Should Sellers Prepare for Amazon Prime Day in 2021?

The DealNews Seller's Guide

It's time to think about how to approach this year's Prime Day event. We go over whether preparing is worth it, the kinds of deals sellers can run, and even last-minute strategies to ensure your business sees success during the big sale.​

Today we’ll be talking about Amazon Prime Day. Should sellers prepare for this shopping event, what types of deals can you run during it, and how can you prep at the last minute?

It's time to get your business ready for the biggest sales event of the summer: Amazon Prime Day. The sale could occur in July once again this year, so Amazon sellers may have a limited amount of time to get their Prime Day plans in place.

Fortunately, we have some tips on how Amazon sellers can approach the event. Let's talk about the types of offers you can run for Prime Day, and how to prepare at the last minute.

But first, should sellers prepare for Amazon Prime Day at all?

Sellers can reap sales and other rewards during Prime Day, so carving out time to prep can be worth your while. The annual Prime Day sale rivals big holiday shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday for sales volume. Additionally, many major retailers offer sales during the same time to compete. The event fell later in the year in 2020, but was still a massive success for Amazon and third-party sellers alike.

Last Prime Day got delayed until October due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to estimates from Digital Commerce 360, Prime Day 2020 brought in more than 10 billion dollars in sales over a two-day period. It was only overshadowed by Cyber Monday. According to Adobe Analytics data, that shopping holiday reportedly brought in more than 10 billion dollars in a single day. And those numbers are likely to hold or even increase in 2021, considering consumers have widely shifted to online shopping as the pandemic has continued.

In short, sellers shouldn't ignore Prime Day. It's a big opportunity to bring in sales while more shoppers than ever have their eyes on Amazon. And winning those sales now could help your products earn ranking and make them more visible, leading to even more sales in the future. But you're competing with millions of other Amazon sellers who are trying to do exactly the same thing. How can you distinguish your products?

One way is by running deals on them for Prime Day.

It's best to prepare for Amazon Prime Day by planning ahead. Let's go over the different kinds of offers you can employ to drive sales and make Prime Day a success for your business.

First up are Lightning Deals.

There are a number of different types of promotions you can offer on Amazon. Note that Lightning Deals are especially appealing for Prime Day, because they're prominently placed. Of course, shoppers will also be glued to the site already in an effort to catch these "blink and you'll miss it" flash sales. Daily deals are available, too, and they last for longer periods of time. But according to Amazon Seller Central, only certain products and sellers are eligible for these deals. What's more, paying to participate in a situation like this doesn't guarantee your deal will receive prominent placement — even if Amazon approves it.

There are still ways to participate in Prime Day even if you can't get an official Amazon deal.

The most straightforward way is to just set your own sales for the holiday — but avoid raising your base prices before your sale in an effort to make your discounts look better. Savvy shoppers often use price trackers and are sure to notice.

Coupons are another option and come with their own benefits.

Coupons give great visibility to your sale, putting a banner next to your product on search pages so shoppers definitely know it's being discounted.

Yet another type of offer is the Prime Exclusive Discount.

These deals are only available to Prime members, as you can guess from the name. There are restrictions on which products are eligible, like with other promotions. But similar to coupons, these give your sales extra impact with a visual indication of the deal in search results.

Remember to not stop at just one sale, too.

More offers means more chances to have a promotion featured, if you're trying to get a Lightning Deal or daily deal. And even if you aren't, an extra deal provides more chances for customers to be tempted into clicking that buy button.

Amazon customers are very cost-conscious and looking for the best deals, especially on Prime Day. A low price can earn a lot of sales, even if you don't have an official Amazon Lightning Deal or similar offer.

Now let's say you had the best of intentions about setting up deals and preparing for Prime Day, but time got away from you.

Don't panic if you've waited until the last minute to figure out your plans. There are still things you can do to take advantage of Prime Day:

One option is to polish up your product pages.

Even doing a little work to improve your listing can do a lot to help you appear in search results. Going over product names is especially important.

You can also up your ad budget.

Sponsored Products are a great way to get your items noticed, and you don't need much lead time to set them up.

Another thing you can do is discount your products.

It's not too late! Using coupons to cut prices gives them extra visibility in search — and coupon deals don't require Amazon approval, though Amazon can deactivate coupons.

Finally, tell your fans you're having a sale.

Share your best bargains on social media and other community channels.

It's best to get your plans settled in advance, but even very last-minute efforts can do a lot to attract shoppers' attention. And with a ton of consumers browsing Amazon on Prime Day, that can lead to a lot of sales.

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