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 simple steps in this guide, and you’ll take home an action-packed checklist curated by experienced sellers and authors in using sponsored ads solutions.
How to help increase your seasonal sales
Who is the audience for this guide?
This guide is 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 sale
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. Skip to the next chapter once you read about your region(s).
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.3
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.4
— David, advertiserWhat matters to me most this holiday season is getting a lot of eyes in front of my product. I have some new products that I’m really passionate about. One of the things I’ve noticed is that during the holiday season, there’s a lot of intent [to buy]. With this intent, you [want] to get your products out there and get the visibility.
1 Kantar Study 2022; 502 study respondents who have shopped Q4 shopping events in 2021 and plan to do so in 2022.
2 Kantar Study 2022; 503 study respondents who have shopped Q4 shopping events in 2021 and plan to do so in 2022.
3 Kantar Study 2022; 500 study respondents who have shopped Q4 shopping events in 2021 and plan to do so in 2022.
4 Kantar Study 2022; 501 study respondents who have shopped Q4 shopping events in 2021 and plan to do so in 2022.
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.5
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.6
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.7
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.8
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.9
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.10
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.3
5 Amazon internal data, WW
Post-period: Dec 4–31, 2022
Pre-period: Nov 6–Dec 3, 2022
-Increase calculated as (growth of SP advertisers during deal events as compared to same time period before) – (average growth of categories during the deal events as compared to same time period before)
-Only sellers who spent at least $1 during Christmas (Dec 4–31, 2022) were considered as a part of the analysis
3 Kantar Study 2022; 500 study respondents who have shopped Q4 shopping events in 2021 and plan to do so in 2022.
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.3
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
— Naomitsu Fukuda, director of new businesses, NissenWe find that each product has different seasonal demand. So we launch products for the season and identify trending products. This helps us secure budget for ads and, most importantly, inventory.”
3 Kantar Study 2022; 500 study respondents who have shopped Q4 shopping events in 2021 and plan to do so in 2022.
1 Kantar Study 2022; 502 study respondents who have shopped Q4 shopping events in 2021 and plan to do so in 2022.
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.4
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.3
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.6
4 Kantar Study 2022; 501 study respondents who have shopped Q4 shopping events in 2021 and plan to do so in 2022.
3 Kantar Study 2022; 500 study respondents who have shopped Q4 shopping events in 2021 and plan to do so in 2022.
6 GWI Q4 2022, EG, Amazon shoppers surveyed (respondents: 852)
Step 2: 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.
November
11: Singles’ Day (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt)
17–20: El Buen Fin (Mexico)
24–27: Black Friday, White Friday/Cyber Monday (Multiple locations)
December
18–26: Hanukkah (Multiple locations)
24–25: Christmas (Multiple locations)
26: Boxing Day (Australia, Canada, U.K.)
January
1: New Year’s Day (Multiple locations)
1–3: Japanese New Year (Japan)
1–31: Back to school (Australia)
6: Epiphany (Multiple locations in Latin America and Europe)
Step 3: Follow tips from experts to complete your seasonal planning
See the top 10 recommendations curated just for you by Amazon Ads experts who are seasoned advertisers and also sellers/authors. After reviewing the recommendations, sign in to the advertising console or register to Amazon Ads to get started.
Select below to see a checklist most relevant to you.
Meet the expert seller who created this checklist:
A full-time Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) seller based in Canada, Mandeep has an extensive background in adult education and marketing. She has leveraged FBA to scale her business to quit her full-time job in 2020. She enjoys all aspects of running her business, including overseeing brand management and PPC, as well as sharing FBA tips with her followers on social media.
Tip 1
Start early
No matter if you’re already advertising or haven’t started yet, begin your preparations well in advance. Analyze the previous year’s insights (if applicable) to identify trends and adjust your inventory levels accordingly. Ensure you have sufficient stock to meet the increased demand during the peak shopping season.
Tip 2
Create a holiday landing page for your Store
Design a dedicated landing page for your Store with a seasonal theme. Embrace the holiday spirit, and infuse your creatives with a seasonal atmosphere that resonates with your customers—use relevant colors, themes, and imagery. Showcase your top products, discounts, and special offers on this page to attract visitors.
