The holiday season is always a busy time for ecommerce advertisers, but Amazon’s 2018 holiday season was record-breaking. With more consumers in a buying mindset and last-minute shoppers relying on Amazon’s shipping reputation, advertisers had to leverage these trends to maximize their sales and ROI. Here are some key takeaways from how ecommerce advertisers made the most of Amazon’s holiday season.
Consumers were in a buying mindset, regardless of product category
One of the biggest trends that ecommerce advertisers noticed during Amazon’s holiday season was that consumers were in a buying mindset, regardless of the product category. Whether it was electronics, clothing, or home goods, consumers were eager to make purchases, which presented a huge opportunity for advertisers to capitalize on this willingness to spend.
Advertisers who were able to identify and target these buying signals were able to see a significant increase in sales and conversions. By focusing on holiday-specific keywords and creating compelling ad copy and imagery that resonated with consumers’ holiday shopping desires, advertisers were able to drive more traffic to their product listings and ultimately increase their sales.
Amazon’s shipping reputation brought in last-minute shoppers
Amazon’s reputation for fast and reliable shipping was a huge draw for last-minute shoppers during the holiday season. As the deadline for guaranteed delivery before Christmas approached, more and more shoppers turned to Amazon to ensure that their gifts would arrive on time.
Ecommerce advertisers who were able to take advantage of this trend by promoting their products as “last-minute gift ideas” or “guaranteed delivery before Christmas” saw a surge in sales. By leveraging Amazon’s shipping reputation in their ad copy and targeting last-minute shoppers with urgency-driven messaging, advertisers were able to capture the attention of these procrastinating buyers and drive them to make a purchase.
Sponsored Products stole some spend percentage share from Product Display
Another interesting trend that ecommerce advertisers noticed during Amazon’s holiday season was the shift in spend percentage share between Sponsored Products and Product Display ads. Sponsored Products, which are cost-per-click ads that promote individual product listings, saw a significant increase in ad spend, while Product Display ads, which are often used for brand awareness and targeting specific products or categories, saw a decrease in spend percentage share.
This shift can be attributed to advertisers recognizing the higher conversion rates and ROI of Sponsored Products, especially during the holiday season when consumers are actively searching for products to purchase. By reallocating their ad spend to Sponsored Products and optimizing their campaigns for maximum visibility and conversion, advertisers were able to capture more sales and drive a higher ROI from their holiday advertising efforts.
New Sponsored Brand placements grew impressions and drove down click-through-rate
Amazon introduced new placements for Sponsored Brand ads during the 2018 holiday season, which led to a growth in impressions but also a decrease in click-through-rate. This shift in performance metrics for Sponsored Brand ads presented both challenges and opportunities for ecommerce advertisers.
Advertisers who were able to adapt to these new placements and optimize their Sponsored Brand campaigns for increased visibility and click-through-rate saw a significant increase in brand awareness and consideration. By leveraging these new placements and crafting compelling ad creative that resonated with holiday shoppers, advertisers were able to drive more traffic to their brand’s storefront and product listings, ultimately leading to more sales and conversions.
Amazon improved advertiser experience for 2018, with room to continue improving in 2019
Overall, Amazon made significant improvements to the advertiser experience for the 2018 holiday season, providing advertisers with new ad placements, targeting options, and reporting tools to maximize their advertising efforts. However, there is still room for improvement, and ecommerce advertisers are eagerly anticipating the new features and opportunities that Amazon will introduce for the 2019 holiday season.
As ecommerce advertisers look ahead to the next holiday season, they are focused on refining their advertising strategies and leveraging the lessons learned from the 2018 holiday season to drive even better results in 2019. By staying ahead of trends, optimizing their campaigns for maximum performance, and capitalizing on Amazon’s improvements to the advertising platform, ecommerce advertisers are poised to make the most of Amazon’s record-breaking holiday season and continue to grow their sales and ROI in the future.
Conclusion
Amazon’s 2018 holiday season presented ecommerce advertisers with a wealth of opportunities to maximize their sales and ROI. By recognizing and leveraging consumer buying mindsets, last-minute shopping trends, and shifts in ad performance metrics, ecommerce advertisers were able to make the most of Amazon’s record-breaking holiday season. With Amazon’s continued improvements to the advertising platform and the lessons learned from the 2018 holiday season, ecommerce advertisers are poised to drive even better results in the 2019 holiday season and beyond.