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Over the years, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have redefined what it means to be a consumer during the Thanksgiving holidays.

By leveraging steep discounts, FOMO (fear of missing out), and family shopping traditions to generate excitement, Black Friday has become the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season. 

Following closely, Cyber Monday has transformed this period into a week-long sales extravaganza. Often called Cyber Week, with online-only deals stretching beyond Thanksgiving weekend. 

When are Black Friday and Cyber Monday for 2024?

• Black Friday is on November 29, 2024, the day after Thanksgiving.
• Cyber Monday follows shortly afterwards on December 2, 2024.

This extended shopping period has become a game-changer for Amazon sellers, providing more time to boost visibility and capture consumer attention, significantly increasing sales potential. 

For a lot of brand entrepreneurs, Black Friday and Cyber Week are the dates – circled on the calendar – that are going to decide whether their Amazon product becomes a success or failure. 

But, as you probably already know, most of the strategies that ensure success need to be in place well before an event of this magnitude. Still, there are things you can do – even at the last moment – to tip the scale in your favor. 

Here are four things you can do – two now, and two after the dust clears – to position your brand for success in 2025. 

1. Implement Strategic Promotions and Pricing

Thanksgiving shoppers are looking for deals. That makes it essential to craft promotions and pricing strategies that captivate their attention.

Compelling Discounts: Offer significant discounts on your most popular products to draw in price-sensitive shoppers. Highlight limited-time offers to create urgency and drive quick purchases.

Lightning Deals: Schedule these during peak hours to maximize visibility. Pair them with competitive pricing to boost conversions.

Coupons: Use Amazon’s coupon feature to display discounts prominently on product listings, making your offer stand out.

Holiday Bundles: Combine complementary products into bundles that offer better value for customers, while helping you move inventory.

Dynamic Pricing: Use pricing software to monitor competitor prices and dynamically adjust your own. This ensures you remain competitive while safeguarding your profit margins.

Volume Discounts: Consider tiered discounts (e.g., buy two, get one at 20% off) to encourage larger purchases and boost average order value.

2. Double Up on Your Product Listing and Advertising Optimization

Optimizing your Amazon product listings and Amazon advertising work hand in hand. It’s not too late to fine tune your strategy for both. 

Here’s how: 

Seasonal Keyword Optimization: The Amazon marketplace is constantly in a state of change. Research trending keywords relevant to the holiday shopping season using tools like Helium 10 or Jungle Scout. Then, update your product titles, bullet points, and descriptions to incorporate these terms.

High-Quality Images: Use clear, high-resolution images that showcase your product from multiple angles. Use an agency or take advantage of the advancements in artificial intelligence to improve your photography. 

Lifestyle Photos: Add visuals that demonstrate your product in real-world use to help shoppers envision its value.

Boost Ad Budgets: You might need to pay to play. Increase your daily budgets for PPC campaigns to ensure ads continue running during peak traffic times. Competition for ad space is fierce during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so a higher budget can help you stay visible.

Use Holiday-Specific Ads: Focus on high-converting seasonal keywords (e.g., “Black Friday deals” or “holiday gifts”). Experiment with Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display ads to maximize your brand’s reach.

A/B Testing: Advancements in AI mean that you can speed through A/B testing scenarios. Run tests on ad copy, visuals, and targeting to refine campaigns in real time and maximize ROI.

3. Don’t Let All That Black Friday and Cyber Week Data Go to Waste!

Unlike the first two, these next strategies involve what happens after the holiday is over and you’ve begun to figure out if the Thanksgiving sales period was a great one, or not. 

Black Friday and Cyber Week sales data will give you a treasure trove of insights into consumer behavior, market trends, and product performance. By diving into this data, you should be able to uncover insights to shape your strategies, improve operations, and drive growth throughout the year.

These are the key areas to analyze during your post Black Friday post mortem:

Sales Performance Metrics

Understanding which products and categories drove the most revenue is crucial for future planning:

Identify Top Performers: Pinpoint your best-selling products to double down on their success.

