Amazon Holiday Sales Opportunities
As consumers complete their holiday shopping, you may be wondering what these last few weeks of the year will mean for your Amazon sales. While you may worry about a lull in sales after the Christmas drop-off, fear not — you can maximize the post-Christmas demand to help you finish strong in 2018.
Since November, the news has been inundated with fourth quarter and holiday sales projections. According to Adobe Analytics, there’s been an 18.6% increase in online shopping since this time last year, and a total of $80 billion already spent in 2018. If this pace is kept through the fourth quarter, 2018 holiday sales could top an impressive $124 billion. While these numbers are promising, we’re holding our breath to see the final numbers – stay tuned for a final report.
So what holiday sales opportunities are there to look forward to in these final moments of Q4?
With last-minute shoppers looking for gifts that can be delivered before Christmas morning, Amazon has extended its period for free-shipping. All customers receive free-shipping until December 18th, and Prime members have free one-day shipping through December 23rd. Not only will this help Amazon continue to increase sales , but as a seller, you have an opportunity to capture these customers in the days leading up to the holiday.
As time counts down for pre-Christmas sales, it’s important to remember the opportunity that supersedes Christmas. Markdowns on popular products, gift card purchases, and with 56% of Americans receiving a less-than-satisfactory gift, returns are inevitable. These factors will maintain a steady flow of traffic on Amazon throughout the remainder of the year and give you a chance to convert on those returned purchases, gift card shoppers, and gift exchanges.
The key to a successful Q4 finish is to keep an eye on your inventory and product visibility in these final days – be sure you have enough in stock to get through this post-holiday rush and fine tune your ad strategy to focus on your highest performing campaigns.
Need a hand with your 2019 Amazon strategy? We have an experienced team of knowledgeable Amazon experts to help you start your Q1 off right.