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Prime Day is a Prime Opportunity for Non-Amazon Affiliates

FMTC News

October 1, 2020

By Rick Magennis

Amazon’s much-anticipated annual Prime Day starts October 13, 2020. It’s typically a huge event for Amazon affiliates, but you don’t have to be an Amazon affiliate to take advantage of the massive online shopping spree.

Amazon Prime Day has become a date that shoppers mark on their calendars each year. The online shopping event, usually held in the summer, was delayed this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amazon’s Prime Day, which started in 2015, gets bigger every year. This year, it’ll occur over a 48-hour period (October 13-14) and is projected to be the largest ever. Last year, Amazon raked in approximately $7.16 billion globally during a 36-hour period, according to Internet Retailer. Sales from the 2019 Prime Day event held in mid-July were higher than sales for 2018’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. Prime members worldwide purchased 175 million items during the two-day member-only sale.

Capitalizing on Prime Day

Because consumers are actively looking for deals on Prime Day, in recent years brands have started running their own offers to compete with Amazon.These brands know that if shoppers can find a better deal elsewhere they will take advantage of it. And with Amazon deeply cutting affiliate commissions back in April, many affiliates have sought out alternative affiliate programs as a way to earn more commissions. This means that brands and non-Amazon affiliates can capitalize (and cash in) on Prime Day.

Here are some actions for affiliates to take with brand partners in the coming weeks to get the most out of Prime Day:

Negotiate payouts – Talk to the brand’s affiliate manager and ask for an increased payout for that day. Let them know your strategy for maximizing sales.
Optimize websites and/or marketing channels – Make sure the website being used is set up to handle additional traffic and all landing pages and links have been tested. Optimization email lists and social media platforms.as well.
Ask brands for their Prime Day deals in advance -This gives you a head start. Allow email subscribers to get early access to the deals and have a leg up on the Amazon affiliates. Start promoting the weekend before Prime Day.
Get brands’ creatives the week before – This includes banners, landing pages, vanity codes, etc. Last minute scrambling will only hurt both parties.
Promote potential holiday gifts -This could include electronics, apparel, fitness equipment. Consumers are going to be using this day to buy holiday gifts. So, take advantage as much as possible.

Since Amazon’s Prime Day is taking place at the beginning of Q4, it is going to be right before Single’s Day (11/11), Thanksgiving (US), Black Friday, and Cyber Monday> So, if you’re an affiliate looking to end 2020 strong, this is your chance.

Good luck and happy selling!

This is a guest post:

Rick Magennis is a 10-year affiliate industry veteran, who spends the majority of his time on the brand side managing affiliate programs. He is the owner of Bearcat Media, an affiliate program management agency based in New Jersey.