Amazon’s pulling out all the stops for this year’s Black Friday sale. But how will you showcase your seller promotions on Amazon? Let’s recap all the fabulous tools available to sellers, including Lightning Deals, coupons, and percentage-off promotions on Amazon.
You can already tell that this year’s Amazon holiday sales are like no other. For one thing, AI is everywhere. You have Amelia for listing, Rufus for product searches, and AI Creative Studio for Amazon Ads. Then there’s the fully autonomous robot Proteus and texting with Alexa.
But Amazon’s going one step further. Say hello to Amazon Haul, its own discount storefront. It comes with price tags under $20, 1-2 week delivery, and 15 days to return. For its thriftiest shoppers, it’s also dishing out non-returnable and non-refundable Final Sale items for $3 or less.
Also, Amazon Black Friday commercials are everywhere. This year, the emphasis is on reliability- more specifically, how reliable Amazon customer reviews are. Adam Driver helps drive this point home with his tongue-in-cheek rendition of 5-star reviews.
But what kind of Amazon seller promotions are out there, and how can you capitalize on all of the buzz Amazon’s building around Black Friday sales? Here’s all you need to know about running Amazon deals and discounts this holiday season.
What’s the Point of Amazon Seller Promotions?
Amazon is responsible for some staggering statistics. When you think about the fact that it hosts about 2.3 million active sellers and serves over 300 million active users, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it boasts achievements like these:
- The most popular search destination.
- The second most popular shopping app in the world.
- The fourth most valuable brand.
- The fifth largest employer.
Selling on a shopping platform of this scale isn’t easy if you don’t stand out from the competition. That’s where Amazon seller promotions come in. You need them to boost visibility, stimulate sales, reduce overstock, and satisfy shoppers in this bargain-hunting era.
Types of Amazon Seller Promotions
There are 4 main types of seller promotions on Amazon. We’ll go over them quickly, show you how you can access them, and provide actionable tips on how to use them, so that you can choose the best Amazon seller promotions for your holiday sales products.
1. Amazon Deals
These are time-sensitive and limited-quantity promotions that appear on the Today’s Deals page and various sections and reels across Amazon. They can be Lightning Deals, 7-Day Deals, Best Deals, or event-related. Lightning Deals run for 4-12 hours only, while Best Deals for days.
Not all products are eligible for deals. But if they are, their price will be compared to the List Price. Once active, deals may feature a Deals badge and a “% claimed” meter. They are revealed not only when shoppers search for your product, but also when they access the deals page.
To create deals and capitalize on the FOMO factor, you need a Professional plan and an overall rating of 4 stars at the very least. Go to Seller Central> Advertising> Deals> Create a new deal. For more information on how to run Amazon Lightning Deals, please watch the tutorial below.
2. Prime Exclusive Discounts
Only available to Amazon shoppers who subscribe to Prime or sign up for the free trial, Prime Exclusive Discounts are free. They show up on the product page and sometimes in search results, alongside the Typical Price, so they are clearly not Deals, despite sometimes being called that.
To create PEDs, go to Seller Central> Advertising> Prime Exclusive Discount. Then select Create Discount. You’ll need to commit to ship for free and set up your disbursement policy to 7 days after delivery or more.
If it’s an MFN offer, you’ll also need to check that you comply with these requirements for seller metrics:
- Late Dispatch Rate of 4% or less.
- Pre-Fulfilment Cancellation Rate of 0.5% at most.
- Order Defect Rate no higher than 1% for the month prior.
Bear in mind that not all SKUs are eligible, and any deal must first be submitted for a review before it can go live. The item should have a 3.5-star rating at least over the past year, unless it doesn’t have a rating yet. The PED will only run if you can offer:
- Discounts of 20%-80% of the non-Prime price.
- Prices 5% lower than the Was price and 15% lower than the reference price.
- Your price is always lower than the lowest absolute price over the last 30 days.
3. Amazon Coupons
There are many advantages to opting for Amazon coupons for sellers. Any buyer can clip coupons or vouchers on the product page, on the search results page, on the Deals page, or in their basket. They are time-limited, but you can choose the number of times a buyer can use it.
Some coupons are specific to events like Prime Day or to actions like signing up to a Subscription box. Whatever your Amazon coupon strategy, it will only work if you’re eligible. You need a Professional plan, a 3.5-star seller rating, and to meet several product requirements.
To create a coupon for your product, go to Seller Central> Advertising> Coupons> Create and select or search for up to 200 eligible ASINs. Then submit the offer for review. Keep in mind that they expire after 90 days. Also, every time a buyer clips a coupon, you’ll be charged for it.
4. Amazon Promotions
If you want to encourage volume purchasing with long-term incentives, try percentage-off promotions on Amazon with claim codes. They work like tiered and BOGOF discounts with a minimum spend or quantity to qualify. So, the more a buyer spends, the more they save.
Setting up a promotion is pretty straightforward. Go to Seller Central> Advertising> Promotions. You can choose the percentage-off option, a BOGOF deal, or a promo code for social media sharing. Then simply submit your promotion so that Amazon can review it before it goes live.
10 Tips for Running Amazon Deals and Discounts
That’s all well and good, but even the best Amazon seller promotions can misfire, and mistakes can cost you dearly during the busiest sales event of the year. To avoid a fatal fiasco this Black Friday, consider these 10 points before you set up your seller promotions on Amazon:
- Run Amazon Lightning Deals during key shopping events like Black Friday to bring home to buyers a sense of urgency.
- Only run your Amazon Deals on popular products and time them strategically to avoid high fees.
- Check that your products are listed under the relevant categories and with optimized product pages to maximize Coupon views.
- Use money-off Coupons or Vouchers with expensive items for several months and use large, eye-catching figures.
- Check your competitors’ prices and make sure that your Coupon offer is competitive for the full 90 days or the duration of every campaign that’s part of your Amazon coupon strategy.
- Avoid discount stacking by excluding items with pre-existing promotions and discounts from your Coupon campaign.
- Save your best Amazon seller promotions and BOGOF offers for slow-movers and seasonal items.
- Use percentage-off promotions with product bundles and bulk orders in such a way that they are comparable with Amazon Business prices.
- Track every deal’s effectiveness with Seller Central reports to quickly adjust prices or switch to other products and maximize profits.
- Make use of claim codes with your promotions and use custom codes across social media, influencer marketing, and email marketing campaigns.
That said, it wouldn’t hurt to also bolster your deals with some paid advertisement. Research the types of Amazon ads available and the PPC placement that would most likely drive traffic to your Amazon seller promotions, boosting visibility and sales.
Key Takeaways
- Lightning Deals give a sense of urgency and the FOMO effect is sure to boost sales.
- Coupons boost product visibility and appeal to price-sensitive customers.
- Percentage-off promotions help move inventory and encourage larger orders.
- Promoting your deals outside of Amazon through ads or social media can increase traffic.
This covers the basics of Amazon seller promotions. We hope that your holiday discount strategy serves you well, whether it focuses on FOMO-inducing Lightning Deals, coupons curated for bargain hunters, or promotions fine-tuned to clear storage space. Happy strategizing and selling!
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Melanie takes an active interest in all things Amazon. She keeps an eye on the latest developments and keeps Amazon sellers up to speed.