Marketers, brace yourselves! It’s officially that time of the year.
A day when Amazon offers exclusive deals and discounts to its Prime members, from electronics and gadgets to home goods and apparel. Prime Day usually attracts a lot of attention from shoppers looking for significant savings and deals.
Without a doubt, this has become a massive shopping event, drawing millions of shoppers with its promise of exclusive deals and discounts. For direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands, competing with such a retail giant can seem daunting.
However, before you start losing sleep over this, there are a few strategic ways for DTC brands to not only survive but thrive during Prime Day and we’re going to tell you all about it:
Offer Free Shipping
Have you considered providing free shipping options? According to research, customers love the convenience of free shipping! Here are some statistics I pulled:
62% of consumers say they wouldn’t buy from an online retailer that doesn’t provide free shipping.
47% of online shoppers are willing to spend a bit more to qualify for free shipping.
42% of consumers would join a retailer’s loyalty program just to get free shipping, while 30% would hold off on a promotional offer.
26% of shoppers have abandoned their carts because they didn’t meet the free shipping minimum.
As you can see, people really value free shipping—so much so that they’re often willing to spend more to get it! That’s why it’s a good idea to set a minimum free shipping threshold to protect your profits while still encouraging more sales.
You could also think about launching a loyalty program that rewards repeat customers with shipping perks.
For instance, after a customer places a few orders, offer them free shipping on their next purchase as a thank-you. Customers are not going to miss out on free shipping! They’ll most likely place an order again, I know I would!
Use Social Media Platforms and Emails To Your Advantage
It’s 2024, everybody who’s anybody is on social media.
Reports indicate that 4.95 billion people worldwide are currently active on social media. Imagine tapping into an audience of 4.95 billion people! That’s a huge opportunity!
With that being said, social media is clearly a great way to generate some buzz around your brand during the Prime Day period. Use platforms like Instagram and Facebook (or anywhere your customers may be) to build excitement!
Regular posts can be a little boring, especially with the sea of content we see these days. Try interactive content like polls or quizzes to get your followers involved. For example, you can try asking, “Which product would you love to see on sale for Prime Day?”
A question like that gets people to respond (boosting your engagement) and you will also learn what your customers are truly interested in.
You could also host fun live videos demonstrating your products or answering questions in real time. 50% of TikTok users have made a purchase after watching a TikTok LIVE session.
Imagine a live Q&A session where you highlight customer favorites and reveal sneak peeks of upcoming deals.
We can’t stress this enough, personalise your marketing emails! Work on your copies, write something that gets your subscribers’ attention. And no, just writing their names won’t cut it anymore. People are smarter now, they understand marketing gimmicks.
For example, if you notice someone often buying skincare products, send them a message highlighting exclusive skincare deals or giving them early access to sales just for them.
You could say something like, “Hey [Name], we know how much you love our Hydrating Moisturizer! We’re giving you early access to our Prime Day deals so you can grab it before anyone else!”
Highlight Your Brand Story
Unlike Amazon, DTC brands have the advantage of a direct relationship with their customers.
Every brand is unique. Use this opportunity to share your brand story, values, and mission to gain traction. Consumers are always looking to support brands that resonate with their own personal values.
We suggest sharing behind-the-scenes content, customer testimonials, and the story behind your products. Authenticity can evoke a strong emotional connection that differentiates your brand from Amazon's impersonal marketplace.
Work On Those Bundles & Discounts
If you want to keep up with Amazon's Prime Day deals, you'll need to step up your discount game. Capitalize on the Prime Day shopping frenzy by offering exclusive deals and promotions on your website. Retailers like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy have provided competing deals in past years.
Make these deals time-sensitive to create that sense of urgency we all know gets people clicking "buy."
Also, keep an eye on buyer behaviour.
Have you been noticing certain products that customers frequently buy together? Bundle those items!
With this approach, you create product bundles that provide more value than purchasing items individually, which will help with sales.
This is one of our favorite strategies because customers get both a discount and a bundle, while you benefit from increased average order value. It’s a win-win situation, don’t you think?
How Is Your Customer Service?
One of the biggest advantages DTC brands have is the ability to provide customised customer service.
Make sure you're available to answer questions, address concerns, and offer support whenever your customers need it.
For example, if a customer reaches out with a question about product ingredients. Instead of just sending a generic, chatbot response, take a moment to provide in-depth information and maybe even share a few testimonials of how the product helped someone else.
A personal touch like this can go a long way!
Regularly Monitor Performance
During Prime Day period, keep a close eye on your sales, website traffic, and how customers are interacting with your site.
Use analytics tools to track key metrics, like which products are flying off the shelves or which pages are getting the most views. For example, if you notice that a particular bundle is getting a lot of clicks but not many sales, it might be time to tweak your messaging or pricing.
When you run promotions, take advantage of the buzz around Prime Day by increasing your ad budgets, especially for search and affiliate marketing. But if you can't match those big Prime Day discounts, it might be a good idea to dial back your marketing efforts and pick them up again after the event when competition and costs are lower.
Keep in mind that during busy shopping times, the costs for ads can go up. For brands that aren’t offering similar discounts during Prime Day, aggressive advertising might not give you the best returns at a higher cost.
So, consider cutting back on marketing in the days leading up to Prime Day and for a bit afterward until things calm down and costs go back to normal.
Once Prime Day wraps up, take a step back and review everything. What worked well? Maybe a specific promotion led to a big spike in sales, or perhaps your social media engagement was through the roof. On the flip side, if something didn’t go as planned—like a product that didn’t attract much interest—take note of that too.
For instance, if you see that customers loved your skincare bundles but didn’t respond as well to your hair care products, you can shift your focus for future events. Use these information to refine your strategies going forward. Maybe next time, you could create even more appealing bundles or run targeted ads that highlight your best-sellers.
Final Words
As we prepare for Prime Day 2024, embrace these strategies and turn this shopping event into an opportunity for growth. With the right approach, you can not only survive the competition but truly thrive!
SO, WHERE DO YOU FIND THIS PARTNER?
Well, aren’t we glad you asked! We at DigiCom are obsessive data-driven marketers pulling from multi-disciplinary strategies to unlock scale. We buy media across all platforms and placements and provide creative solutions alongside content creation, and conversion rate optimizations. We pride ourselves on your successes and will stop at nothing to help you grow.
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