Amazon Prime Day is coming to us this July. This is an exciting time for sellers across Amazon as Prime Day has consistently provided a massive boost in sales on the platform each year. Last year’s event saw sales in the US exceed $11 billion.

However, sellers must prepare to compete this year if they want their share.

That’s why the team at Anata has put together this guide to help you prepare for everything you’ll need for Amazon Prime Day 2022. 

What To Know About Prime Day This Year

Several unique circumstances will affect the coming retail extravaganza. Consumers have been hard-pressed by the rigors of 2-years of pandemic life, and sellers must consider this to make the best of Prime Day. 

Consumer Spending on Goods Expected to Plummet 

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wane, consumers have shifted their spending habits to services over goods. Consumer goods spending is expected to plummet in the second half of this year. 

This spending reflects the effect inflation is having on consumer wallets. Increases in food and energy costs limit consumer power and have forced consumers to prioritize their limited spending power. 

When we consider this, compounded by a post-pandemic culture capable and interested in travel, the trend to focus on services over goods will likely affect what customers purchase this Prime Day.  

Consumers are Looking to Save Money 

Another effect of the pandemic, consumers’ savings have dwindled. The savings that lasted over the last 2 years, and driving consumer spending, are exhausted.

1 in 3 Americans has reported that they have less in terms of emergency savings than they did before the pandemic. Many consumers are now looking to save money where they can in response.

Not only are they expected to spend less on goods, but they are also looking for deals on the few items they do buy. Prime Day offers customers a rare opportunity to save on premium products that might otherwise be untenable for their budgets.

However, concerns over savings will likely limit the range and amount of what the average customers purchase. 

Consumers to Spend More on Homes and Self-Care Products

Research in the summer of 2021 found that 50% of consumers intended to spend more on self-care over the proceeding six months. This also came with data suggesting that over 75% of consumers felt wellness was more important to them. 

Despite reduced spending and concerns over saving, experts expect consumers to remain interested in self-care and home products well into this year. This trend represents a serious opportunity for sellers that already deal in these products, or are willing to add them to their inventories. 

How Amazon Sellers Can Prepare

Now, let’s look at how sellers can prepare their businesses to stay competitive and participate in Prime Day this year. 

Ship FBA Inventories On Time 

The deadline for sellers’ Prime Day FBA inventory is June 20th. Products that arrive at Amazon fulfillment centers after this date will not be eligible for Prime Day sales. 

To avoid running out of stock during Prime Day, FBA sellers should ensure the inventory they want to move reaches warehouses no later than June 20th, 2022.  

Offer Savings

Savings and sales have captured consumer interest this year, and sellers should offer consumers deals and discounts on their listings to capitalize on this trend. Includes any deals, discounts, or promotions you can run on your listings. 

Although some sellers don’t run Prime Day deals, many see an increase in sales simply due to traffic. However, considering the consumer attitude this year, discounts are certain to attract customers. 

You can offer these deals in a number of ways: 

• Offer Amazon’s Lightning Deals. – These are deals that offer discounted prices for a brief window of time. Lighting deals will appear on Amazon’s Deal page. This is already a frequently viewed page on Amazon, so it’s a great way to improve your product visibility during Prime Day. 

However, there are requirements sellers and their products must meet before being eligible for deals.

The seller must have a professional seller subscription with an overall star rating of at least 3.5. Products must have a sales history in Amazon stores with at least a 3-star rating, be in new condition, not a restricted product, and be Prime eligible in all regions. 

For more information on setting up these deals, consult Amazon’s help page.

• Make the best use of coupons. – Amazon coupons are the easiest way to show customers that you’re offering a discount on Prime Day. This feature adds a bright green tag next to the listing’s price on the product detail page, and customers are sure to notice.
  
  This is the best way to catch those savings-conscious consumers looking for deals this Prime Day.
  
  The deadline to submit coupons for Prime day is June 10th in the U.S. marketplace.
  
• Prepare promotions – Sellers can create a number of promotions to attract customer attention. You can find this information in Seller Central.
  
  You can also use these to boost your social media campaigns by offering your audience promo codes. This has a dual-sided effect. Not only are you adding value to social media content for your audience, but you’re now also funneling traffic to your products. It’s a win-win. 

Optimize Your Listings

It is always best to optimize Amazon listings for organic rankings. Not just for Prime Day, but for  overall success.

To do this, be sure to optimize your listing titles for Amazon. This is where you should include your brand name, the name of your product, and any distinguishing features in an easily read and presentable way.

Additionally, ensure that your backend search terms are up to date with the most relevant terms to your product. Optimizing these sections helps your products stand out in Amazon’s search results.

And last but certainly not least, ensure your photos are following Amazon’s product style guides. The first image is the most important and must follow these style guidelines closely. However, the additional photos can include infographics and several other angles to give the customer as much visual information as possible.

For a more in-depth guide to optimizing your Amazon listings, you can consult our guide on how to make your products stand out on Amazon where we go over all best practices on the major parts of a listing. 

Prepare Your Marketing Strategy 

Another way to increase your visibility this Prime day is to make the best use of your marketing strategy to attract a broader audience to your listings. 

This includes: 

• Social Media Campaigns. – As we touched on before with promotions, social media is a great way to drive traffic to your listings.
  
  In the weeks leading up to Prime Day, be sure to tell your audience about all the deals you will be offering in July with content across Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and more.
• Advertising off Amazon – Facebook and Google ads offer sophisticated targeted marketing solutions. Utilizing them will allow you to ensure your products are better matched with consumers looking to buy them. 

Conclusion

Prime Day is only a month and a half away. Start preparing your Amazon Marketplace today to keep pace with your competition.

Contact us today for help managing your Amazon Marketplace and getting the edge you need. The services we provide range from education to the total handling of your Amazon profile. This frees you to work on the big picture. 

Are your products ready for Prime Day?