Amazon Holiday Marketing Strategies

Expert Tip #1: Catalog Management

Expert Tip #1: Catalog Management

Before any peak sales event, it’s important to review your listing variation structure because as other sellers may make changes, they can revert to old versions, or Amazon can change them. Verify that the identifying data is correct (such as size and color names) and that all of the correct child ASINs are showing in their appropriate variations. This can be fixed with a quick file feed upload, or by contacting seller support if a file feed does not resolve the issue.”

— Dan Logan, Senior Analyst

Expert Tip #2: Inventory Management

“To maximize sales within the extremely difficult constraints Amazon has put on Sellers, I recommended that the amount of inventory available to replenish – by ASIN – be reviewed twice a day. I also recommend using a mixture of Small Parcel and LTL to remain nimble to the constantly changing thresholds per ASIN and increasing inbound order processing lead-times at Amazon.”

— Julia Mehelich, Senior Accounts Director

Expert Tip #3: Paid Search

“Add new converting search terms as keywords to your campaigns to ensure you’re targeting relevant shoppers. Using keyword data from the last 30-60 days will provide valuable search terms from the Prime Day period which is beneficial to leverage for another Q4 event. In conjunction with keyword optimization, keep your campaign budgets high to prevent them from running out of budget before, during or after Black Friday and Cyber Monday so that your relevancy is established and you remain competitive in those saturated ad auctions.”

— René Crandall, Search Marketing Manager

Expert Tip #4: DSP

“Amazon’s DSP is a long term strategy that spans the entire sales funnel. Ideally, you would begin by reaching people as they enter the consideration phase in the weeks leading up to holiday sales events. Introducing your brand and staying top of mind can lead to conversions during and post event, so it’s important to be seen. To really stand out, Amazon has exclusive video opportunities that can be powerful drivers to close the buying cycle.”

— Stevie Hash, Digital Marketing Specialist

Expert Tip #5: Brand Store

“The brand store is by far the greatest opportunity to leave an impactful, lasting impression on customers. If you don’t have a full-scale holiday brand store strategy, you can easily repurpose existing creatives from your site or social campaigns to create a holiday gifting destination, or simply refresh the imagery on your store to feel more ‘festive’. Make sure you have your top sellers front and center and that the shopping experience is as streamlined and consumer-friendly as possible.”

— Carly Miller, Creative Director

Expert Tip #6: A+ Content

“It’s important to have all best selling and seasonal products covered with quality A+ content. Adding strong lifestyle images is always a good choice (and a quick solution). Not only do they help the customer envision themselves with your product, but they’re also extremely eye-catching below the fold. Lastly, this is where you can be a little more granular with product features, so include any information that you did not highlight in the PDP images and copy above the fold.”

— Emily McRight, Lead Designer

Expert Tip #7: Amazon Posts

“Start building an arsenal of posts using images and copy targeting holidays and gifting that can be scheduled ahead of time and posted consistently in the weeks leading up to and following peak shopping events. Since volume and consistency impact visibility, focus on increasing your posting frequency with content that promotes both the product and brand. Amazon Posts functions similarly to Instagram Shopping, so this is your opportunity to increase visibility across multiple categories and take advantage of the increased holiday traffic.”

— Jasmine Reynolds Nguyen, Designer

Final Thoughts from our Co-Founder

Selling on Amazon forces you to reset expectations, buckle up and get ready to rethink those ‘best practices’ you’ve come to know and love. While analyzing and learning from past experiences is always a ‘must’, the name of the game on Amazon is adaptability. Amazon is a living, breathing organism which is changing at the drop of the hat. This need for a fluid mindset is only exponentially compounded during major tentpole events, i.e. Black Friday/Cyber Monday or the last-minute holiday rush.

Now is the time to prepare as best you can, but also to ensure you have Plan B, C, D, E & F in your back pocket. Successful brands are able to react quickly, let data dictate strategy, and empower the idea of momentum marketing — latch on to what Amazon’s (massive, ever-growing) audience is telling you, and lean in.

— Stephen Reagan, VP of Strategy & Client Services