With Amazon leading the online sales industry in 2016, it is only natural to expect the growth trend to continue in 2017. We’ve put together for you a comprehensive dates and events guide that each Amazon Seller should follow in the year to come.
To stay ahead of the curve on Amazon in 2017, you need to know what are the most important Amazon seller events next year. Our calendar and guide below may prove useful, so please take note of these events and stages and what they could mean for your business.
| Q1 | January Regroup after the Holiday Season; FBA Fee change; Amazon fee consolidation, zero-fee fulfillment cancelled and higher fees for media products; | February Regroup after the Holiday Season; FBA Fee change; Amazon fee consolidation, zero-fee fulfillment cancelled and higher fees for media products; | March SCOE Philly: http://scoe.biz/ Prosper Show: http://www.prospershow.com/ Set your own BMVD shipping prices, new selling on Amazon fees; compete for Buy Box |
| Q2 | April Easter Holiday; IRX: http://internetretailingexpo.com/ | May | June IRCE: http://www.irce.com/ |
| Q3 | July Prime Day; Back to School Season Starts; Change Shipping Plan; New Inventory Placement Service Fees; | August Back to School; FBA fee change; | September SCOE Seattle: http://scoe.biz/ |
| Q4 | October Early Holiday Season preparations; Monitor Announcements and News; Q4 fee alignment; | November Black Friday; Cyber Monday; | December Holiday Shopping Rush; Watch Seller and Buyer cut off dates; |
JANUARY & FEBRUARY
To-Do List:
Regroup after the holiday season:
- sell that extra stock;
- manage returns;
- take care of sales tax;
- make sure you keep your Amazon account in good health;
- offset that drop in sales with some special offers and some savvy repricing;
- there may be a surge in buyers redeeming gift cards and claim codes; make sure your stock is keeping up;
- stay tuned for a post on what to expect in January on Amazon.
Changes to Consider:
- FBA fee change, as shown here;
- consolidation of Amazon fees into a per-unit fulfillment fee, as explained here;
- higher fees for media products;
- elimination of zero-fee fulfillment.
MARCH
Events:
1. SCOE Philly https://scoe.biz/
- 7-10 March in Philadelphia, PA;
- the world’s longest standing conference for online sellers;
- aimed at helping B2B companies (SMBs, in particular) network;
- speakers share their insights into reviews, private label, taxes, international expansion and much more;
- tickets bought in advance cost $699.99, 23% less than the price you pay at the door.
2. Prosper Show https://www.prospershow.com/
- 22-23 March in Las Vegas;
- we’re also presenting;
- speakers will be discussing tax compliance, sourcing from Chinese manufacturers, SEO optimization and various other issues;
- extra workshops on 21 March on private label, sponsored products, accounting and more;
- Prosper Show attendees have free passes to the ASD Market Week and the Source Direct at ASD shows taking place between 19-22 March at the same venue;
- tickets cost $699 until 31 January, and $799 thereafter.
Changes to Consider:
- BMVD sellers able to set their own shipping prices;
- compete for the Buy Box for eligible Books in new condition;
- changes to Selling on Amazon fees as of 1 March, as explained in our tenth edition of the Digest.
APRIL
To-Do List:
The Easter Holiday
- not as significant in sales as the winter holiday season, but expect an increase;
- to catch the sales boost in its prime, make sure your inventory is ready and your repricing is working nicely.
Events:
IRX: https://internetretailingexpo.com/
- 5 – 6 April in Birmingham, UK;
- free registration;
- free conferences on issues like mobile optimization, logistics, operational excellence, customer satisfaction and more;
- over a dozen speakers from across the UK retail spectrum;
- workshops with seats booked in advance or on a first-come first-served basis at the show;
- pre-booked 30-minute consultations with experts at the ‘clinics’.
JUNE
Events:
IRCE: https://www.irce.com/
- 6 – 9 June in Chicago;
- the SellerEngine team will be there;
- the world’s largest e-commerce trade show;
- 600 exhibitors;
- over 200 expert speakers;
- average attendance of 10,000 people;
- save $500 off the on-site ticket price with the New Year Special offer.
JULY
To-Do List:
- it’s imperative that you are prepared for this holiday to boost your midyear sales;
- Amazon’s latest post-Prime Day press release claims it had extraordinary sales in 2016;
Changes to Consider:
- expect Amazon to insist that you change your shipping plan to choose multiple shipping destinations for free;
- using the Inventory Placement Service for shipping to fewer destinations will incur smaller fees, as explained here.
AUGUST
To-Do List:
Back to School
- the second sales season in importance after the Christmas Season;
- make sure you are prepared for early online shopping, in case there’s a repeat of what happened in 2016;
- same as this year, Amazon will most likely put together a dedicated landing page on the site precisely to help buyers and sellers shop in a more efficient way.
Changes to Consider:
- FBA fee change, as explained here;
SEPTEMBER
Events:
SCOE Seattle: https://scoe.biz/
- 5 – 8 September
- SellerEngine team will be there
- the second yearly SCOE show, after the one in Philadelphia;
- the world’s longest standing conference for online sellers;
- aimed at helping B2B companies (SMBs, in particular) network;
- speakers share their insights into reviews, private label, taxes, international expansion and much more.
OCTOBER
To-Do List:
- closely monitor Amazon’s news and announcements to comply with the warehouse and shipping deadlines for the Holiday Season.
Changes to Consider:
- October Fulfillment Fees and Monthly Inventory Storage Fees will match those for November and December; read the Alignment of Q4 fees section here;
NOVEMBER
To-Do List:
Black Friday
- it’s no longer about sales and shopping in the conventional brick and mortar shops;
- carts are being filled up just as quickly online on this popular shopping day;
- Amazon offers Black Friday deals for the best part of the month;
- even though the event is on 24 November, 2017, you should warm up for sales weeks ahead.
Cyber Monday
- it will fall on 27 November, 2017, and you can expect Echo, Kindle, Dash buttons and various other Amazon products to come with discounts on the day;
- toys, electronics, household appliances, pet products, books and video games are on offer on Cyber Monday, so make ready for big sales with discounts to match.
DECEMBER
To-Do List:
If you do FBA, watch the timelines to make sure you send everything on time for either Christmas delivery or for Q1 in 2017:
- seller cut-off dates are available here for the year 2016 only, so please check our blog at the beginning of Q4 in 2017 for an update;
- buyer cut-off dates for 2016 are available here, but please search for the updated version in 2017.
This concludes our list of must-attend events, important policy changes and preventive measures for the year 2017. Our Services and Software team will be there throughout, taking part in trade shows, bringing you up to speed, and assisting you as best they can.
We wish you happy sales over the holidays, and may all your year-end goals be fulfilled!
Iulia is one of SellerEngine’s Repricing Experts. She takes pride in being kind and helpful and goes by the saying ”sharing is caring”.