On Black Friday Amazon increased their sales by over 300%. If you’re an Amazon seller and you were fully prepared to take advantage of the shopping frenzy that takes place on a single day, you’ll have noticed a similar increase in your own sales figures. You didn’t? Uh oh! Let’s make sure you’re ready for the next peak period then.
Knowing when Amazon’s peak sales periods are, and what to sell during them, is key to your continuing success as an online seller.
1. Black Friday:
This takes place on the fourth Friday in November. In 2019, it will be on the 29th Shoppers will be looking for a bargain and expecting to see them across all Amazon categories. Obviously, with a brief this wide, it’s hard to know what to offer at a knock down rate, although our suggestion would be a lost leader that is both extremely desirable and will enable you to sell associated items to customers at the same time. Last year, according to Business Insider, some of the most popular Black Friday deals were on smart home devices like the Amazon Echo and Firestick, watches, bedding, boots and DNA testing kits!
2. Cyber Monday:
Originating in the USA, Cyber Monday falls on the first Monday after Thanksgiving. It’s much more of a recent phenomenon, dating back to just 2005 and it’s another day when Amazon customers will expect to see discounts in lightening sales across all categories. In the beginning, Cyber Monday was the online version of Black Friday (which was more to do with bricks and mortar stores), but now both days are virtually indistinguishable when it comes to customer expectations.
3. Run up to Christmas:
We’re fairly sure you know about this one and the beauty of it is that you don’t have to discount. Customers are looking for thoughtful, unique gifts for young and old.
4. Prime Day:
This is Black Friday, but exclusively for Amazon Prime members, so there’s less competition to get the best bargains. It falls in July and last year, Prime members worldwide bought over 100 million products.
5. January sales:
People expect discounts and they’re shopping around to get the best deal. You can tap into other people’s marketing to undercut by a few pence and be the cheapest retailer on a particular product. If you’re then using ads, you’ll show up as that. Essentially, if you do your research and offer the most desirable sales items for cheaper than everyone else, you could potentially break the internet, as everyone clambers to buy from you. The only problem with this strategy is the high level of competition. Every other online seller may also be using these tactics. Bear in mind that if you don’t fancy the pressure of the scrum, you could always reach out to existing customers with discounts on continuity products, with the plan to upsell them on accessories that aren’t discounted.
6. Lunchtime:
According to the Amazon Help Centre, there’s a 3 hour window around lunch, when people are more likely to buy, than at any other time. Ever wondered what your colleagues were looking at on their phones, while they eat their sandwiches? Now you know.
Whichever peak season you’re prepping for, an Amazon Business Integration system will help you streamline your processes. It will do all the mundane tasks involved in processing an order and uploading listings, so that you can concentrate on product and customer research with a view to growing your business. During a peak season, when the orders are flying in, you’ll find it invaluable. To find out more about EDI and Amazon Business Integration, please get in touch.