Tip 3
Run deals to drive traffic to your Store
Run special promotions and deals, such as Amazon’s Lightning Deals, “early bird” deals, and coupons. These can attract shoppers and inspire purchases.
Tip 4
Leverage social media
Promote your Store on your social media channels. Share seasonal or event-themed posts, gift guides, and exclusive offers to drive traffic from your social following to your Amazon storefront.
Tip 5
Optimize product listings with creatives and keywords
Include seasonal messaging, colors, symbols, and language to make your products more enticing to shoppers during the season. Incorporate relevant keywords in titles and descriptions to help browsing customers find your seasonal products in shopping results.
Tip 6
Optimize product listings with product descriptions
Highlight benefits and solutions. Clearly showcase how your product or service can make the experience better for your customers this season. Emphasize the value your brand provides—whether it’s saving time, money, or reducing stress.
Tip 7
Run Amazon pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns
If you’re not advertising yet, consider creating PPC campaigns using Amazon’s advertising solutions like Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands. Begin your advertising efforts well in advance of the peak shopping period. This helps you establish a strong presence and gain traction early.
Tip 8
Create seasonal campaigns
If you’re already advertising, develop dedicated campaigns for the season or events that feature your products as an ideal purchase. Focus on seasonal keywords to engage shoppers looking for in-season items, and create advertising copy to emphasize the seasonal aspect.
Tip 9
Engage shoppers with bespoke videos
Video content can be highly engaging. Amazon’s Video Builder is a tool that allows you to create short videos for your Sponsored Brands ads. Create seasonal or event-themed videos that showcase your products’ features, benefits, and how they solve customers’ problems this season.
Tip 10
Explore options
The Amazon Ads partner directory can connect you with various service providers who specialize in different creative areas, such as graphic design, content writing, advertising, and more. Explore this directory to find partners that align with your project’s needs.
Meet the advertising expert who created this checklist:
The founder and CEO of Nomadz created his company to educate big and small sellers by using hands-on management to scale brands past the milestone of $10 million per year.
Tip 1
Stand out from seasonal frenzy
Add seasonal or event-specific creatives to your ad campaigns and Stores. For Sponsored Products ads, you can change your main product image for the shopping season. For Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display, use custom creative that’s specific to the season to engage with shoppers, and direct them to your Store.
Tip 2
Identify your in-season ASINs
This season, you may have shoppers who are looking for gifts and some who are looking for products for themselves. Do a new round of keyword research for seasonal keywords, then set up new campaigns with them, highlighting your in-season Amazon standard identification numbers (ASINs).
Tip 3
Keep running campaigns that work
rIf it’s working, leave it be. Continue advertising your best sellers, and keep your campaigns that perform well. Raise the budget of successful campaigns that have been working all year.
Tip 4
Know your customers’ peak shopping timeline
Look at the previous year’s performance by month or week to see when impressions, spend, sales, and conversions increased. Don’t wait too long to dial up your ads before the next big shopping event.
Tip 5
Formulate an overall budget for the season
It’s a long shopping season, so be realistic and plan accordingly. Formulate an overall budget based on your inventory for the holidays.
Tip 6
Account for last-minute shoppers
Don’t overspend and overextend your budget too early. During peak shopping events, there could be last-minute shoppers, so remember to leave room in your budget for the final weeks or days of the events.
Tip 7
Dial up on what makes impact
If your main sales driver is Sponsored Products campaigns, focus the majority of your budget on them, and spend the remainder on Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display. For your bids, tweaking placement stats for entire campaigns can help make a bigger impact than changing bids often.
Tip 8
Highlight your deals and coupons to engage shoppers looking for savings
If you have deals running this season, remember to promote them in your Store with a product deals tab. If you don’t have deals, remember to use coupons to increase visibility of your products. Coupons help shoppers engage with your ads when they’re looking for savings.
Tip 9
Know your season
Not every brand or company will see momentum at the same time. You might see stronger sales early in the new year than the year end due to the seasonality of your products. Check your performance from previous years to know when you’re likely to peak.
Tip 10
Take notes for a better 2024
Take note of what seasonal shopping queries and products are performing differently throughout the season to prepare for next year. If this is your first peak season, track the dates when you saw strong performance. Note the difference in performance attributed to advertising for ASINs with deals vs. without, so you can plan for next year.
