PD promotion begins! Amazon launches new features to help

Adobe predicts that the first day of this year's Prime Day promotion will bring in $7.1 billion in online revenue, a year-on-year increase of 11.3%, and the second day of the promotion will bring in $6.9 billion in online consumption, a year-on-year increase of 9.2%. It is expected that the total amount of online consumption will increase by 10.5% year-on-year to $14 billion. The results of this promotion are worth looking forward to.

Before the start of Prime Day, Amazon announced the launch of a new feature, Rufus, to all US users to boost sales during the promotion. As an AI shopping assistant, it can recommend suitable products based on buyer needs, with shopping links attached; help buyers quickly understand product details and listen to other buyers' opinions, so that customers don't have to spend time flipping through product detail pages and a large number of reviews; it can also quickly compare the functions of different products to help buyers confirm their favorite products. The full launch of this feature will be a plus for Amazon's promotion.

Sellers work all night to fight PD, Amazon system errors

From July 16th to 17th, Amazon Prime Day will be held around the world. The corresponding Beijing time for the launch of major sites are: Japan site starts at 11 pm on July 15th, Australia site starts at 10 pm on the 15th, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain sites start at 6 am on the 16th, UK site starts at 7 am on the 16th, US and Canada sites start at 3 pm on the 16th, Saudi Arabia and UAE sites start at 4 am on the 16th, Brazil site starts at 11 am on the 16th, and Mexico site starts at 2 pm on the 16th.

But before the big sale started, Amazon encountered a big bug.

Yesterday afternoon and evening, many sellers found that the countdown display on the US site was abnormal. According to the PC countdown, the US site promotion will start at 8 am Beijing time on the 16th , while the start time of the US-Asia promotion has always been 3 pm Beijing time; the mobile promotion countdown is different from the computer side. According to its time display, the US-Asia promotion will still start at 3 pm today. What's going on? Is the promotion time advanced?

Sellers asked customer service about this, but most of them answered: "Based on the countdown on the computer, Prime Day starts at 8:00 a.m. on the 16th, Beijing time, and ends at 8:00 a.m. on the 18th, Beijing time." At the same time, Amazon managers informed that the PD promotion will still start at 3:00 p.m. Beijing time today, and the banner time on the PC side is wrong and is being fixed.

Many sellers are still confused: this is the tenth Prime Day, how could Amazon, with its sophisticated business, make such a simple mistake? And the customer service staff were so confident that it didn’t seem fake. “It’s all shown on the front page, Amazon can’t joke about this, right?” said one seller.

Sellers are worried that if the big sale starts a few hours in advance, the event discounts will be superimposed on the coupons, resulting in serious losses. Therefore, to be on the safe side, some sellers decided to turn off the coupons in advance. "If the price increase is not large, you can increase the price at 7 o'clock tomorrow morning, because the member discount will definitely be slow to respond tomorrow, or even not be able to open it."

By last night, Amazon had finally completed the repair, and the countdown on the computer side was the same as the mobile side. The Amazon Sale started at 3 pm, and the sellers called it "a false alarm."

In order to respond to emergencies and adjust advertising budgets in a timely manner, many cross-border companies have arranged overtime work during Membership Day, and even work in two shifts 24 hours a day.

A certain cross-border company released a member day duty schedule, which is from 2pm on the 16th to 8am on the 17th, and from 3pm on the 17th to 9am on the 18th, which means it has to work all night for two days. It was ridiculed as "such a crazy operation" and "tens of thousands of orders in this day, right?"

It is common for Prime Day to extend working hours, and Amazon has a lot of operational feedback:

-"We also stayed up all night, longer than you did."

- "Working all night, taking a shower during the day shift, no time off, it can't be worse than this."

- "We work from 9pm to 9am the next day."

-“The company asked us to work overtime until 11 o’clock, and we can take a day off.”

-"We're from ten to ten."

One company's operations department stated that employees who work until after 12 o'clock in the evening (that is, early morning of the 17th and 18th), will have their taxi fares reimbursed, and will be given midnight snacks from 11 o'clock to 12 o'clock on the 16th and 17th, and will be given an additional 8 hours of compensatory leave after the 19th.

In fact, sellers who have participated in several big promotions know that even if you stay up all night during the promotion, there is only so much you can do. Take advertising as an example. The data attribution period is 7 days or 14 days. It is meaningless to adjust advertising in the short term. All operations can do is increase the budget, and these tasks can also be pre-scheduled.

Therefore, some companies do not require overtime, and operators can leave after get off work unless they have work to do. Some companies will ask operators if they are willing to work overtime, and if they are willing to work overtime, they can arrange a midnight snack.

Currently, the activities on the European and Japanese sites have already started, and the US site will also start in the afternoon. Sellers can pay close attention to the progress of the activities and check for omissions at any time, including confirming whether the submitted activities can proceed smoothly. If the deals are not successfully submitted, use coupons to make up for the omissions as soon as possible. Some sellers only found out the day before the big sale that the big sale and the coupons overlapped for several hours, and they were in a panic for a while.

