It’s that time of year again — Amazon’s blowout sales event is almost here! Prime Day 2021 will resume its usual schedule to help usher in summer days and deals.
Last year’s Prime Day was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and instead helped kick-start the holiday season, as it was held in many countries in early October. Amazon announced that Prime Day 2020 marked the two biggest sales days for small- and medium-sized businesses within the marketplace across nineteen countries. Sales surpassed $3.5 billion. Shoppers came in the tens of millions, even in the days leading up to the sales event itself. Amazon’s Spend $10, Get $10 promotion generated more than $900 million in sales for small businesses — and, presumably, got online shoppers familiar with new and unique brands. During the two weeks leading up to Prime Day 2020, customers shopped from small businesses across all 50 U.S. states, with Utah, California, and New Jersey seeing the biggest sales per capita for those included in the promotion, concludes Amazon’s report.
While customers are starting to prepare for Prime Day deals that will fill their shopping carts, brands should start preparing their e-commerce stores for Prime Day 2021.
What to Expect During Prime Day 2021
Amazon announced that Prime Day 2021 will be held on June 21-22, just in time to splurge for summer vacation.
Though retail sales exploded in March, reported CNBC, due in part to the stimulus checks that gave shoppers a little extra budget to treat themselves, April and May sales have been slower. NetElixir has found that, although e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retail sales have been a bit slower than anticipated in April and May, the travel and hospitality industries are experiencing a surge in demand. Consumer confidence continues to be high and customers are spending a larger portion of their dollars on travel and experiences rather than on things.
NetElixir anticipates that retail sales will continue to be strong throughout the rest of this year, especially as the rise in travel and experiences is a positive indicator for long-term economic growth. Based on NetElixir’s research into YoY e-commerce sales trends within our database, we see that while website sessions have been lower than expected, average order value and conversion rates continue to be strong. This indicates that consumers have a more direct shopping intent, knowing what they want to shop for and then buying it in abundance.
A sales event like Prime Day can play a crucial role in turning online shopper’s interest toward products again — especially products that will serve them well on their planned vacations.
Last year, Prime Day loomed just before another huge sales event (Cyber 5, the days from Thanksgiving Day to Cyber Monday), which deterred some people from making big purchases, Digital Commerce 360 found. In Digital Commerce’s survey, 29% of customers said that they did not buy anything during Prime Day 2020 as they expected better sales during Black Friday or Cyber Monday. With Prime Day 2021 in its usual timeslot of kickstarting summer savings, consumers are expected to splurge, unhindered by the lure of another big sales event.
Tips to Succeed During Prime Day
Because Prime Day 2021 is expected to be a blowout event that could kickstart the next surge in retail demand, our team has some tips to help brands prepare.
Search impressions on Amazon, attributed to advertising, saw a 180% lift during the week of Prime Day 2020 compared to the 3-months prior. To prepare for this big day, retailers and brands like you should not focus on just Prime Day itself, but the days leading up to and after June 21-22. Your timeline around Prime Day should include:
- Before Prime Day: Ramp up your presence on Amazon within the two weeks leading up to Prime Day to create awareness. Leverage Sponsored Display for top of funnel targeting along with Sponsored brands for generic search queries. Ensure your ads are visible not only on Amazon but other search engines to alert customers to your upcoming deals. Additionally, ensure you have adequate inventory to meet demand, as stockouts can drive customers to your competitors.
- During Prime Day: Step up your sponsored product investments to engage high intent customers. Activate remarketing to nudge those who visited during the days leading up to Prime Day to return to complete their purchase. Expand long-tail keywords to tap into lower funnel shoppers looking for last-minute deals. When products sell out, update your website and offerings as soon as possible and direct customers to similar products, if applicable.
- After Prime Day: Ensure continued coverage among customers who discovered your brand during Prime Day, regardless of whether they ended up converting. For select products sold during Prime Day where you have a complementary product to offer, ramp up retargeting efforts to grab a bigger share of the customer’s wallet. Encourage customers to share their Prime Day deals via social media to continue brand engagement, build customer relationships, and collect user-generated content that could be used again next Prime Day.
For specifics into your Amazon growth strategy, contact a NetElixir expert today.
Benefit from Prime Day Even Without an Amazon Presence
If your brand doesn’t have a presence on Amazon, don’t worry; you can still benefit from Prime Day without being on Amazon. Prime Day brings customers online, where they’re likely to browse around other websites while they’re already shopping. Digital Commerce 360 found that Amazon captured just over 40% of site traffic during Prime Day, while nearly 60% went to the rest of the top 100 retailers.
Last year saw other big brands host their own Prime Day-like sales event and 2021 is no exception: Walmart’s Deals for Days, as well as Target’s Deal Days, will both start the day before Prime Day 2021 on June 20th, and last through June 23rd and June 22nd, respectively.
Prime Day and other big sales days are a catalyst that will bring people online searching for promotions and deals. Brands have opportunities to draw some of that online traffic by delivering their own sales and promotions. Consider hosting your own version of Prime Day, luring customers in with your brand’s hottest deals or most popular products. Display your deals prominently on your site and consider adding a countdown for when the sale ends to drive urgency.
Leverage the surge in online search volume through these deal days. While you may not necessarily capture their wallet, you can boost your traffic as customers inevitably comparison shop to ensure they are getting the best deal. Carefully monitor similar products that are selling on Amazon, as any stockouts of products could open up opportunities for your brand to supply the deficit.
As always, NetElixir’s experts are here to empower your e-commerce growth, across any and all digital channels. Contact an expert today for help with your growth strategy, both on and off Amazon.
