Using 'Today’s Deals' To Sell On Amazon

The “Today’s Deals” page is the most visited page on Amazon. It attracts millions of viewers and consumers every day, and the products on the first few pages tend to sell out within hours, if not minutes.

Sellers, listen up.

How can you can you use this “Today’s Deals” page to your advantage? What techniques can you incorporate into your business strategy to get your products approved for submission into the elitist of the elite Amazon promotional pages?

What Are "Today's Deals?"

When a customer goes to the Amazon site to browse or purchase a product, they will see a row of tabs at the top that includes: Your Amazon.com, Today’s Deals, Gift Cards & Registry, Sell, Help, and other account-specific buttons. These tabs help the user to easily navigate Amazon’s site.

The “Today’s Deals” is Amazon’s way to promote certain lightning deals, daily deals, and limited-time sales. This is great for the customer, who gets a discount, for Amazon, who makes more sales, and for the seller, who gets their product in front of the eyes of millions of customers who click on the Today’s Deals tab.

Three Types of "Today's Deals" Promotions

1. Deals of the Day refer to single products or packages that remain discounted for the entire day.
2. Savings and Sales features a selection of all the many discounted items and ongoing promotions occurring throughout the Amazon marketplace at any given time. These deals are handpicked directly by Amazon.
3. Lightning Deals refer to listings whereby a unit is paired with limited-time extra-saving coupons. A countdown timer on the listing indicates how much longer the promotion will be in effect. There is a limited number of promotional discounts, so oftentimes there are even wait-lists for the most popular Lightning Deal items. This type of deal is seller-driven, and thus requires some strategizing on the seller's end; this type of promotion will remain the primary focus of this how-to guide.

What Do Lightning Deals Do for Sellers?

Unlike pay-per-click ads or other promotional marketing tactics, running a Lightning Deal will not force you to pay any money out of pocket. Instead, a seller need only be willing to accept lower profit margins on those discounted items. Sellers have even utilized lightning deals to elevate their brands to be best sellers. Nick Landowski of the Amazon Private Label Show Podcast details his experience in one of his episodes.

However, it is important to think of Lightning Deals not so much a short-term money-making strategy as a long-term marketing objective. You are sacrificing the profit margins today for future benefits.

Visibility

“Today’s Deals” is one of the most visited pages, with millions of views per day. This means even participating in one Lightning Deal can get your brand seen by millions of potential consumers.

If they buy today, that means more sales, more reviews, and a higher Seller rating and ranking in the future. Even if they don’t buy from your deal today, you likely remain at the front of their mind for future purchases, as they have already seen your product listed as 'recommended by Amazon'.

Furthermore, if a consumer is not on the “Today’s Deal” page but using the search bar to find a product similar to yours, your listing will be flagged in results as a Lightning Deal. This means that you have an even better chance of converting consumers already looking to buy your products!

Halo Effect

The halo effect is the bias that a consumer has towards a person, company, or brand as influenced by an opinion in another area. When a customer sees one of your brand’s products listed in the Lightning Deals, they will be more likely to buy similar products from your company during and after the deal. This is why Amazon includes the “yellow button,” which is an options bar to show the variations of a product.

Similarly, the Lightning Deal is your time to wow consumers. If someone purchases one of your Lightning Deal units, they will continue to come back to you so long as you, seller, continue to offer a great product with great service, at a great price. You are creating optimal conditions to acquire a repeat consumer.It is important to note that Lightning Deals can change position on the Today’s Deals page; your deal might start off as listed on the first page and end up on the twentieth. This position changes in real time in accordance with how well the deal is performing. Thus, if your deal is performing incredibly well, you get pushed to the front—which equals even more visibility and sales!

Sense Of Urgency

Creating a sense of urgency is an age-old sales strategy designed to incite indecisive customers into action, leading to quicker purchases and a higher conversion rate. The countdown timer associated with Lightning Deals is instrumental in creating this necessary pressure.

The “orange bar” shows the percentage of the deal claimed. This indicates how much of the deal's quota has already been purchased and the percentage of the offer still available (as the seller gives only a limited quantity of Lightning Deals). This similarly creates a sense of urgency, in the form of peer pressure. Not only are they fighting the countdown clock, they’re also fighting fellow consumers to get the best deals.

What Are The Requirements For A Lightning Deal?

Only those with a Professional Seller account are eligible to submit a Lightning Deal. There are three main requirements that your product must meet before being approved for a Lightning Deal.

Product Star Rating: It is crucial to have a great review ranking. The more stars you have, the better your product will perform overall. Amazon has confirmed that Lightning Deals must meet a minimum rating requirement, which is calculated based on the number of reviews and the overall star rating. However, they have not given a specific threshold to reach. Ultimately, you just need to rack up those stars.

Fulfillment:Generally, Amazon only accepts Lightning Deals from companies who use Fulfillment by Amazon (in order to be Prime Eligible).

Variation and Availability:For certain products, Amazon wants all variations that exist to be listed. If you offer multiple variations of the same product (i.e. different colors and sizes), they must all be listed in order to be approved.

Here is the outlined criteria for deal eligibility on their site linked below.

How to Appear on Today's Deals

If Amazon recommends one of your products, you can then submit a promotion to be approved by Amazon. There are four steps to creating a thorough submission.

1. Deal Quantity: List as much stock as possible. This quantity must be available in FBA inventory at least 7 days prior to the lightning deal.
2. Deal Price: Set your discount and sale price. You may want to consider using Amazon’s suggested maximum amount. The better the deal, the more attractive it is to Amazon’s submission process and to customers. The best deals tend to be 15-20% off the Buy Box price.
3. Deal Image: Your primary image should be clear, and prominently display the product. Forget colored backgrounds, words, or unusual angles. Stick to the best shot of the item.
4. Deal Schedule: Lightning Deals generally run 4-6 hours. Select an available Deal Day that not many others have in order to boost your own chances of approval.

Note that Amazon will not promote items that have been recently included on the Today’s Deals page. Thus, if you recently saw a product on that page that is similar to your item, hold off a bit before submitting your deal.

After you have created your submission, Amazon will decide whether or not to include you based on Seller review rank and the value of the deal.

Expand Your E-commerce Business

Seller’s Choice is a digital marketing solution provider dedicated to the interests, growth, and profitability of e-commerce brands. For more updates, industry news, and e-commerce expertise, visit our site or get in touch.