Guide
3-step guide to the peak year-end shopping season
A busy season full of big, if not the biggest, shopping events has begun. Follow the steps in this guide to help increase your seasonal sales.
Start using Amazon Ads to promote your products and create campaigns.
Create cost-per-click ads to help customers find your products on Amazon.
Discover more tips in our complete guide to festive seasonal advertising.
This guide will walk you through an action-packed checklist curated by experienced sellers and authors in using sponsored ads solutions during the holiday season. It’s best suited for the mighty small and medium-sized businesses and authors who are running their own sponsored ads.
Step 1: Learn how advertising can help drive seasonal sales
It all starts with understanding your customers’ shopping habits. Here are some trends and insights by region, so you’ll know what this time of year means to your customers—and to you, as an advertiser.
In the Americas, the peak shopping event of the season is Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Mexico also celebrates El Buen Fin in late November, a nationwide offline and online shopping event where businesses offer discounts and promotions across all categories.
58.8% of shoppers surveyed in the U.S. are likely to make a purchase from an ad they see on Amazon during Black Friday/Cyber Monday.1
42.9% of shoppers surveyed in Canada are likely to make a purchase from an ad they see on Amazon during Black Friday/Cyber Monday.2
62.8% of shoppers surveyed in Mexico are likely to make a purchase from an ad they see on Amazon during El Buen Fin and Black Friday/Cyber Monday.1
80.8% of shoppers surveyed in Brazil are likely to make a purchase from an ad they see on Amazon during Black Friday/Cyber Monday.1
For most of Europe, Christmas is an entire holiday season packed with celebrations, traditions, and gift giving that can span from November to January—making it the biggest and busiest shopping period in the region. However, in Türkiye, Black Friday/Cyber Monday (known as Gülümseten Cuma, or “Smiling Friday”) is the main shopping event of the season.
Advertisers in the U.K. saw sales and units sold increase by 75 and 71 percentage points, respectively, when they used Sponsored Products during Christmas, compared to average category growth.2
Advertisers in Germany saw sales and units sold increase by 65 and 62 percentage points, respectively, when they used Sponsored Products during Christmas, compared to average category growth.2
Advertisers in France saw sales and units sold increase by 71 and 65 percentage points, respectively, when they used Sponsored Products during Christmas, compared to average category growth.2
Advertisers in Spain saw sales and units sold increase by 72 and 67 percentage points, respectively, when they used Sponsored Products during Christmas, compared to average category growth.2
Advertisers in Italy saw sales and units sold increase by 72 and 69 percentage points, respectively, when they used Sponsored Products during Christmas, compared to average category growth.2
Advertisers in the Netherlands saw sales and units sold increase by 41 and 40 percentage points, respectively, when they used Sponsored Products during Christmas, compared to average category growth.2
79.8% of shoppers surveyed in Türkiye are likely to make a purchase from an ad they see on Amazon during Gülümseten Cuma, also known as Smiling Friday.1
In Japan and Australia, Black Friday/Cyber Monday are the biggest key shopping events during the season, with over 40% of shoppers likely to make a purchase from an ad they see on Amazon at this time. But let’s not forget Christmas and New Year’s. While Australia celebrates Christmas with a sale in December, Japan also enjoys the gift-giving tradition on Christmas and welcomes the new year with hatsuuri, the annual first sale that mark the new year nationwide.
40.6% of shoppers surveyed in Japan are likely to make a purchase from an ad they see on Amazon during Black Friday/Cyber Monday.1
43.1% of shoppers surveyed in Australia are likely to make a purchase from an ad they see on Amazon during Black Friday/Cyber Monday and Christmas Sale.1
In the Middle East and North Africa, what’s known in many other countries as “Black Friday” is called “White Friday,” the biggest shopping event at this time of year alongside Singles’ Day. In Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, over 70% of shoppers said they’re likely to make a purchase from an ad they see on Amazon during these events. In Egypt, promoting your deals and free delivery may catch shoppers’ attention.
77.6% of shoppers surveyed in Saudi Arabia are likely to make a purchase from an ad they see on Amazon during Singles’ Day and White Friday.1
75.4% of shoppers surveyed in the UAE are likely to make a purchase from an ad they see on Amazon during Singles’ Day and White Friday.1
46.4% of Amazon shoppers surveyed in Egypt spend time looking for the best deals, and 53.3% base their online purchase decisions on free delivery.3
Step 2: Follow tips from your peers to kick off your seasonal planning
See recommendations curated just for you by Amazon Ads peers who are seasoned advertisers and also sellers/authors.
Meet the expert sellers who created these tips:
Successful Amazon seller and coach who empowers others through her expertise in the e-commerce world. As the host of the Fearless Sellers– The Women of Amazon Podcast, she inspires and educates people to succeed in the competitive and exhilarating Amazon marketplace.
