Prime Day 2020 is Coming

The moment has arrived...Amazon Prime Day has a date. Better late than never is a phrase that comes to mind and will be front of mind of many e-commerce managers’ heads. However, the delay has obviously been for good reason.

Prime Day, usually held in the summertime, is released at a time that is considered to be more ‘sluggish’ in the world of e-commerce. In 2019, Prime Day was increased to 48 hours in duration (Prime Two Days doesn’t have quite the same ring to it does it?) and this year is taking place from Tuesday 13th October (midnight PT) and carrying on through Wednesday 14th October (midnight PT), just weeks ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The reason for the delay this year could be down to a number of reasons, with COVID-19 being the obvious one. With the peak of the pandemic happening during the summer months, having a huge sales event might not have sent the right message for one of the world’s biggest brands.

In addition, the huge economic impact the pandemic has had means that budgets have been tighter amongst consumers and brands alike. Amazon’s theory looks to be that if consumers are going to take the plunge and make those big purchases, they are more likely to do so in the build up to the Holiday season and in one go, rather than spread out over the whole of Q4.

The issue here is that for Amazon sellers, a lot of whom will be watching their wallets as closely as many consumers, is where do they focus their marketing efforts? Prime Day? Black Friday? Cyber Monday? Amazon is clearly trying to ‘own’ the start of the holiday shopping period by having all three events so close together, but with so much traffic competition, Amazon sellers need to pay close attention to ensure that they are making all budgets and listings work as hard as possible if they are to compete with competitors.

Our last blog gave some great tips on how to ensure listings are ready for the increased traffic that a second lockdown may bring; however the same rules apply for this critical time of year. Furthermore, sellers need to consider the following:

Solidifying Logistics: More than ever the delivery and distribution of products will be key to success. It is all very well selling more products than your competitors, but if they can’t get to your consumers, sellers risk long term reputational damage.

Focus on Keyword Rankings: If your budgets only allow serious media investment for one of the major Amazon events taking place in Q4, ensuring your products are seen organically is essential. A keyword audit is highly recommended and could prove invaluable to success.

Selling this year will be different than ever before however you can likely expect:

• A surge of customers and warehouses to be backed up.

• Your planning and preparation over the next 30 days to be the fundamental element determining a profitable Q4.

• A proactive strategy that allows for a lot of room to manoeuvre will allow you to maximise your sales during the last quarter of 2020.

Let The Experts do the Hard Work For You

Trying to do it all, quickly is essentially an impossible task. So why not let us do the hard work? We can help you with all the fundamentals to ensure success in a hugely important Q4 for all Amazon sellers, and having the right team around you to provide support during this time can allow you to concentrate your efforts elsewhere.

Get in touch today to talk to us some more about how you can boost your sales, grow your Amazon business and compete in what is likely to be an exciting and noteworthy end to 2020.