Now that Amazon has announced Prime Day will take place October 13th and 14th, Target has also announced its Deal Days to take place at the same time. That being the case, brands still have time to get ready for these two major shopping events in 2020 to increase the chances that they drive the most sales during the events.
With that in mind, here are five ways to start preparing for what’s likely going to be another record-setting eCommerce day.
1. Expect shoppers to be on the retailer sites
In 2019, more than 100 million Prime members from 18 countries bought something on Amazon during Prime Day. It’s safe to say that we can expect similar numbers this year, at the very least. If we were betting, we’d probably take the over.
So, first things first: Expect that there will be many people looking to buy things on Amazon and Target, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
2. Develop a multichannel strategy to drive sales
Retailer sites like Amazon and Target are great for product recall, but not so much for product discovery. That means, if consumers don’t already know about your product or brand before Prime Day and Deal Days get here, there’s a high chance they won’t make a purchase. Discovery of your product will have to take place outside of Amazon and Target and before the deal days occur.
One of the best ways to start preparing is to ensure consumers are discovering your product on other channels today, so they are empowered with product knowledge once Prime Day and Deal Days get here. Taking a multichannel approach that is built on audience preference data will ensure you are meeting consumers on the right channels with the right messaging. You should be implementing all the creative best practices for showcasing your product to ensure shoppers can easily remember your product when they peruse the Prime Day and Deal Days catalogue. Don’t forget to be capturing audience shopping preference data and purchase intent on all of these channels too.
3. Make sure you have accurate inventory
The last thing you want is for your consumers to think they’re going to be able to purchase a product they really want, only to have them wind up in a dead-end shopping experience. Remember, out of stock products cause your consumers to buy from your competitors!
After stockpile eCommerce purchases rapidly depleted digital shelves during the initial onset of COVID-19, brands are no strangers to the consequences when inventory supply isn’t aligned with consumer demand. Sales are lost, often to competitors, and sometimes consumer loyalty goes with it. Knowing that Prime Day and Deal Day will come with a surge in product demand, it’s important to have the right tools in place to make sure that doesn’t happen. For example, MikMak enables you to show backup variants in place of out-of-stock products and drive consumer traffic to branded pages on a retailer site.
In preparation, the platform also enables you to easily see which products are trending at key retailers, giving you a better idea of what might fly off the digital shelves so that you can prepare those items in your inventory beforehand.
4. Optimize your Amazon and Target listings
As we count down, you will need to make sure that your product pages and listings on Amazon and Target are updated and optimized for conversion. This includes well-written copy and descriptions, detailed images, and answering any questions that would-be shoppers might have as they consider a purchase.
The better your listings are at explaining and showcasing the benefits of your products, the more likely you’ll be to persuade consumers to finalize a transaction.
5. Bonus: Create a killer brand experience on Amazon
Not all brand experiences are the same on retailer sites. This presents a great opportunity for you to make your brand stick out from the pack and attract more consumers on Prime Day and Deal Day.
How exactly can you do that? We’ve developed a playbook for Amazon to get you started thinking in the right direction. At a high level, here’s what you should do:
- Know and own your audience
- Eliminate your competition on Amazon’s product display pages
- Create bundled Amazon Standard Identification Numbers
- Make sure your authorized sellers surface first
It’s time to make the most of Amazon Prime Day and Target Deal Days!
One silver lining since the pandemic might be that it has given brands more time to get their ducks in a row.
To learn more about how an eCommerce marketing platform can give you the insights you need to devise a winning strategy for Prime Day, schedule a demo of MikMak today.
