Summary: Solidify your media and content strategy for Turkey-5 (BFCM), Amazon’s most important shopping event, with these four recommendations.
Introduction
Amazon calls it Turkey 5, but many know it as Black Friday / Cyber Monday. Whichever name you prefer, the days between Thanksgiving and the following Monday represent the most crucial week of the holiday shopping season.
The Amazon Sales Frenzy
Cyber Monday 2022 was the largest retail ecommerce sales day in US history. Consumers spent $11.3 billion online—a 5.8% increase over the preceding year. (Emarketer) From 2021 to 2022 sponsored ad spending in USA during BFCM increased from 64% (2021) to 145% (2022). (Statista) We expect to see a similarly large jump in spending in 2023, and new investments in features like Sponsored TV ads (avaialble to select advertisers, at the time of this writing).
With such high stakes, it’s crucial to be well-prepared. Channel Key has compiled essential last-minute recommendations to help your brand succeed during Turkey 5. If you’re an Amazon seller, you can’t afford to miss out on this retail extravaganza with the right paid and organic strategies.
1 . Create a Lead-In Strategy (Most Important)
Prior to the Turkey 5 shopping frenzy, it’s crucial to optimize your marketing strategy in preparation for Black Friday. Increase your marketing budget two weeks before the big day, following your competitors’ lead, to enhance your products’ organic ranking. Focus your budget on the most strategically relevant category keywords to amplify your category presence.
- Monitor key performance metrics, such as your Share of Voice, Best Seller Rank (BSR), organic/sponsored ranking, and market share as Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach, ensuring you’re maximizing your visibility.
- On the actual Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BF/CM) dates, closely manage your advertising expenditure to prevent your most critical campaigns from reaching their budget limits.
- Leverage brand analytics by conducting a reverse search on your hero ASINs and your top competitors’ ASINs. Identify the most popular search terms from the previous year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday weeks, and incorporate them into your keyword targeting strategy. If these terms aren’t currently part of your strategy, consider testing them as new additions. Utilize tools like iDerive to aggregate brand analytics data, revealing search term trends over the past two years and identifying the search terms where your products have consistently been top-clicked or top-converting products within the last year.
2. Audit and Optimize Product Listings
It’s vital to ensure your customers have everything they need: auditing and optimizing your product listings is key. While it might not be the most thrilling task, it’s undoubtedly the most valuable. Shoppers can’t physically examine products on Amazon, so they rely on your product content. Make sure every element of your Amazon real estate is optimized for conversion:
- Titles – Your product titles should be clear, informative, and compelling.
- Images – High-quality images that showcase your products from various angles are essential.
- Videos – Engaging product videos can significantly impact purchasing decisions.
- Bullet Points – Use bullet points to highlight key product features and benefits.
- Descriptions – Detailed and persuasive descriptions can be a game-changer.
- A+ Content – Leverage A+ Content to provide in-depth information about your products.
3. Monitor New-to-Brand Customer Data
Sellers offering discounts during Black Friday and Cyber Monday attract more new-to-brand customers than during other events. If you also run ads, the increase can be even more significant. According to an Amazon study, combining discounts with display advertising can lead to a 13% increase in new-to-brand customers. You want to take full advantage of these NTB customers.
- New-to-Brand Metrics – Amazon offers valuable new-to-brand metrics that help you understand the origin of your customers. This data is especially vital during Turkey 5:
- New-to-brand orders – The number of first-time orders for your brand’s products over a one-year period.
- New-to-brand sales – The total sales from new-to-brand orders.
- % of orders new-to-brand – The percentage of total orders that are new-to-brand.
- % of sales new-to-brand – The total sales from new-to-brand purchases.
- New-to-brand units – The number of units from first-time orders for your brand’s products.
- % of units new-to-brand – The percentage of total units that are from new-to-brand orders.
- New-to-brand order rate – The number of new-to-brand orders relative to the number of clicks.
4. Retarget Shoppers During the Rest of the Season
The shopping journey doesn’t conclude with Turkey 5. A substantial portion of holiday shoppers continues their shopping spree even after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This provides an excellent opportunity to reconnect with customers who have expressed interest in your products.
Sponsored Display Views Remarketing
This feature enables you to re-engage with customers who have visited specific product detail pages but haven’t made a purchase within the last 30 days. Considering that shoppers typically take about a week to make a purchase after their initial search on Amazon, this tool proves invaluable in ensuring that your products remain in their consideration.
Sponsored Display Purchases Remarketing
This strategy is ideal for promoting your products to customers who have recently purchased related or complementary items. For example, if you sell electronic accessories, you can reach out to customers who have recently bought a new computer.
DSP Retargeting
- Optimize your ad campaigns by using negative audiences to exclude recent purchasers. This way, you can allocate your budget more efficiently to reach potential customers who are more likely to convert.
- Re-engage with brand loyal customers who may have become disengaged or inactive by implementing custom lookback windows. This helps ensure that your brand remains top-of-mind for these valuable customers.
Conclusion
Turkey 5 is just around the corner, and it’s your time to shine. Amazon’s colossal sales event offers enormous opportunities for your brand. By optimizing your product listings, targeting new-to-brand customers, and retargeting shoppers after Turkey 5, you can position your brand for success during the holiday season.
FAQ
Turkey 5 refers to the days between Thanksgiving and the following Monday, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which represent a significant shopping spree on Amazon.
To optimize your product listings, focus on titles, images, videos, bullet points, descriptions, and A+ Content. Ensure they are informative and engaging.
New-to-brand customers can expand your customer base, and they are more likely to make a purchase when offered discounts and effective advertising.
New-to-brand metrics include data on new-to-brand orders, sales, order rate, and more, providing insights into customer acquisition during specific periods like Turkey 5.
You can continue sales by retargeting shoppers using tools like Sponsored Display Views Remarketing and Purchases Remarketing to keep your products top of mind even after the Turkey 5 shopping frenzy ends. Many miss maximizing upon post-holiday shopping potential for any holiday. Don’t miss out on the opportunities that Amazon’s Turkey 5 presents for your brand. Start preparing now to make the most of this crucial shopping season.
