UPDATE: Prime Day 2021 is officially set for June 21st & 22nd
If it seems like Prime Day 2021 is sneaking up on you even quicker this year, that’s because it is.
Since the delay of last year’s Prime Day sale which took place in October, it feels a bit like deja vu to go through it all again so soon.
With all that’s happened over this past year, there are some updates to the way it’ll go down this time.
We’re gathering up all the latest info you’ll need to know to get prepped and primed for delivering the best Prime Day deals for a 2021 success!
When Is Amazon Prime Day 2021?
As things begin to transition back to ‘normal’, Amazon Prime Day 2021 is back on track and set to take place closer to its typical summer kickoff date in July.
Although we don’t have an exact date confirmed at the moment, the word is that Amazon has confirmed Prime Day sales will happen before the end of the 2nd quarter.
Some reports indicate that Amazon Prime Day could start right after Father’s Day (Sunday, June 20) or even in early June.
Whether Prime Day sales begin in June or July, the bottom line is that Prime Day 2021 is approaching quickly and Amazon is already encouraging sellers to get things in order.
Important Prime Day 2021 Updates From Amazon
Prime Day 2021 details are slowly trickling in from Amazon in news posts and reminders.
In a post for UK sellers in early March, Amazon advised them to submit promotions for a chance to have their deal considered for the Prime Day event.
The UK deadline for submitting Prime Day Lighting Deals was April 23rd, and May 28, 2021 for Prime Member Voucher. Some Prime Day Deals began opening up between March 22 – May 9.
On March 18, Amazon posted a message about Prime Day to the Amazon News section of Vendor Central informing sellers that they will be issuing U.S. purchase orders (POs) at the beginning of May for approved Prime Day deals.
Note that sellers will simultaneously receive regular, non-Prime-Day POs throughout May and June and can continue to fulfill these non-Prime Day POs as usual.
Immediately following Prime Day, Amazon says sellers should expect to receive out-of-stock (OOS) replenishment orders. They want you to confirm those POs as soon as possible with your available inventory.
All Prime Day deal inventory should be ready to ship by mid-May to reduce the risk of OOS during the event.
In their most recent post about Prime Day 2021, Amazon encouraged sellers to register to expand their business into international marketplaces before Prime Day 2021.
They advised sellers to allow extra time to ship Prime Day stock due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on shipping time and customs clearance at country borders.
Sellers planning to sell globally should also plan on sending FBA shipments to the following countries by these dates:
- June 1: Australia
- June 6: United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey
- June 7: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia
- June 13: Japan
Things move quickly on Amazon, so it’s time to start checking these Prime Day preparedness items off your list and gearing up for the sales.
Prime Day Eligibility
- Any product on which you offer a discount must be Prime shipping eligible in all regions within the country.
- Any product on which you offer a discount must be in new condition.
- Any product on which you offer a discount must have at least a three-star rating or no rating. Please note, this criteria may change for discounts specific to special events such as, Prime Day, Black Friday etc.
- The discount must be at least 10% off non-member non-promotional price (that is, Your Price or Sale Price, whichever is lower). Please note, this criteria may change for discounts specific to special events such as, Prime Day, Black Friday etc.
- Product can not be a restricted product or offensive, embarrassing or inappropriate product.
- Any product on which you offer a discount must comply with customer product reviews policies.
- Any product on which you offer a discount must be compliant with pricing policies.
*Note: If the product on which you offer a discount does not meet the above criteria, your discount will not be published.
Prime Exclusive Discount Eligibility
- To be eligible for Prime Day Prime Exclusive Discount, you must be a seller with at least a 4 Seller Feedback Rating. Sellers that have not received any feedback ratings from buyers will also be eligible for Prime Day Prime Exclusive Discount.
- The product must have at least a three and half star rating or no rating.
- The discount must be at least 20% off the non-member non-promotional price (that is, Your Price or Sale Price, whichever is lower).
- The Prime exclusive discounted price must beat the lowest price for the ASIN in past 30 days by 5%. The lowest price in the last 30 days is the lowest order price for the ASIN in that period including all deal, promotional, and sale prices across all Merchants.
Prime Day 2021 Checklist
With the Prime Day excitement, also comes challenges for sellers.
This crucial event impacts every aspect of your business from inventory management, to marketing and advertising, and even customer service.
We’ve created an Amazon Seller Prime Day 2021 checklist to help you navigate and properly prepare for all this sales event has to offer.
Just like we mentioned in Prime Days past you still need to meet deadlines, optimize your listings and prepare to increase your bids this year!
Operational Requirements
- Submit deals on time: This is the most important thing to ensure you are eligible to participate!
- Ensure your catalog is accurate: Begin prepping any Prime Day content for your storefront to activate when your deals go live! This includes listing optimization, which we’ll get into in more detail about below.
- Prepare and manage your inventory: Whether that means sending in extra FBA inventory or preparing merchant-fulfilled orders, get ready now!
- Be proactive and try to anticipate and plan ahead for any issues that may arise.
Optimize Your Listings
Yes, this is on the list again. Product detail pages are so important (always, but especially during Prime Day). They’re a HUGE converting asset.
On top of your advertising strategy, you’ll want to take the time to ensure these are good to go! Make sure your listings include the following features:
- Informative, convincing copy
- Thumbnail images displaying the product from all angles, featuring lifestyle imagery, and incorporating key features and benefits
- Enhanced Brand Content for Brand Registered Sellers
- A+ Content for Vendors
Increase Your Bids
Prepare to increase your budgets for Sponsored Products and Amazon Marketing Services by 50% or more.
- Know the stats: spend can increase well over 100% on Prime Day.
- Prioritize your highest performing keywords.
- On the big day, monitor your budget carefully to ensure that you aren’t running out of spend due to increased bids and clicks.
Stay Up to Date On the Lastest 2021 Prime Day News
Amazon sellers think of Prime Day as a mid-year Black Friday in terms of traffic, new customers, and sales– 2021 is no exception to that.
To give your business the best chance at success you’ll need to start preparing now and make sure to keep up with all of the latest updates!
For weekly Amazon Prime Day 2021 information, general Amazon news updates and more check out our Weekly Amazon Seller News page.
