Will October’s Prime Big Deal Days cannibalize holiday sales? 🔪 [MDSR #31]

Hot Off The Presses 📰

In every corner of the eCommerce landscape, there’s a tech giant struggling right now — and Amazon isn’t one of them, despite Walmart’s best efforts.

Google’s second US antitrust suit over online ads means they’re finally looking at some comeuppance for charging advertisers more than any other platform charged. TikTok just had the most important two hours of its life in court. And in unfortunate news for Shein and Temu, Biden is pushing to limit 70% of apparel imports from China. 

Over at Amazon, there are many bold moves being made. They just unveiled a “saver” brand as their latest weapon in the grocery price war. And now they’re making major operational waves, from cutting ties with a significant number of first-party sellers to pouring $2.1 billion into contract delivery — which is expected to lift driver wages to almost $22/hour.  

Coincidence? We think not. Before you know it, Prime Big Deal Days will be upon us this October 8-9 — which may or may not be making the traditional marketing calendar obsolete — and Amazon is telling sellers exactly how to drive more sales with exclusive discounts. 

Let’s just say sellers aren’t exactly convinced the October event will put a dent in their holiday sales goals — but any time Amazon pushes people to shop on the platform, it certainly doesn’t hurt sellers. Especially in a time when 32% of consumers kick off their holiday shopping between July and October.

If you want to capture the attention of those early bird shoppers, you can try Meta’s new ad tools for holiday sales — but don’t be a brand posting TikTok videos. You might also want to consider video ads, the most effective Amazon ad solution per retail decision-makers. Or even optimizing your Amazon strategy for Rufus AI — which, yes — is the latest ad placement slated for release this September.

One overlooked area of critical importance for holiday sales is the shopping experience on your own eCommerce site. New research shows that a good online experience there pays off: 62% of online shoppers would buy more frequently from a brand with a top-notch online store — and 24% of shoppers would pay a 5-10% higher price for any given item. 

Million Dollar Advice 💸 

Have you thought about your packaging lately? 

If you move high volumes of inventory or sell bundled products, you might want to take a second look — because there’s a good chance you’re spending more than you have to on fulfillment and operations due to packaging that could be just a little bit smaller.

Take it from Ro — shrink wrapping or reworking your packaging to be even less than an inch smaller can save you from leaving money on the table. You’re welcome.

September Holiday Prep 🎅

Smart sellers know that September is prime time to get your ducks in a row for the holiday shopping rush. 

Between advertising and promotions, to listing optimization and market research — and of course, inventory planning — sellers have to get ready ASAP to capitalize on the million dollar opportunities the holidays bring. 

On that front, JungleScout just rolled out a stellar month-by-month checklist breaking down the top priority items sellers need to handle between October’s Big Prime Deal Days all the way through the new year.

The full checklist is very much worth the read, but here’s a quick rundown of what you should be taking care of this month: 

✅ Start testing campaigns and promotions 2-4 weeks out from Prime Big Deal Days in October 

✅ Proactively remind third-party sellers of MAP and discounting policies

✅ Experiment with Google Ads to boost traffic to listings

✅ Study historical holiday search volume trends to inform your keywords and bidding strategy 

✅ Optimize your product listings with high-growth keywords for the holidays

✅ Audit your inventory to flag potential stock issues

✅ Reach out to suppliers and freight to make sure your inventory will reach FBA warehouses by October 19th

✅ Segment your inventory by demand and overstock to find top products to promote and slow movers to sell through 

Can’t get enough of this stuff? Download the full checklist here.

Think this is helpful?

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eCom events to attend in Q4 📅

The world of eCommerce is a dynamic playground, and Q4 2024 promises to be yet another thrilling chapter. 

As we step into the busiest time of year, don’t forget to put aside time to put yourself (and your store) at the forefront of innovation, network with mastermind sellers, and learn from the absolute best in the industry. 

On that front, these are the must-not-miss eCom events for Amazon sellers in Q4…

1. MDS Summit Denver in Denver, CO, September 22-25, 2024 — The annual MDS Summit is a 3-day exclusive members-only event packed with learning sessions, collaborative workshops, special guests, exclusive offers, and valuable networking opportunities. Please note that this event is exclusively for MDS members. Join now to become a member!

2. unBoxed 2024 in Austin, TX, October 14-16, 2024 — An annual event hosted by Amazon Ads designed to educate advertisers on how to use Amazon Ads to create memorable connections with shoppers at key moments across their purchase journey. The event features keynotes with product announcements, access to breakout sessions, product deep dives, insights and recommendations from advertising leadership, and much more. unBoxed 2024 will take place in person in Austin.

3. Innovate in New York, NY, October 29-30, 2024 — Sellers will be coming from all over the world looking for new connections, innovative tactics, cutting-edge technologies, and to get a better understanding of the ways in which the best Seller businesses are leveraging new ideas to improve their bottom line.

If this sounds good to you, then you’ll love what we have in store for MDS Inspire 2025… 

Did you see that post 📲

Reminder to not be part of the race to the bottom 🤝

Until next time ✌️

As always, thanks for sticking with us until the end. 

If you’d care to share your thoughts on this newsletter, we’re all ears. Just hit reply to sound off. 

See you next time with more of the latest and greatest content you need to succeed this year 🔥

Sincerely, 

Looking for a mastermind community?

Million Dollar Sellers (MDS) is an exclusive community of 650+ like-minded Amazon and DTC sellers from all over the world. Collectively, our members generate more than 8 billion in annual sales and dominate some of the biggest categories on Amazon. MDS offers world-class events, chapters, industry discounts, resource libraries full of SOPs, templates, and video recordings of private trainings, workshops, events and so much more.

If you are looking for a business professional community made for ecom entrepreneurs, then consider applying today. 

*To qualify, you must be a full-time seller or brand owner and do at least 1 million in verified annual revenue. Will Amazon’s Returnless Resolutions solve the returns debacle? [MDSR #30]