How to increase the visibility of products with Amazon Lightning Deals
With Amazon Lightning Deals, Amazon has created a deal category that allows you to increase the visibility of your products and achieve additional sales through short-term discount promotions. Here you can learn how Lightning Deals work on Amazon and what experiences sellers and vendors have had.
What are Amazon Lightning Deals?
Amazon Lightning Deals (also known as Deals or Offers of the Day) are a savings promotion from Amazon. Sellers and vendors can offer discounts on their products for a limited period of four to twelve hours. The quantity of discounted items is limited. Amazon always indicates how many percent of the available units have already been sold, which further increases the purchase incentive for customers. If all units of the promotion are sold, the offer ends prematurely.
Advantages of Amazon Lightning Deals for Sellers and Vendors
To list an item as an Amazon Lightning Deal, sellers and vendors must pay a fee to Amazon. However, this can significantly increase the visibility of their products. Unlike PPC campaigns, Lightning Deals are not keyword-based but are displayed through Amazon’s deals page, and the listing is labeled accordingly.
On Amazon’s deals page, customers with a high purchase intent are primarily active. Therefore, the chance that a customer who discovers your product among the Amazon Lightning Deals will buy it is high. Additionally, Amazon notifies customers who have the product on their wish list about the offer and also runs email marketing to visitors of the product page. This way, you can convince undecided customers to make the final purchase with an Amazon Lightning Deal. If your product is frequently clicked and purchased through the promotion, it can also positively impact its organic ranking.
How do Amazon Lightning Deals work?
To list your product as an Amazon Lightning Deal, it must meet certain requirements:
- To apply for a spot, you need a product with a rating of at least three stars that you reduce by at least 15 percent.
- In addition, shipping with Amazon Prime must always be possible.
- Furthermore, only products in “new” condition are allowed.
- Amazon only allows one deal campaign per product at a time.
- Not all product categories are allowed to be featured as Lightning Deals on Amazon. Alcohol, for example, cannot be advertised as a deal.
Additional requirements on Prime Day
Prime Day is an exclusive deal event, as the offers here are only available to customers who are part of the Amazon loyalty program “Prime.” Since July 2015, Prime Day has been held as an annual discount event. In the meantime, Amazon has expanded the Prime-exclusive offers to include additional events, such as “Prime Fall” in the autumn of 2022.
To list an Amazon Lightning Deal on Prime Day, you must meet additional requirements. On Prime Day, Amazon only features items with at least a 20 percent discount and the lowest sale price of the year as Lightning Deals. The rating must also be at least 3.5 stars. Additionally, all Amazon policies for product presentation must be met.
Creating an Amazon Lightning Deal – How does that work?
You can create an Amazon Lightning Deal through your Seller or Vendor account in the “Advertising” section. Under the “Deals” section, you can create a new deal for the desired product.
You can now select the desired week period and the duration of the deal. Profitable promotional periods are often booked out a month in advance. It is advisable to book the deal slot early. After selecting the promotional period, you can set the quantity and deal price. It is important to note that Amazon specifies a minimum quantity below which the deal cannot be created. Therefore, you need a certain stock level to offer an Amazon Lightning Deal.
After entering all relevant parameters, you can confirm the creation of the deal. After that, the Lightning Deal will be reviewed and activated by Amazon.
The Amazon Lightning Deal is not working – What to do?
It may happen that Amazon orders a revision for the requested Lightning Deal or rejects the deal. It is advisable to take a look at Amazon’s policies. For example, the necessary discount may not be achieved because the calculation is based on the past average price rather than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP). If you seek support for your marketing from an Amazon agency like Faru Services GmbH, you can also consult them for advice on activation.
Costs for Amazon Lightning Deals
To list an Amazon Lightning Deal, sellers must pay two fees: Depending on the event, a marketing fee of between 35 euros and 70 euros applies. In addition, there is a fee for each item sold through the promotion. This fee varies individually but is already displayed during the deal creation.
Alternative to Amazon Lightning Deals: 7-Day Deal
An alternative to the Amazon Lightning Deal, where you are not as dependent on a specific short promotional period, is the 7-Day Deal. This promotion can also be created through the deals page.
Conclusion: Amazon Lightning Deals as an Opportunity for Sellers and Vendors
Amazon Lightning Deals are a great way to generate more attention for your products or to boost sales, as you reach a particularly purchase-oriented customer group through the deals page. Additionally, customers who already have your product on their wish list may receive the final push to make a purchase.
However, Amazon Lightning Deals are just one component of a successful marketing strategy on Amazon. For a holistic strategy, it is advisable to collaborate with a specialized Amazon marketing agency to fully leverage the opportunities of Amazon and develop a suitable marketing mix for your brand.
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