What Prime Day Means for Sellers in 2026
Amazon Prime Day is a manufactured holiday that generates billions in sales in 48 hours. In 2024, Prime Day reportedly crossed $14 billion in global sales. For Amazon sellers, it is the single biggest sales opportunity outside of Q4 Black Friday/Cyber Monday. And the brands that prepare months in advance crush the ones that scramble a week before.
At Marknology, we start Prime Day prep in March for a July event. That is not overkill. That is what it takes to get inventory in position, listings optimized, deals submitted, and advertising campaigns structured for a 48-hour sprint that can represent 5 to 10% of your annual revenue.
"If you have done your job right as a brand or as an agency owner that helps brands, you are getting stuff ready ahead of time. The weeks before Prime Day. But there are last minute things that can go wrong."
The Complete Preparation Timeline
March to April: Strategic Planning
- Review last year's Prime Day performance (or your best sales events if you are new)
- Identify which ASINs you will focus on. Not everything needs a Prime Day push.
- Begin inventory forecasting. Plan for 3 to 5x normal daily sales volume during Prime Day.
- Set your Prime Day revenue and profitability goals
April to May: Inventory and Supply Chain
- Place manufacturing orders. If your lead time is 60 to 90 days, April is already tight.
- Arrange inbound shipping to FBA. Amazon's receiving can take 2 to 4 weeks during peak.
- Check your IPI (Inventory Performance Index) score. Low scores mean storage limits that could prevent you from sending enough inventory.
- Submit Lightning Deal and Best Deal applications (Amazon opens submissions months early, deadlines vary by year)
May to June: Listing Optimization
- Update all main images, secondary images, and A+ Content
- Refresh titles and bullet points with current high-volume keywords
- Update backend search terms based on latest PPC data
- Ensure Brand Story is live on all ASINs
- Set up A/B tests through Manage Your Experiments (start early so you have a winner by Prime Day)
June to July: Advertising Prep
- Build dedicated Prime Day campaigns (do not just increase budgets on existing campaigns)
- Create Sponsored Brand Video ads specifically for Prime Day
- Set up DSP campaigns for retargeting 2 weeks before the event
- Pre-load increased budgets but keep them paused until the day before
- Test all ad creatives at least 2 weeks before the event to ensure approval
Inventory Planning (The Make-or-Break Factor)
Running out of stock during Prime Day is the most expensive mistake you can make. When you sell out:
- Your deals stop running
- Your organic rank drops immediately
- Competitors capture your search positions
- It takes weeks to recover the momentum you lost
Plan for 3x to 5x your normal daily sales volume for each day of Prime Day. Then add a 20% buffer. Better to have excess inventory after Prime Day (which will sell through in the following weeks anyway) than to stock out at peak.
"The number one way to win on Amazon is simply to have your product in stock. Do not run out. If you need to run lean, run lean. But keep your products available."
Listing Optimization Checklist
- ☐ Main image follows Amazon standards and wins the "flash card test" (2-second glance recognition)
- ☐ All 7 image slots filled (lifestyle, infographic, comparison, scale/size)
- ☐ Title includes primary keyword and is optimized for mobile truncation (first 80 characters count most)
- ☐ Bullet points lead with benefits, include keywords naturally
- ☐ A+ Content is live and updated
- ☐ Brand Story is live and links to other products
- ☐ Backend keywords are fully optimized (no wasted bytes)
- ☐ Star rating is 4.0+ (below 4.0 and Prime Day traffic will not convert)
Advertising Strategy for Prime Day
Prime Day advertising is not just "spend more." It requires a specific approach:
- Increase budgets 3 to 5x on your best-performing campaigns
- Create dedicated Prime Day campaigns with higher bids for top converting keywords
- Launch Sponsored Display retargeting 7 days before to warm up audiences
- Use day-parting if possible to concentrate spend during peak shopping hours
- Monitor budgets hourly during the event to ensure campaigns do not run out mid-day
Deals, Coupons, and Promotions
- Lightning Deals: Time-limited deals that appear on the Prime Day Deals page. High visibility but require a significant discount (typically 20%+ off) and Amazon charges a fee.
- Best Deals: Run for the entire duration of Prime Day. Lower discount requirements but still need to be competitive.
- Coupons: The green "coupon" badge on your listing. Even 5 to 10% off coupons significantly boost click-through rates. Use them on every ASIN during Prime Day.
- Prime Exclusive Discounts: Price discounts visible only to Prime members. These show a slashed price directly in search results, which boosts CTR.
During Prime Day: War Room Playbook
- Monitor inventory levels every 2 to 4 hours
- Check ad campaign budgets hourly and increase as needed
- Watch for Buy Box suppression (pricing algorithm can act up during high-traffic events)
- Respond to customer questions within 1 hour
- Track deal performance and document everything for next year's planning
- Do NOT make major listing changes during Prime Day (risk of listing suppression)
After Prime Day: Capitalize on Momentum
Prime Day does not end when the clock strikes midnight. The week after is critical:
- Maintain elevated ad budgets for 7 to 10 days to capture the "halo effect" of improved organic ranking
- Request reviews on all Prime Day orders
- Analyze performance: Which ASINs exceeded targets? Which fell short? Why?
- Begin planning for Q4 using Prime Day data as your baseline
Prime Day is a marathon disguised as a sprint. The brands that start early, stock deep, optimize everything, and maintain discipline during the event come out ahead. See how we approach major sales events at Marknology, and follow the Startup Hustle Podcast for real-time Amazon strategy updates.
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