Amazon Q4 2021 Calendar
Though it might still feel like summer, now is the time to prepare for the 2021 holiday season on Amazon. In this article, we outline Amazon’s deadlines for deal submissions, shipping cut-off dates, key holiday shopping events, and the types of deals available to sellers and vendors to help you get ahead this holiday season.
Amazon Campaign Calendars
- October 8: The deadline to submit 7-Day Deals, Best Deals, and Lightning Deals in Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. (The deadline for the United States was September 17th. See end of article for more information on deals)
- October 21–November 5: The inbound shipping cut-off for vendors. Your deal inventory must be in transit by October 21st in the US, and November 5th in Canada, Mexico, and the UK.
- October 24–November 5: The FBA inventory cut-off date for sellers. Make sure your shipments arrive at Amazon well in advance of key shopping dates. Inventory should arrive at fulfillment centers by the following dates to ensure your products are available for customers to buy during the holidays: October 24th in Canada and Mexico, November 3rd in the US, and November 5th in the UK.
- October 31: Halloween. For creative strategies that can help boost your Halloween sales, head here.
- November 1: We recommend getting all of your creative campaigns submitted by this date. Detail page optimizations, brand store refreshes, etc. For creative strategies (and more) that can help boost your holiday sales, head here.
- November 25: Thanksgiving Day
- November 26: Black Friday begins on this day, with promotions ending November 28th.
- November 28: Hanukkah begins on this day and ends December 6th.
- November 29: Cyber Monday begins and coupon submissions close.
- November 30: Make any adjustments to your Turkey 5 creatives. Now is the time to make the December holiday switchover in your brand store (if relevant).
- December 24: Christmas Eve
- December 25: Christmas Day
- December 31: New Year’s Eve
Amazon’s 2021 Holiday Deal Options
For Amazon Sellers
7-Day Deals: Price discounts featured on Amazon’s official holiday event page that run for the duration of the event.
- Eligibility criteria: Minimum 15% discount off the lowest price in the last 30 days, or the lowest price year to date (whichever is lower).
- How to submit: Seller Central > Advertising > Deals > Create a new deal.
For Amazon Vendors
Best Deals: Limited quantity deals that vendors can run for 14 days on the official event page and allow you to set a maximum quantity of units.
- Eligibility criteria: Minimum 15% off discount off the lowest price in the last 30 days, or the lowest price year to date (whichever is lower).
- How to submit: Vendor Central > Merchandising > Marketing recommendation.
For Amazon Sellers and Vendors
Lightning Deals: Limited quantity deals that sellers and vendors can run for several hours on the event page and allow you to set a maximum quantity of units.
- Eligibility criteria: Minimum 20% discount off the lowest price in the last 30 days, or the lowest price in the last year to date (whichever is lower).
- How to submit: > Vendor Central: Vendor Central > Merchandising > Marketing recommendation > Seller Central: Seller Central > Advertising > Create a new deal.
Coupons: Coupons can help you get visibility in search results with the coupon badge, which can help drive traffic, sales, and customer reviews. The most popular coupons are also merchandised on Amazon’s coupons homepage, category pages, and peak events pages. Shoppers engage with coupons by “clipping” the coupon to apply the discount, leading to more interaction with brands.
- Eligibility criteria: Minimum 20% discount off the current website price and positive product reviews and ratings.
- How to submit: > Vendor Central: Vendor Central > Merchandising > Coupons > Create a new campaign > Seller Central: Seller Central > Advertising > Create a new coupon.
Final Thoughts
Your success on Amazon this holiday season rides on staying one step ahead of the competition. Deadlines will be here before you know it, and many begin holiday shopping as early as October. Thus, finalizing your holiday strategy well in advance is of utmost importance to winning on Amazon this year.
Need help buttoning up your Amazon holiday strategy? We’re here to help! Drop us a line here.