My three pieces of advice for first-time holiday Amazon sellers and advertisers are:
- Start early
Begin planning and optimizing your campaigns well before the holiday season. This includes researching keywords, refining product listings, and ensuring your inventory levels are sufficient to meet potential demand. Early preparation can help you avoid last-minute issues and capitalize on early customers. I plan to launch my first holiday advertising campaigns right after Halloween and roll out more as we move closer to Black Friday. - Optimize your budget allocation
The holiday season sees increased competition. Be prepared to allocate a larger portion of your budget to high-performing campaigns and products. Prioritize your best-selling products and those with higher margins to maximize return on ad spend (ROAS). You may also need to allocate budget towards new campaigns for gifting keywords like ‘gifts for dads.’ - Monitor and adjust campaigns frequently
The holiday season is dynamic, with fluctuating competition and consumer behavior. Regularly monitor your campaigns, adjust bids, and optimize keywords to stay competitive. Be agile in your approach and ready to shift strategies if needed. I check and adjust on Friday mornings and Mondays during this peak shopping season.
Sarah Ribner, the founder of PiperWai, created the first natural, charcoal-based cream deodorant to bridge a market gap with a focus on health, sustainability, and eco-friendly practices. Holding an MBA, a BA, and a certification in aromatherapy, Sarah has been featured in major media outlets like Shark Tank, Vogue, and Good Morning America.
Prepare early and prioritize inventory management, replenishing inventory early enough to account for any shipping or receiving delays. Since demand can surge during this time, ensure that you have enough stock on all of your listing, especially your bestsellers. Also, make sure your listings are optimized with high quality images and descriptions to help improve your visibility during this high-traffic event.
Meet the expert seller who created these tips:
Co-founder of MotionGrey and a BC 30 Under 30 honoree. Gavin left his pursuit of a CPA to become a full-time Amazon FBA seller. Since venturing into Amazon FBA, he has launched over 100 products and expanded his presence across North American, Australian, and European markets. Gavin takes pride in creating premium products and building strong brands.
When strategizing for major shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I leverage various PPC campaigns to reach different stages of the sales funnel effectively. Firstly, I use Sponsored Products to capture high-intent customers who are actively looking for specific products. This feature is ideal for driving immediate traffic and conversions by showcasing our products directly in search results. For broader reach and brand awareness, I turn to Sponsored Brands. This feature allows me to promote my brand story, helping to attract potential customers who might be in the early stages of their buying journey. Lastly, I utilize Sponsored Display ads to re-engage with customers who have previously viewed our products. This helps us to remind interested customers that we are still here and ready to meet their needs.
Meet the expert authors who created these tips:
Best-selling children’s author of two career focused books, Girls Like Me and Boys Like Me. She is on a mission to empower individuals to dream big and grow into their best selves.
I recommend that Amazon sellers and advertisers invest in themselves and their brand. High traffic shopping events can be the perfect time to experiment with your ad budget and help connect more readers to your books. Using Amazon Ads for marketing can broaden your readership and reach more customers. By investing in your business, you can open the doors to opportunities to see the return on your investment.
Michael La Ronn has published many science fiction & fantasy books and self-help books for writers. He built a writing career publishing 10-12 books per year while raising a family, working a full-time job, and even attending law school classes in the evenings, and you can find him at www.michaellaronn.com (fiction) and www.authorlevelup.com (books for writers).
Test your ad copy, graphics, and targeting in advance. Ideally, you should go into peak shopping season with ads that have a proven track record. Use the months and weeks preceding the event to fine-tune your ad copy, graphics, and targeting as much as you can.
I recommend going into peak shopping season with ads that have had positive results in the past, as the event will be highly competitive. Evaluate which ad copy has the best conversion rate and double down on it by increasing your budget and generating more ads with similar copy. If possible, test your ad copy and graphics as much as possible before the event begins.
Bryan Cohen has written over 40 books and he's the CEO of Best Page Forward, a copywriting and marketing education company for authors. He's sold over 150,000 books and his weekly podcast The Sell More Books Show has over 1,000,000 downloads.
Remember that advertising is a long game. In the beginning when you’re running ads during peak periods, you’re collecting valuable insights to see which of your books or series are the most profitable, which can help you during all future promotions. See how many clicks it takes to get a sale or a borrow, and determine how profitable each book is after receiving 100 clicks. These metrics can help inform which of your books may be most worth advertising going forward.
Sign in to the KDP portal and choose “Amazon Ads” in the Marketing tab, or register to get started.
Step 3: Schedule your marketing plans around big events
Here you’ll find the key shopping moments to mark your calendar. Schedule your advertising plans and customize your storefront for the occasion, so you can make the most of increased traffic and interest when your customers might be shopping from you.
1 Kantar Study 2022
2 Amazon internal data, WW | Post-period: Dec 4–31, 2022 | Pre-period: Nov 6–Dec 3, 2022
3 GWI Q4 2022, EG