Amazon Prime Day is one of the biggest sales events of the year for sellers and shoppers alike. What started as a one-day event to celebrate Amazon's anniversary has evolved into a multi-day shopping phenomenon that rivals Black Friday. If you are selling on Amazon and not preparing for Prime Day months in advance, you are already behind.
Insights from Andrew Morgans and the Marknology team in Kansas City.
What Is Amazon Prime Day?
Prime Day is Amazon's annual sales event, exclusive to Prime members. It typically runs for 48 hours in July, though Amazon has occasionally adjusted the timing. During Prime Day, sellers can run Lightning Deals, offer exclusive discounts, and benefit from the massive surge in traffic that Amazon drives to the platform through advertising and media coverage.
For context, Amazon Prime Day 2023 generated over $12.7 billion in sales over 48 hours. That is not a typo. Sellers who prepare properly can do a month's worth of revenue in two days.
When Does Amazon Prime Day Happen?
Amazon does not announce Prime Day dates far in advance, which creates a planning challenge for sellers. Historically, Prime Day falls in mid-July. Here is a quick look at past dates:
- 2019: July 15-16
- 2020: October 13-14 (delayed due to COVID-19)
- 2021: June 21-22
- 2022: July 12-13
- 2023: July 11-12
- 2024: July 16-17
- 2025: Typically mid-July (watch for announcements in May/June)
The smart move is to start your prep in Q1 regardless of when the exact dates land. Inventory planning, deal submissions, and creative updates all take time.
How to Prepare Your Amazon Business for Prime Day
1. Inventory Planning (Start 3-4 Months Out)
Running out of stock on Prime Day is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make. When traffic is 5-10x your normal daily volume, a stockout does not just cost you those sales. It tanks your organic ranking, which takes weeks to recover.
Here is how to plan:
- Review your sales velocity from past Prime Days (or similar sale events)
- Factor in a 3-5x multiplier on your normal daily run rate for the Prime Day window
- Account for the "halo effect," where elevated sales continue for 1-2 weeks after Prime Day
- Get inventory into FBA warehouses at least 4-6 weeks before the event to avoid receiving delays
2. Submit Your Deals Early
Amazon opens Prime Day deal submissions well in advance. Lightning Deals, Best Deals, and Prime Exclusive Discounts all have submission deadlines. If you miss the window, you miss the opportunity.
Tips for deal submissions:
- Focus your deals on your best sellers, where you know the conversion rate is already strong
- Price your deals aggressively enough to win the deal badge. A 5% discount is not going to cut it.
- Make sure your listings are fully optimized before the deal goes live. You want every click to count.
3. Optimize Your Listings Before the Surge
Do not wait until Prime Day week to update your listings. Get this done at least 2-3 weeks in advance:
- Main image: Make it crisp, professional, and optimized for mobile (most Prime Day shopping happens on phones)
- A+ Content: If you have Brand Registry, make sure your A+ Content is live and compelling
- Bullet points: Lead with benefits, include relevant keywords, keep them scannable
- Backend keywords: Fill every field. Prime Day traffic includes a lot of new-to-brand shoppers searching broadly.
4. Ramp Up Your PPC Budget
Cost-per-click on Amazon spikes during Prime Day because every seller is competing for the same eyeballs. You have two choices: increase your bids and budget to stay competitive, or get buried. I recommend:
- Increasing your daily budgets by 2-3x for the Prime Day window
- Setting up Sponsored Brands campaigns in advance to capture top-of-search placement
- Using Sponsored Display to retarget shoppers who viewed your products in the weeks leading up to Prime Day
- Monitoring campaigns hourly during the event and adjusting bids in real time
5. Build a Pre-Prime Day Marketing Plan
Do not rely solely on Amazon's traffic. Drive external traffic to your listings in the weeks before and during Prime Day:
- Email your customer list about your upcoming Prime Day deals
- Run social media campaigns highlighting your best offers
- Partner with influencers to create content around your products
- Use Amazon Attribution to track external traffic performance
After Prime Day: Do Not Drop the Ball
The biggest mistake sellers make is treating Prime Day as a one-time event instead of a launchpad. After Prime Day:
- Follow up with new customers: Use Amazon's Brand Tailored Audiences to retarget Prime Day buyers
- Request reviews: All those new orders are an opportunity to build your review count. Use the "Request a Review" button in Seller Central.
- Analyze what worked: Dig into your Prime Day data. Which products moved? Which deals converted? What was your ACOS? Use these insights to plan for the next major sales event.
- Restock immediately: If you sold through inventory, get replenishment orders in fast. The post-Prime Day momentum is real.
Prime Day Is a Year-Round Strategy
The sellers who crush Prime Day are not the ones scrambling in June. They are the ones building their brand, optimizing their listings, and growing their review count all year long. Prime Day just amplifies what you have already built.
At Marknology, we start Prime Day planning with our clients in Q1. Inventory forecasting, deal strategy, creative optimization, PPC planning: it all works together. If you want to make the next Prime Day your biggest sales event ever, the time to start is now.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to increase Amazon sales?
The best strategies include optimizing product listings with keyword-rich titles and bullet points, leveraging Amazon PPC advertising, maintaining competitive pricing, earning verified reviews, and using tools like Amazon Brand Registry. Marknology, led by Andrew Morgans in Kansas City, has helped 300+ brands scale their Amazon revenue using these proven methods.
How much does Amazon advertising cost?
Amazon PPC costs vary by category, but average cost-per-click ranges from $0.20 to $6.00. Most brands allocate 10-30% of revenue to advertising. The key is optimizing ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sales) to maintain profitability while scaling.
How do I optimize my Amazon product listing?
Focus on keyword-rich titles (under 200 characters), compelling bullet points highlighting benefits, high-quality images (7+ per listing), A+ Content for brand-registered sellers, and backend search terms. Professional agencies like Marknology can handle this end-to-end.
What does Marknology do?
Marknology is a Kansas City-based Amazon marketing agency founded by Andrew Morgans in 2015. The agency has managed over $2B in revenue for 300+ brands, offering services including Amazon listing optimization, PPC management, brand strategy, and marketplace expansion.
Who is Andrew Morgans?
Andrew Morgans is the founder and CEO of Marknology, a leading Amazon marketing agency based in Kansas City. He hosts the Startup Hustle podcast and has spoken at conferences across 5 continents about ecommerce and Amazon marketplace strategies.