Prime Big Deal Days, October 10 and 11: Your Q4 Kickoff Plan

Amazon’s October Prime event is back, now called Prime Big Deal Days. It runs on October 10 and 11, 2023. Like last year’s Prime Early Access Sale, it is a two-day event for Prime members that marks the start of holiday shopping.

A week out, here is how to make October count for your whole Q4.

Treat it as the start of the season

Last year showed that many shoppers use the October event to start buying gifts. Sales and rank you gain now can carry into November and December. So plan Prime Big Deal Days as the first part of one Q4 plan, not a separate event.

This week

• Check stock and capacity. Make sure you have enough for the event and for Black Friday. Use your capacity limits for products that sell best in Q4.
• Clean up campaigns. Cut wasted search terms. Harvest proven keywords into exact match.
• Refresh listings. Add gift angles where they fit and make sure images look sharp on mobile.
• Confirm discounts. Coupons, Prime exclusive discounts and deals should be scheduled. Consider Brand Tailored Promotions for cart abandoners and past customers.

October 10 and 11

• Raise budgets on your best campaigns so they never run out.
• Bid up on exact match keywords that convert well.
• Run Sponsored Brands and video on category keywords.
• Fully fund brand defense, including Sponsored Display on your own product pages.
• Check spend and stock several times each day.

After the event

• Lower budgets gradually. Do not drop back to normal overnight.
• Retarget shoppers who viewed during the event. Many will buy later as gifts.
• Harvest new search terms from event traffic.
• Restock quickly for November.

Budget for all of Q4

Split your Q4 budget into clear parts:

• Prime Big Deal Days and the days around it.
• Early November awareness and gift research.
• Black Friday to Cyber Monday, usually the biggest share.
• December last minute shoppers and the week after Christmas.

New this year

Amazon is adding more ways to reach shoppers, including the new Sponsored TV ads it announced recently, and AI review summaries are now showing on product pages. Make sure your reviews and listings tell a consistent story. We covered this in our post on AI review highlights.

The bottom line

Prime Big Deal Days kicks off Q4. Use it to win early holiday sales and rank, but keep enough stock and budget for Black Friday and December. If you want help with your Q4 plan, see our Amazon PPC management service or request a free audit.

FAQs

When is Prime Big Deal Days 2023?

Prime Big Deal Days 2023 runs on October 10 and 11.

Is Prime Big Deal Days the same as Prime Day?

It is a separate October event for Prime members, similar in style to Prime Day, and it marks the start of holiday shopping.

How should I split my Q4 ad budget?

Plan amounts for the October event, early November awareness, Black Friday to Cyber Monday, and December. The Black Friday period usually gets the largest share.