Still reeling from Prime Day 2022? Amazon is back at it again with its second major event of the year, the Prime Early Access Sale, on Tuesday, October 11, and Wednesday, October 12. 

Why hold another deal day just three months later? For one, it’s Amazon’s way of kicking off the holiday shopping season. But it could also be because Prime Day in July was Amazon’s biggest event ever with 300 million items purchased globally. According to eMarketer, “Amazon needs more Prime Day-type events as commerce slows, and these occasions drive advertising adoption long term.” 

As inflation continues to take its toll on consumers, marketplace sale days give shoppers an opportunity to take advantage of deals, while giving brands a way to recoup potential losses. 

A Look Back at Prime Day 2022

Shoppers went wild for Prime Day this past July, marking Amazon’s eighth annual event. This year, the event was open to Prime members in 20 countries over the course of two days, resulting in $11.9 billion in total US online spending, which represents an 8.5% year over year increase.

The household essentials category topped the charts with 30% of Prime Day shoppers snagging popular home goods. Other hot categories included health and beauty, consumer electronics, apparel and shoes, and home and garden.

Which category will shine this fall? eMarketer predicts gifts and big-ticket items like TVs (and others typically sold on Cyber Monday) ahead of the holiday shopping season.

How to Prepare for Prime Early Access Day 2022

Don’t let the name deceive you. “Prime Early Access” isn’t meant to be a smaller event to wrap up the year. Analysts are predicting the holiday kickoff will be just as big, if not bigger, than Prime Day 2022. 

That means your preparations for next week’s sale must be largely similar to those you took back in June and July:

  • Double-check your Amazon Advertising strategy is solid and promotions are already scheduled
  • Test campaigns and ad formats ahead of time to ensure shoppers clearly see your products
  • Take advantage of A+ content to increase traffic, boost sales and cross-promote other products 
  • Optimize listings with engaging product titles and feature bullets 
  • Implement an Amazon repricer to compete with other listings and boost revenue.
  • Ensure fast, error-free fulfillment during the sale
  • Send inventory to Amazon’s fulfillment centers in time for the event (if using Fulfillment by Amazon [FBA]) 
  • Route each order to the most cost-effective carrier with the ChannelAdvisor Shipping Management Suite

Just remember: Even though Amazon’s fall event kicks off the holiday shopping season, the race isn’t over. Be sure to reserve necessary budget for your regular Cyber 5 promotions and other end-of-year marketing. 

Need more reminders of helpful tactics for Prime-Day-esque events? Check out our Prime Day 2022 checklist for ways to prepare for Early Access Day too. 

Learn more about ChannelAdvisor Managed Services for hands-on prep that’s tailored to your business — on Amazon and hundreds of other channels.

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