Amazon has quietly announced a second Prime Day for 2022 with what they’re now calling a “Prime Fall Deal Event”, a Prime-exclusive shopping event. Given what we know about the typical big event, Prime Day, this does sound suspiciously similar. While Amazon has not yet made any formal announcements via press release or something comparable, Direct Agents can share that the Fall Event will likely operate similarly to a second Prime Day. It will be a two-day shopping event where sellers will have the opportunity to run prime exclusive discounts and prime window lightning deals, and will be highly advertised by Amazon itself. Direct Agents can also share that the event will be in Q4, most likely in mid-October. Sellers may remember Prime Day 2020, which also operated on Q4.
We’re not totally surprised by Amazon’s decision to host a second Prime Day in 2022. Rumors of two Prime Day events circulated in 2021, though a second one never materialized. Following Amazon’s Q1 reports showing that sales on the eCommerce giant’s stock was devalued for the first time since Q2 2015, it’s no surprise that Amazon would want to host another large shopping event to boost sales, particularly in a high shopping time like Q4.
When will Prime Day #2 happen?
Given that Amazon tends to release specific details about Prime Day as late as possible – in 2022, the July Prime Day dates were only confirmed 3 weeks before the actual day (July 12th-13th) – it’s likely that it’ll be a while before more details emerge surrounding the second Prime Day in Q4. For now, we know that Lightning Deal submissions for this second Prime Day will be due July 22, 2022, which is quickly approaching. Based on deadlines that occurred for the upcoming July Prime Day, we would expect to see deadlines around coupons, prime exclusive discounts, and FBA shipping continue to pop up as we approach Q4.
How should I prepare for Prime Day #2?
In order to best set your brand up for success, Direct Agents recommends:
- Running Margin Analyses Immediately: In order to understand what deals your brand would be interested in running, and how much inventory your brand will need to support Prime Day 1, Prime Day 2, Black Friday/Cyber Monday, and the Holiday rush.
- Consider Your Promotional Planning Carefully: Prime Lightning Deals are the earliest deadline, but there are other promotional options your brand can consider: Prime Exclusive Discounts, Coupons, Sales Prices, etc. Be aware of deadlines that pop up for each type of promotion, and choose the version that makes sense for your estimated costs and sales.
- Allocating Budget Towards the Event in Q4: We also recommend saving a decent portion of your budget for this time frame as well, so re-evaluating full year media plans would be beneficial.
If you’re interested in learning more about Direct Agent’s Amazon offerings and how our eCommerce team can help your brand grow on Amazon, email [email protected] to learn more.
- Allison Eng, eCommerce Strategist, Direct Agents