In addition, although big sales are a price war, sellers still need to ensure that prices are reasonable and avoid breaking the price system to ensure reasonable profits during the peak season.

Amazon launches new features to boost sales

In February of this year , Amazon launched and tested the AI ​​shopping assistant Rufus on a small scale . Rufus mainly uses Amazon's first-party data, including product catalogs, customer reviews, and community Q&A information, to answer questions about various shopping needs and products, helping buyers save time and make smarter purchasing decisions. Rufus will recommend related products to customers, and sometimes list shopping links with poor experience, which will affect sellers' sales.

After several months of testing, Amazon has now announced that Rufus will be available to all US users, a feature that will help boost Prime Day sales.

Rufus is available to everyone . Users need to make sure their Amazon shopping app is up to date and then tap the Rufus icon (a flashing chat bubble) in the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen. A Rufus chat box will appear where customers can ask questions or tap one of the suggested questions to start a conversation.  

Instead of looking at multiple products, consumers can ask Rufus, “What is the best wireless outdoor speaker?” Instead of studying product detail pages, consumers can ask questions about a product, such as “Is this shirt machine washable?” Instead of reading through a large number of product reviews to confirm their experience, consumers can ask Rufus, “What do customers say?” Or seek purchase advice when the shopping goal is unclear, such as “What should I buy before getting a puppy?”

After using Rufus, buyers can quickly obtain a lot of information to make shopping decisions:

1. Understand product details and listen to other buyers’ opinions

Buyers ask Rufus specific questions about products, and Rufus shares answers based on helpful information from product details, customer reviews, and community Q&A. Customers may ask Rufus questions like, “Is this coffee maker easy to clean and maintain?” and “Is this mascara a clean beauty product?” They also click on related questions that Rufus asks in the chat window to learn more about the product, such as, “What is the backpack made of?” Users can also click “What customers are saying?” to get a quick and easy overview of customer reviews.

2. Get product recommendations

Amazon users have reported that Rufus is recommending products with the right features to customers. When a buyer asked which product is best for cleaning hardwood floors, Rufus quickly gave five specific floor cleaning products with a link to the Amazon shopping page, along with some considerations (such as "Look for a pH-neutral cleaner that won't strip the surface of the floor"). Rufus also asked some other questions that customers might have, such as "How often should hardwood floors be cleaned?" It can be said to be a "nanny-style" shopping guide.

Another recent customer said they asked Rufus for pool umbrella recommendations in Florida, and Rufus shared Florida weather, humidity, and recommended umbrella features. Customers also ask questions like, “What are the best lawn games for kids’ birthday parties?” and receive high-quality, informative answers to help them make product choices.

Rufus will recommend suitable products, but accordingly, if the user asks about bad products and hopes to avoid them, he will also give a corresponding product list. For example, when asked about " the worst gift for parents ", Rufus suggested searching for "outdated or ill-fitting clothes" and "luxury goods beyond their means" , which is obviously not good news for the product sellers who appear in the search results .

3. Compare purchasing options

Users use Rufus' quick comparison feature to ask questions like, "What's the difference between a gas and wood-fired pizza oven?" Aspiring runners ask questions like, "Should I buy trail shoes or running shoes?" and people shopping for a TV ask Rufus to "Compare OLED and QLED TVs."

Rajiv Mehta, Amazon’s vice president of search and conversational shopping , said he recently used Rufus to help him compare options and find his son’s first pair of baseball gloves — “comfortable baseball gloves for a 9-year-old beginner,” which he ultimately ordered.

4. Get the latest product updates

Consumers often want to shop based on the latest products and trends, and Rufus can help them stay up to date on questions like, “What is the most advanced Fire tablet for kids?” and “What is the popular trend in women’s denim?”

5. Access current and past orders

Customers can quickly and easily track packages through Rufus and can ask questions like, “Where’s my order?” or more specifically, “When will my dog ​​food arrive?” to find out when they can expect to receive their latest order. They can also quickly access past orders and ask questions that help them make decisions based on items they’ve previously ordered, including, “When was the last time I ordered sunscreen?”

Beyond that, Rufus can answer questions that aren’t obviously related to shopping, helping customers at any stage in their shopping journey. For example, a shopper interested in cookware might first ask , “What do I need to make a souffle?” Preparing for special occasions is also popular with users, with shoppers asking questions like, “What do I need for a summer party?” Rufus will then package up relevant decisions.

For sellers who prefer to buy on Amazon, Rufus simplifies the process from research to purchase. Although both generative AI and Rufus are still in their early stages, users have asked Rufus tens of millions of questions, and Amazon says it will improve Rufus based on customer feedback.

The agency predicts that PD sales will reach US$14 billion, an increase of 10.5%

According to Adobe's forecast, the first day of this year's Prime Day promotion will bring in $7.1 billion in online revenue, an increase of 11.3% year-on-year, and the second day of the promotion will bring in $6.9 billion in online consumption, a year-on-year increase of 9.2%. It is expected that the total amount of online consumption will increase by 10.5% year-on-year to $14 billion, setting a new record for Prime Day.