Analyze Sales Volume and Revenue: Break down sales by category to identify growth opportunities and weak spots.

Year-over-Year Comparisons: Compare current performance against previous years to gauge growth and identify trends.

Customer Behavior Insights

Customer behavior can change overnight. Gaining a deeper understanding of customer preferences and purchasing patterns can refine your approach to marketing and product development:

Examine Purchasing Patterns: Identify what customers bought and when to fine-tune promotional timing.

Track Conversion Rates: Evaluate the effectiveness of different promotions in driving sales.

Customer Demographics: Analyze demographic data to tailor products and campaigns to your audience’s needs.

Inventory and Supply Chain Optimization

A lot of very successful entrepreneurs say that success can be determined in the Amazon warehouse or supply chain:

Forecast Future Inventory Needs: Predict demand to avoid stockouts or overstocking.

Spot Supply Chain Bottlenecks: Identify pain points that may disrupt future fulfillment.

Restocking and Discontinuation: Determine which products need replenishing and which should be phased out.

Marketing and Advertising Effectiveness

Evaluate the success of your marketing efforts to refine your strategy for the next big sales event:

ROI Analysis: Measure the return on investment for your various advertising campaigns.

Keyword and Ad Performance: Identify which keywords, ad types, and placements delivered the best results.

Targeting Refinements: Use insights to sharpen your focus on high-performing customer segments and search terms.

By turning raw sales data into actionable strategies, you’ll be able to create a more adaptable and profitable business model for the year ahead. Leveraging these insights not only enhances decision-making but also positions you for long-term success in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

4. Market Research: The Key to Amazon Seller Success

The next step involves taking all that data and combining it with the one thing that all brand entrepreneurs should do on a regular basis.

Market research helps you to make sure that you’re not following one path when the entire marketplace has taken a sharp turn in another direction altogether. 

Market research means gathering and analyzing information about your target audience, competitors, and industry trends. It’s all about identifying in-demand products, understanding customer preferences, and staying ahead of trends.

Why Market Research Matters

Identify Demand: Just having a great product isn’t going to move the needle if there isn’t sufficient demand for it. Pinpoint trending products using sales data and customer reviews to align with market needs.

Assess Competition: Analyze competitor listings, pricing, and customer feedback to differentiate and spot market gaps.

Understand Customers: Use surveys and reviews to uncover what features matter most to your audience.

Forecast Trends: Stay ahead by adapting to industry shifts and preparing for seasonal demand.

Make Data-Driven Decisions: Use concrete data for product selection, pricing, and marketing strategies.

Steps for Effective Market Research

Leverage Analytical Tools: Reach out to an Amazon agency or use software platforms to track trends, analyze competitors, and forecast demand.

Study Amazon’s Best Sellers: Monitor this real-time list to identify popular and seasonal products.

Analyze Customer Feedback: Review existing product reviews to refine your offerings and meet customer expectations.

Conduct Surveys: Use tools like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms to test product ideas or gather consumer insights.

Monitor Social Media: Follow trends and hashtags to gauge consumer sentiment and emerging demands.

Evaluate Seasonal Trends: Use historical sales data to plan inventory and promotions during peak seasons.

Wrapping It Up: Last-Minute Success Starts with Strategic Action

Thanksgiving week, anchored by Black Friday and Cyber Monday, offers a unique opportunity to capture consumer interest, boost sales, and set the tone for long-term success. Preparation is key. The first two strategies outlined above demonstrate that even last-minute actions can make a significant difference.

The second two are building blocks that you should use to position yourself for success throughout the next 365 days. This pivotal shopping period isn’t just about immediate results—it’s about laying the foundation for sustained growth in a competitive marketplace. 

To really get a head start in 2025, reach out to the Amazon experts at Canopy Management. 

Canopy Management is a full-service marketing agency for Amazon, Walmart, and TikTok sellers. Our team consists of multi-million dollar, omni-channel entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and award-winning experts.