3 Things to Do NOW to Get Ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday on Amazon

It’s time to act fast, because Black Friday & Cyber Monday preparations are in full swing. If you’re an Amazon Seller or Amazon Vendor, you need to take 3 action steps to get ready.

1. Grab any and all available deals for Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday week (This action step is TIME SENSITIVE and should be done immediately!)

Amazon released deals for BF Week and CM Week yesterday (8/28/19) and they won’t last long. We recommend grabbing every single deal Amazon offers you. As the dates get closer, you’ll be assigned an exact date & time for your Lightning Deal…and that is the true decision point. Timing is everything, and if you’re offered a deal on a bad date & time, then you can cancel without any penalty. You can also adjust inventory levels and discount percentages up to 24 hours before the deal goes live.

The bottom line: right now it’s just a land grab. Sign up for every deal and then decide later if you want to run it or cancel it.

For Amazon Sellers: Go to Advertising >> Deals >> Create a New Deal

For Amazon Vendors: Go to Merchandising >> Promotions >> Start a New Campaign

2. Forecast your inventory needs.

Going ‘Out of Stock’ is one of the worst things that can happen on Amazon. Not only do you miss out on sales while you’re out of stock, but your product will also lose ground on keyword ranking which has a lasting impact for weeks and sometimes months, even once your product is back in stock.

It is generally accepted that most sellers will experience a 3-5x sales multiple during Q4. Most of this lift will take place during the four weeks between Black Friday and Dec 21st. Be prepared. Have LOTS of inventory available. This will allow you the enjoy the holiday season as you watch your sales climb, instead of stressing about going out of stock and missing sales. For bestselling products that have a wide audience and are especially giftable, expect even bigger sales multiples.

3. Know the shipping cutoff dates.

Amazon hasn’t shared cutoff dates for 2019 yet; however, we can assume they will be similar to the dates shared in 2018 (which are shown below for reference.

It WILL take Amazon much longer than normal to check-in shipments during this time. So plan ahead and give yourself a 5 business day buffer.

To conclude, having an amazing holiday selling season on Amazon is all about preparation. If you find yourself lacking the strategy needed to be poised for killer sales, please schedule a free consultation with us today!