Meet the expert author who created this checklist:
The author, podcaster, and teacher runs the 5-Day Amazon Ad Profit Challenge7, an online event that has helped thousands of self-published authors understand the complexities of Amazon Ads. Bryan has sold over 140,000 books, logged over 1 million episode downloads for his weekly podcast program, Sell More Books Show, and taught over 30,000 KDP authors about ads through his events. He's also the CEO of Best Page Forward, an author copywriting agency that has produced over 4,000 book descriptions.
Tip 1
Update your author page in advance
Prior to the peak shopping season, make sure your author page has been updated using new Amazon features like Book Recommendations. In Author Central, you can choose your best-selling series starter or stand-alone as the book you recommend new readers consider first. Click on “Reports + Marketing” and then “Book Recommendations” to choose your title.
Tip 2
Run ads for your most profitable book or series
During the peak shopping season, it makes sense to run ads to your most profitable book or series. This is especially true if the book has done well during the same month in previous years.
Tip 3
Optimize unprofitable titles
If you have a book that is unprofitable during the rest of the year, it will likely remain that way during the peak shopping period. Consider looking into that book’s metadata and the book’s sales page. An improved cover, book description, or “Look Inside” could help to improve future profitability.
Tip 4
Run Sponsored Products automatic targeting campaigns and optimize metadata
Sponsored Products automatic keyword/product targeted ads can help relevant readers discover your books. If you’re not receiving impressions and clicks, then you’ll want to ensure your metadata—like your book’s seven KDP keyword phrases and three KDP categories—is relevant to your book and subgenre. With more shoppers during peak periods, optimizing your metadata could help you avoid getting irrelevant clicks and spending your campaign budget on targets that won’t lead to new readers.
Tip 5
Create up to five category-targeted ads in your subgenre
You can also create Sponsored Products ads to show your ads against the books in your subgenre during and beyond the season. Start by creating no more than five of these with one target per campaign to ensure that the category targets are only the most relevant to your book. This may help seasonal shoppers looking for a gift in your genre to discover your book.
Tip 6
Aim keywords using book titles, author names, and thematic terms
Sponsored Products keyword-targeted ads can help you broaden your reach to readers seeking specific genres or books. You can use book titles, author names, and the terms that readers type in to find certain tropes or subgenres as the keyword targets for your ads. For example, if shoppers are looking to gift a title to a friend and knows this person likes books with the “enemies to lovers” trope, then your book may be more discoverable during a gifting event if you use relevant keywords.
Tip 7
Research your genre and how it relates to the season
Research how your book’s genre will serve you from year-end into the new year. One of the best ways to research which book titles and author names are relevant to yours is to read the reviews of those books. In those reviews, you’ll want to look for mentions of certain character types and other tropes that come up in your book as well. For a deeper dive into those titles, and a better understanding of their relevancy, you can even read the books in their entirety.
Tip 8
Make sure your budget is well spent to engage relevant shoppers
If the majority of your budget isn’t being spent each day in your Sponsored Products category or keyword-targeted ads during the peak season, you’ll want to ensure that you’re targeting the most relevant subgenres and books. More relevant targeting can help you to spend your budget more effectively.
Tip 9
Pre-empt campaign rejection
If you’re trying to run a Sponsored Products ad for a book and receive a rejection for the book cover, title, or book description, consider revising it prior to peak events. Changing the cover or removing flagged words from the title or description could allow future seasonal campaigns to be accepted under the book advertising guidelines. These small tweaks could make a difference in book sales for many peak seasons to come.
Tip 10
Know when you peak
In the U.S., after Black Friday and Christmas could also be one of the best times of the year for KDP authors, because readers have received new Kindle devices or Kindle Unlimited subscriptions as gifts. Remember to get your ads set up before the holiday and keep them running afterward.
Sign in to the KDP portal and choose “Amazon Ads” in the Marketing tab, or register to get started.
7The 5-Day Author Ad Profit Challenge is not in any way sponsored or otherwise endorsed by Amazon.com, Inc., Amazon Advertising LLC, or any of their owners, officers, directors, shareholders, employees, affiliates, or subsidiaries in any way.
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3-step guide to the peak year-end shopping season