The “Today’s Deals” page is the most visited page on Amazon. It attracts millions of viewers and consumers every day, and the products on the first few pages tend to sell out within hours, if not minutes.

So how can you use this “Today’s Deals” page to your advantage? What can better your chances of getting approved for submission into the elitist of elite Amazon promotional pages?

What is “Today’s Deals”?

When a customer goes to the Amazon site to browse or purchase a product, they will see a row of tabs at the top that includes Your Amazon.com, Today’s Deals, Gift Cards & Registry, Sell, Help, and other account-specific buttons. These tabs help to easily navigate Amazon’s site.

The “Today’s Deals” is Amazon’s way to promote certain lightning deals, daily deals, and limited-time sales. This is great for the customer, who gets a discount, for Amazon, who makes more sales, and for the seller, who gets their product in front of the eyes of millions of customers who click on the Today’s Deals tab.

Today’s Deals include three types of promotions:

1. Deals of the Day are a single product or package that is discounted for the entire day.

2. Savings and Sales are a selection of discounted items and ongoing promotions occurring throughout Amazon. These do not need approval by Amazon through submission, although Amazon handpicks them based on the deal and the seller offering the sale at their individual storefront.

3. Lightning Deals are when a unit is paired with limited-time extra-saving coupons. A countdown timer on the listing indicates how long the promotion is in effect. There is a limited number of promotional discounts, so oftentimes there are even wait-lists for the most popular items participating in a Lightning Deal.

What is the purpose of “Today’s Deals” for sellers?

Unlike pay per click ads or other promotional marketing, running a Lightning Deal will not force you to pay any money out of pocket. Instead, you lower your margins by offering a discount on the items you sell. However, it is important to think of Lightning Deals, not as a short-term moneymaking strategy but a long-term marketing objective. You are sacrificing the profit margins today for future benefits.

Visibility

“Today’s Deals” is one of the most visited pages, with millions of views per day. This means even participating in one Lightning Deal can get your brand seen by millions of potential consumers.

If they buy today, that means more sales, more reviews, and a higher Seller rating and ranking in the future. If they don’t buy from your deal today, you will be top of mind for their future purchases, as they have already seen your product listed as recommended by Amazon.

Furthermore, if a consumer is not on the “Today’s Deal” page but using the search bar to find a product similar to yours, your listing will be flagged in results as a lightning deal. This means that you have an even better chance of converting consumers already looking to buy your products!

Halo Effect

The halo effect is the bias that a consumer has towards a person, company, or brand as influenced by an opinion in another area. When a customer sees one of your brand’s products listed in the Lightning Deals, they will more likely buy similar products from your company during and after the deal. This is why Amazon includes the “yellow button,” which is an options bar to show the variations of a product.

Similarly, the Lightning Deal is your time to wow consumers. If someone purchases one of your Lightning Deal units, they will continue to come back to you if you offer a great product with great service (at a great price). You are setting yourself up to gain a repeat consumer.

Competitive Advantage

Lightning Deals put you above your competition because Amazon will favor you during the deal time. Amazon pushes top sellers with deep discounts, helping your product and brand to perform more effectively than your competitors.

It is important to note that Lightning Deals can change position on the Today’s Deals page, sometimes listed on the first page and sometimes on the twentieth. This position changes in real time in accordance with how well the deal is performing. Thus, if your deal is performing incredibly well, you get pushed to the front—even more visibility and sales!

Sense of Urgency

Creating a sense of urgency helps to incite decisive customers, leading to quicker purchases and a higher conversion rate. The countdown timer associated with Lightning Deals creates this necessary sense of urgency.

The “orange bar” shows the percentage of the deal claimed. This reveals how much of the product has already been purchased and the percentage of the offer still available (as the seller gives only a limited quantity of Lightning Deals). This creates an idea of peer pressure urgency. Not only are they fighting the countdown clock, they’re also fighting fellow consumers to get the best deals.

Clear Inventory 

A Lightning Deal is a great way to sell out your inventory. If you have units that are overstocked or sluggish, Lightning Deals can help turn over product quickly and efficiently, while getting your brand name in front of the eyes of millions.

What are the requirements for a Lightning Deal?

Only those with a professional Seller account are eligible to submit a Lightning Deal. There are three main requirements that your product must meet before being approved for a Lightning Deal.

Product Star Rating

As we’ve mentioned over and over in the past, it is crucial to have a great review ranking. The more stars you have, the better your product will perform overall. Amazon has confirmed that Lightning Deals have a minimum rating based on the number of reviews and the overall star rating. However, they have not given a specific threshold to reach. Ultimately, you just need to get those stars.

Fulfillment

Generally, Amazon only accepts Lightning Deals from companies who use Fulfillment by Amazon (in order to be Prime Eligible).

Variation and Availability

For certain products, Amazon wants all variations listed. This is not as applicable to home goods as it is too colored and sized products. However, if you offer multiple variations of the same product, they must all be listed in order to be approved.

Two Tips 

Tip 1: If you optimize your listings in accordance with The Ultimate Guide of SAO, you will have a better chance of being approved for a Lightning Deal.

Tip 2: Go to your Seller dashboard under the “Advertising” tab. You will see your Lightning Deals dashboard. Amazon will come up with a list of product recommendations that qualify for Lightning Deals.

How do you submit a Lightning Deal?

If Amazon recommends one of your products, you can then submit a promotion to be approved by Amazon. There are four steps to creating a thorough submission.

1. Deal Quantity 

List as much stock as possible. This quantity must be available in FBA inventory at least 7 days prior to the lightning deal. 

2. Deal Price

Set your discount and sale price. You may want to consider using Amazon’s suggested maximum. The better the deal, the more attractive it is to Amazon’s submission process and to customers. The best deals tend to be 15-20% off the Buy Box price.

3. Deal Image

Your primary image should be clear and prominently display the product. Forget colored backgrounds, words, or unusual angles. Stick to the best shot of the item.

4. Deal Schedule

Lightning Deals generally run 4-6 hours. Select an available Deal Day that not many others have in order to boost your chances of approval.

Amazon will also not promote items that have been recently included on the Today’s Deals page. Thus, if you recently saw a product on that page that is similar to your item, hold off a bit before submitting your deal.

After you have created your submission, Amazon will decide whether or not to include you based on Seller review rank and the breadth of the deal.

The Bottom Line

A Lightning Deal will help give you long-term promotional visibility with higher conversion rates, more product reviews, and a great chance to “wow” a lot of customers at once. Although taking a hit to your margins, Lightning Deals are one of the best ways to market yourself to the Amazon community.

Contact us at HomeRev to learn more about how to best submit a Lightning Deal for our lifestyle products!

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