How to Use the Amazon Halo Effect for Q4 Tentpole Events

October Prime Day (Prime Big Deal Days) is a great opportunity for Prime members to enjoy exclusive discounts in various product categories on Amazon and purchase items at better prices. For eCommerce brands, this is a chance to grow brand awareness, attract customers, and boost sales. 

But, the possibility for both parties to benefit from this 48-hour event doesn’t stop once it's over. How, you may ask. The answer lies in the halo effect. Many brands see an increase in sold products a week or two after summer Prime Day thanks to the halo effect. Major tentpole events tend to attract more customers, and according to Adobe, online sellers saw up to a 50% boost in sales after Prime Day. A similar effect can be expected after the latest Amazon event.

Keep reading to learn how you can use the time after Prime Big Deal Days to your advantage ahead of the upcoming gifting season shopping occasions—Black Friday and Cyber Monday occurring during Cyber Week, also known as Cyber 5. 

Understanding the Amazon Prime Day Halo Effect

Q4 marks the start of the holiday shopping season, especially on Amazon. After all, it’s the go-to place for millions of people worldwide to explore, compare, buy, and review products. Many Amazon Prime members have been carefully making purchase lists and prepping for the Prime Big Deal Days. They were looking for the best offers and discounts, whether in need of everyday household items or gifts for the upcoming holidays. Some didn’t purchase during the event but can benefit from brands that offer deals and promotions after it’s over.

Numerous brands are noticing the positive halo effect on Amazon, as people are interested and continue to purchase after Prime Day, even products that are not being actively advertised. Similarly to after July Prime Day, the period between October Prime Day and BFCM (Black Friday and Cyber Monday) is your opportunity to ride on the halo effect wave and boost sales. This halo effect expands beyond Amazon and is visible on DTC and other eCommerce sites as well.

October, November, and December are the months when both online and in-store shoppers explore brands and products, check product reviews, and compare prices to find the best deals for their next purchases ahead of the holidays—from Halloween to Christmas and New Year. Let’s explore what you can do to benefit from the ongoing shopping surge behind the halo effect, and how to get your brand in front of potential customers and convert them into buyers.

How to Benefit from the Halo Effect Ahead of Cyber 5

The latest Prime Big Deal Days showed that holiday shopping and preparation were at the forefront as people wanted to start early with seasonal purchases, especially with the upcoming Halloween at the end of the month. If you are selling giftable items or Halloween and Christmas-themed products, this is your chance to attract more shoppers and increase your revenue. 

Offer Deals and Coupons 

The halo effect means that people are already actively searching for items as they continue to purchase after the two-day October Prime event. One important thing that we noticed was that deals were crucial for improving conversion rates. Brands that didn't offer deals during Prime Big Deal Days experienced higher traffic but much lower conversion rates. Therefore, you should continue offering deals in the upcoming weeks. Observing your competitors can help you adjust your promotions and get ahead of them. Use social media, DTC, and email marketing to inform your current and potential customers about your discounts. 

Retarget Customers 

A customer may have seen your ad before or during fall Prime Day and landed on your product detail page. Maybe they explored your Amazon Store and even added items to the cart, but they didn’t purchase from you. There are many reasons why this can happen. It could be that they are waiting to purchase it later during Q4. In any case, you can use retargeting to remind these customers about abandoned carts and entice them to complete the purchase. This tactic has great potential during the ongoing Prime Day hallo effect.

Optimize Product Listing Pages

In addition to deals and retargeting, there is one sales-boosting approach that many eCommerce brands overlook on Amazon, and it requires optimizing your product listings. Amazon sellers who underestimate the importance of well-optimized product listing pages ahead and after Prime Day events can be faced with a dire situation. If customers do not see their products as the Amazon algorithm pushes competitors' products in front of them, they will lose potential sales. 

To avoid this, you should regularly optimize your listings with relevant product titles, bullet points, descriptions, and A+ content. Include selected keywords throughout your product pages and incorporate as many high-quality product images as possible. Having a video demonstrating your product in use and highlighting its key benefits can increase the odds of selling on Amazon. 

Running ad campaigns off-Amazon on Google and social media, such as TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as collaboration with influencers, can help you attract more customers to your product listings and boost halo sales.

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Get and Use Customer Reviews

5-star ratings and numerous positive customer reviews can also boost your sales during Q4. Use your product reviews to adjust product descriptions and boost brand credibility and trust. This is especially crucial during the halo effect on tentpole events. Amazon is a trusted place for online shoppers, with over 310 million global users. Even smaller brands on Amazon can gain more visibility and potential sales during the halo effect, as Amazon's algorithm pushes well-reviewed products higher up in search results.

You can utilize Amazon’s Request a Review feature in Seller Central to manually request reviews or automated third-party tools to ask for customer reviews. The better customers perceive your brand, the more likely they are to purchase from you after Prime Big Deal Days. 

Create a Brand Store

If you meet the requirements but don’t already have a Brand Store on Amazon, you should consider making it ahead of the upcoming holiday shopping events. It is your chance to stand out, showcase your product catalog, and inform and engage customers with enticing visuals. And it’s free to create one. Having a Storefront can help you maximize the effects of the increased shopping momentum. 

For example, suppose you are a beauty brand advertising your most popular skincare product. Customers may visit your Brand Store, explore your catalog, and purchase additional beauty items not included in your ad. This highlights the importance of having an updated and well-organized product catalog enticing shoppers to purchase in bundles. 

Lastly, your branding should be strong, consistent, and easy to recognize not only on the Amazon platform, but also on your website, social media, and in your email marketing.

To learn more about ways to prepare for the upcoming tentpole events, we recommend reading our blog “6 Tips to Prepare for Q4 Tentpole Events”.

Reach out to our Amazon advertising team to discover how we can help your brand achieve success during Q4 and beyond.