07/08/2021
๐ช๐๐ฌ ๐ค๐ฐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐ง ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ก ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ?
Itโs the most wonderful time of the year! Almost 50% of online holiday shoppers bought from Amazon in 2020, and weโre expecting to see that number increase in 2021. So, to help sellers ensure they have a lucrative Q4 this year, weโre going to walk through how to best prepare for Amazon Q4 traffic, what dates you need to remember, and how to get in front of as many buyers as possible to drive your sales through the roof.
Are you ready?
Letโs dive in.
๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฆ
One of the most common mistakes sellers make during Q4 is missing or forgetting important dates. Amazon events tend to happen on similar dates, so you can safely assume that the timeframe for these events will be nearly the same in 2021 as in 2020 Also, be aware that Amazon just enacted a new shipping policy in late August that will cause shipments with irregularities in quantity or delivery address to be delayed. Keep that in mind as we go over important dates during Q4.
๐ฅ๐๐๐จ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ง ๐๐๐ โ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ก๐ฆ ๐ข๐๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ
Last year, reduced fulfillment fees started on October 1 and continued through November and December. If FBA sellers reduce their storage space during these months, they could drastically reduce their total amount of FBA fees.
๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ โ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ก๐ฆ ๐ข๐๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ
During this timeframe, Amazon increases storage fees by 200-300% for standard and oversized items. This can really affect your profit margin, even with holiday sales, so make sure that you have room in your budget for higher fees.
๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐ช ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ข๐จ๐ก๐ง๐ฆ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ก๐ง๐ฆ โ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ ๐๐-๐ข๐๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ฅ (๐ฃ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฌ)
Since 2017, new sellers werenโt allowed to sign up for FBA or send FBA shipments in after mid-October. This has been account based rather than ASIN based, so in the past sellers have sold retail arbitrage using FBA to get around the cutoff. But as long as you create a shipping order before the cutoff, you should be okay.
๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฌ / ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ ๐ข๐ก๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ โ ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฑ
Amazon also instituted a deadline for sending inventory for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Black Friday (November 23) marks the official start of the holiday shopping season, and Cyber Monday (November 26) is a huge day for online retailers, especially Amazon sellers. Make sure you have enough inventory in your Amazon warehouse to cover your Black Friday and Cyber Monday orders by November 5, or mid- to late October, just to be safe.
๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ง๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ โ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ญ (๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ฌ)
The craziness doesnโt stop after Cyber Monday! All of your inventory that you plan to deliver by December 25 must be in the warehouse by early December.
Donโt forget these dates. FBA sellers have to be on top of their game from now until Christmas in order to capitalize off of massive Q4 revenue opportunities.
๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ต
Your next challenge is to determine the best timeline for getting your inventory into the warehouse and for starting a launch so you can get onto Page 1 at just the right time.
First, look at market data from previous years to determine when sales have historically started to increase (not sure where to find data for your product? Viral Launch's Market Research Chrome extension can help with that). You can expect that sales will follow the same pattern for 2021. Make sure your inventory is in stock before the sales spike.
๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ฐ ๐๐๐ง๐
Looking at past data for travel sets, you can clearly see when sales begin to spike during Q4. If you are selling travel sets, you can use this data to estimate when you need to get inventory in, and to determine the best time to start a launch.
Then plan to start a product launch at least a week before the sales spike. A launch typically takes 7-10 days and will help increase sales and drive ranking so you can ride the wave of Q4 sales all the way through the holidays.
Timing is crucial. If you launch too early, youโll have to maintain your ranking all throughout the holiday season. Launch too late, youโll have to give away too much inventory and run out before the sales wave ends โ or even worse, youโll miss the wave completely. If you are unsure about when exactly you need to start your launch, our Team can help you research past trends to determine the best launch strategy for your product market.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Before you launch your product, you need to make sure that your listing copy and photography are both fully optimized and follow Amazon style guidelines. A well-written listing and high-quality photo set work together with product launches to increase organic sales and drive ranking for a successful final quarter.
Make sure that youโre using high volume and high opportunity keywords in your product listing. You have to plug in the best Amazon keywords in the best order in a way that reads well and follows Amazon style guidelines. Piece of cake, right?
Ranking is largely determined by your title, followed by your bullet points and backend search term keywords. Our Keyword Research and Listing Builder tools allow you to discover which keywords have the highest search volume in your market, which high opportunity keywords you might be missing out on, and how many potential searches your current listing could rank for.
Your listing also needs to be written well enough that buyers are convinced your product is worth buying, but without using restricted phrases or claims that could get you flagged by Amazon. If you donโt have the time or skillset to create an optimized listing, our team of copywriting professionals can do it for you.
๐ฃ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฌ
Product photography is crucial for converting clicks into purchases. Because they canโt see the product for themselves before buying, online shoppers heavily rely on photos for information. To convince shoppers to add your product to their cart, your photos need to look professional, display important details of your product, follow Amazon guidelines (or risk being flagged), and establish an emotional connection with buyers.
If youโre a new seller or have little to no photography experience, hiring a professional photographer might be the best choice for you. Your photo set has to convince buyers that your product is better than your competitorโs product, but itโs only one of the many moving parts of a successful Q4 strategy.
๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐ค๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐
A successful Amazon Q4 strategy depends on planning, preparedness, and deliberate action. Now is the time to do your research and start prepping your listing and inventory for the busy holiday season. For more tips and tricks, be sure to check out our recent video on Q4 sales strategy.
At ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐๐พ๐๐๐ we want to provide you with all the information you need to become successful on Amazon. For more Amazon selling strategies during every quarter, we encourage you to like & follow our page and to our webiste blog page, Link in first comment
And best of luck!