At the same time, consumers will indeed pay more attention to discounts this year, and the discounts on the Member Day promotion may reach 22%. Adobe predicts that the discounts on electronic products will be the largest, reaching 22%, compared with 14% last year. It is expected that the discounts on clothing will be 20% (last year 12%), home furnishings/furniture will be 17% (last year 9%), toys will be 15% (last year 12%), and TVs will be 14% (last year 5%). Sporting goods will also have large discounts, up from 6% last year to 11%.

This year, Amazon's Prime Day promotion was delayed by about a week compared to the past two years, and the shopping demand for the back-to-school season is more urgent. Walmart, Target and other retailers have made this category the focus of their promotions, and Amazon is no exception. It is expected that consumption during the back-to-school season will increase this year.

Jamil Ghani, vice president of Amazon Prime, said that Prime Day offers millions of deals in more than 35 product categories, as well as discounts on Amazon devices, premium entertainment, groceries, travel, etc. "In fact, last year Amazon customers saved nearly $24 billion through discounts and coupons, the vast majority of which was enjoyed by Prime members, including $2.5 billion during Prime Day 2023."

Some sellers simply hope to avoid being left behind by the sales, while others hope to use the opportunity to clear their inventory. Big sellers have more comprehensive plans for the Member Day promotion, for example, using it to open a green channel for "upgrades" for new products.

During last year’s Prime Day promotion, audio brand EarFun achieved sales of approximately US$2 million, a 9-10 times increase over normal days.

Mary , the person in charge of its North American site , said that Q2 is the time when the company launches new products, so they will try their best to submit member day promotions for blockbuster new products. After the new products gain a lot of exposure and orders, they can accumulate listing weight and sales ranking, which is convenient for promotion in the second half of the year. Secondly, big promotions are helpful in improving brand awareness. During the member day, the number of fans of the flagship store increased by more than twice the usual rate, and new and repeat purchases also increased. In addition, big promotions can also be used to clear out backlogs of goods, reduce inventory pressure, and improve store turnover.

If you want to show your skills in the big promotion, early advertising investment is essential. The head of the North American site of outdoor equipment seller ROCKBRO Brothers admitted that they would use 10% of their sales for in-site advertising and increase the DSP budget. The monthly advertising budget from June to August each year accounts for about 15%-20% of the whole year.

Before the big sale begins, sellers have already increased their advertising budgets, rushed for rankings, and conducted off-site promotions in the hope of making a good start in the sale. However, when the sale actually arrives, some sellers will still encounter various emergencies, or even miss out on the sale, such as their submitted activities being prohibited from being displayed.

Some sellers reported that they signed up for Prime exclusive discounts a month in advance, but when the promotion was about to start, they were suddenly informed by Amazon that "some products have been banned from display." One seller complained that he was caught off guard, and he thought it might be related to his latest merge variant operation, but the big promotion was coming and he dared not take any more risks.

Prime Exclusive Discounts are the most common promotion used by sellers. They are available for both Prime offers (Amazon Logistics and SFP) and non-Prime offers (seller-fulfilled products). The submitted products must have at least 1 review and an average rating of at least 4 stars.

Price is the key. According to the Prime Day Guide, the discounted price must be at least 20% off the non-promotional price for non-Prime members, and can only be up to 80% off the non-promotional price for non-Prime members. The Prime-exclusive discount price must be 15.00% lower than the reference price (i.e., the list price or original price); the Prime-exclusive discount price must be 5.00% lower than the historical selling price; and the Prime member-exclusive discount price must be lower than the lowest price of the ASIN in the past 30 days. (Note that the lowest price in the past 30 days refers to the lowest order price among all flash sale prices, promotional prices, and sales prices offered by all sellers for the ASIN during this period.)

Additionally, if Amazon Seller Ratings are enabled, the Seller Feedback Rating must be at least 4. Amazon looks at the average rating over the past 365 days to see if there are at least 10 ratings during that time, and if there are fewer than 10, the lifetime average rating is considered.

As for last year’s Member Day, the sales performance exceeded the expectations of many sellers, so the seller group has high expectations for this year’s promotion.

On Amazon Prime Day 2023, the news of doubling orders was all over the screen, and the traffic explosion even exceeded that of Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday. Almost all sellers were flooded with orders: those who reported discounts and flash sales were killing it all, and those who were more stable saw a five- or six-fold increase, and those with a smaller sales base could even increase by more than 10 times; even if they did not participate in the event, sales were also rising, more than doubling compared to usual. "Last year, PD was a bit explosive. A two-year-old link directly received 4,000 orders, and a cabinet of goods was sold out."

Specifically for each site, the US site continued to lead the way, with amazing performance as a latecomer , and the results were most unexpected to sellers; the Japanese site had a slight surge in orders, but the increase was limited; and the European site started earlier but performed poorly. Some sellers smiled bitterly, saying that the order volume was not significantly different from usual, and all their painstaking preparations were in vain.

In general, the performance of the last Member Day promotion was a pleasant surprise, which instantly gave sellers confidence in the sales in the second half of the year. With logistics fees, storage fees, advertising fees and other operating costs rising sharply this year, sellers also urgently need the Member Day promotion to give them a shot in the arm.