Amazon’s Black Friday event will take place from Friday, November 17, through Monday, November 27. This eleven-day timespan is one of the most important shopping events of the year on Amazon. With competition at its peak, brands need to take every precaution to maximize their potential for success. This easy-to-follow checklist outlines the eleven essential steps to a profitable Cyber Week for your brand.
- Plan Your Inventory
Amazon recommended that inventory arrived at fulfillment centers by October 26, 2023 for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal events. Now that this deadline has passed, be sure to monitor your inventory levels carefully and use small parcel shipments to restock products when necessary. - Optimize Your Product Detail Pages
Ensure your product detail pages are fully optimized and retail ready – especially the ASINs you plan to promote during Cyber Week. While Amazon doesn’t allow words like “deal” or “sale,” you can include holiday-related terms to attract shoppers searching for gifts. - Choose the Right Products to Promote
To stand out during Cyber Week, you need to offer steep discounts and increase your ad spend. Maximize profit by promoting top-selling, giftable ASINs that have a high search volume, high-profit margin, and enough inventory to support your sales targets. - Curate Your Amazon Store
Reorganize your Brand Store so that your Cyber Week offers are displayed prominently on the homepage. This takes little time and offers customers an easy way to browse your best deals. It also provides a landing page that you can share with your customers off Amazon. - Plan Your Promotions
Customers want the best deals during Cyber Week. Make sure your promotions offer competitive discounts. If you have missed the Cyber Week submission deadline for certain Deals, consider running a buy one/get one free or percentage off promotion. - Prepare Your Return Policy
Customer service is Amazon’s top priority. To provide shoppers with the best holiday shopping experience, ensure your return policy is fast, hassle-free, and clearly stated on your product detail pages. - Ensure Your Amazon Account Health
Check Seller Central for any Performance Notifications. Be sure to address any warnings, violations, complaints, or other issues promptly. Make sure your account is in good standing to prevent listing suppressions or account suspensions during Cyber Week. - Increase Amazon Ad Spend
CPC costs rise significantly during high-volume events like Cyber Week. To ensure visibility, increase your bids for keywords and overall ad budget. Monitor the performance of your campaigns frequently and make adjustments to maximize performance. - Leverage External Traffic Drivers
The more external traffic you drive to your Cyber Week deals, the more sales you will generate. Updating your website with Cyber Week messaging and leveraging social media and email marketing will help funnel customers to your Brand Store and product detail pages. - Track Your Performance
Analyze your Cyber Week performance. What were your best-converting promotions and most successful ad campaigns? Use these insights to understand what your customers are shopping for and focus on these areas throughout the rest of the shopping season. - Keep Your Sales Momentum Going
Be sure your holiday marketing strategy continues after Cyber Week. Data shows that the two weeks leading up to Christmas often generate the same Black Friday level of sales. Keep your advertising and promotions running during this time to maximize holiday sales.
Download the 2023 Cyber Week Checklist
Channel Key Takeaway
In its 2023 U.S. Holiday Shopping Forecast, Adobe projects customers will drive $221.8 billion in sales, a 4.8% increase from last year. According to the report, Cyber Week (Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday) will grow 5.4% YoY and generate $37.2 billion, accounting for 16.8% of the entire season’s revenue. To incentivize stronger consumer spending and growth while also offloading excess inventory, Adobe expects retailers to offer double-digit seasonal discounts within the range of 12-35%. On Amazon, Channel Key predicts this year’s Cyber Week deals will be the most competitive yet. Brands need to take every precaution to ensure their products stand out, drive traffic, and convert customers during the busiest shopping week of the holiday season.
