still time to get your marketing tactics ready to drive the most sales. Preparing products and ads leading up to the event, monitoring pricing and competitors during the event, and following up with customers after the event will set you up for a successful Prime Day.