Another year. Another Amazon Prime Day(s). And with it comes the realization. Not only has the retail space forever been changed, but the entire buying cycle and perceived demand through limited time offer price breaks is changing. Black Friday is great. Why not replicate it, through a “Christmas in July” set of deals that are debatably better than those in November. Somehow, even without the need to buy for December gift giving, Amazon is able to create demand for products with time sensitive discounts. More impressive yet, is their ability to influence other retailers to also drop prices and offer deals on this day.

What do events like Amazon Prime mean for competitors and other online shops? Well, it means that there is an audience actively searching online for reviews, price matches, and other perks. If you have similar products, how are you getting your name out there to seize the opportunity?

Paid search, also referred to as SEM and PPC, is a great way to leverage the demand that Amazon has created. Before the next Prime Day, or the next online sales push, be sure to take these paid search steps:

• Ensure that your company and your products are at the top of search engines – and not just Google. Searches on Bing ads tend to have higher CTRs for shopping and financial services.
• Start your paid search campaign at least 60 days prior to the high traffic days, in order to optimize and establish key learnings.
• Budget accordingly, with additional budget allocated during the high search days, to ensure your able to keep up with the influx of searches.
• Work with a trusted media partner on keyword and ad strategy.

Since you only pay when the user clicks on your ad, there’s really nothing to lose and a lot to gain. Interested in paid search? Let’s chat more.