What dates should you pay attention to as a seller on Amazon?

It’s essential to stay informed about Amazon deadlines and events that could impact your e-commerce business. Life gets busy, so we’ve made a list to help you keep track of some important dates and how to prepare for them. 

1. Amazon Prime Day

  • Date: Prime Day varies annually, but it’s usually held in July. In recent years, Amazon launched a second Prime Day event, which normally occurs in October. In 2023, Prime Day was the largest sales day for third-party sellers, with Prime members purchasing more than 375 million items worldwide, according to Amazon. 
  • What to do: Prepare for an increase in traffic and sales by optimizing your offers and ensuring that you have sufficient stock. 

2. Black Friday and Cyber Monday

  • Date: These busy shopping days take place in November, right after Thanksgiving in the US. Black Friday takes place on the fourth Friday in November and Cyber Monday is the following Monday.
  • What to do: Offer attractive discounts, optimize your advertisements and ensure smooth logistics to meet demand. 

3. Holidays and Seasonal Events

  • Date: The Christmas period is a crucial time for e-commerce, peaking in December. Sinterklaas is also important for the Dutch market. Within certain sectors, Valentine’s Day, held on February 14th, is also a holiday to take into consideration. 
  • What to do: Start preparing your inventory and marketing plans early. Consider doing Christmas deals, and also investigate what type of discounts your competitors are offering to see how your deals compare. 

4. Inventory deadlines for the holidays and Amazon Prime

  • Date: Amazon sets deadlines for shipping inventory for the holiday season as well as Prime Day. It’s important to ensure that you have enough product for these busier times of the year. 
  • What to do: Plan ahead and make sure your inventory is stocked up in time to take advantage of the increased demand. Also, keep in mind that as the date for Prime Day changes, so do the deadlines. It’s important to check your Amazon Seller Central account and read your alerts. Amazon often requires your inventory to be stocked up months in advance.

5. Amazon Deals

  • Date: It’s possible to schedule deals any time of the year, such as lightning deals, BOGO and other discounts. However, deals need to be booked early for events like Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as well as the holidays.
  • What to do: Plan your marketing campaigns around these promotional periods to gain maximum benefit. It’s important to keep a close eye on the current deadlines for Prime Day and the holidays in your Amazon Seller Central account. Similar to inventory requirements during these high-volume times, sellers are expected to submit their deals well in advance. 

By being mindful of these important dates and preparing for seasonal peaks, you can develop a successful and profitable e-commerce strategy as an Amazon seller. Always consider the unique needs and trends of your target market. Also, by monitoring your audience and competitors, try to anticipate changes in consumer behavior to strengthen your competitive position. 

For more useful Amazon seller tips, visit our blog section or get in touch with one of our AMZ Consultancy experts!