A note from our CEO

Hey everyone,

Hope you had a great Memorial Day Weekend - summer is finally here.

MDW was off to a tricky start with a promise of 50% EU tariffs (that were quickly postponed) and threats to tariff iPhones made in India. At this point we’ve talked about tariffs a lot, but the ongoing uncertainty and staying power of the tariffs seems to stretch even the biggest optimists. And now we have a court battle shaping up. 90 days? Hard to say.

Most brands are focused on getting inventory into Amazon for Prime Day. I posted on LinkedIn last week about a surge in shipments to Amazon warehouses that would come from the China tariff drop last week. We’ve discovered some creative ways to get inventory in quicker and sometimes at lower cost with our friends at AMZ Prep. Drop me a note and I can share the program.

In this month’s newsletter, you’ll find:

• Our latest portfolio sales and ad spend index - is consumer demand softening?

• Prime Day best practices broken into 4 sections: Operations, Deal Planning, Content, and Advertising

• Latest Amazon search term trends

As always, I’d love to hear what you’re seeing in the market. Just hit reply.

And if you enjoy this newsletter, feel free to pass it on to anyone who might find it helpful.

Counting down to Prime Day,
Chris

Last Month’s Sales and Ad Spend Numbers

Prime Day Prep: Move now or Miss Out

Prime Day success hinges on early moves across logistics, deals, content, and media. Don’t wait. Start now—and treat the month like a full-funnel campaign.

📦 Inventory: The Race Is Already On

• FBA deadlines are closer than they look:

  • June 9: Minimal shipment splits

  • June 18: Optimized shipment splits

• But: FBA check-in times are already running 2+ weeks

• Our advice:

  • Target pickup this week (June 2-6) to allow buffer for prep, transit, and delays

  • Amazon deadlines are arrival deadlines—not ship-by dates

  • Lock in freight early; carriers will be overwhelmed

Missing inventory cutoffs is the fastest way to lose Prime Day upside.

💸 Deal Planning: Don’t Just Win the Day—Win the Month

• Deal options to consider:

  • Lightning Deals and Best Deals: high-velocity, high-fee

  • Prime Exclusive Discounts (PEDs): flexible, often underused

  • Lead-in and lead-out pricing: stretch momentum before/after the event

• Key rule:

  • Amazon requires 30 days of price stability for reference pricing

  • Last-minute price increases can invalidate deals

• Best practice:

  • Plan promotions like a media campaign—not a last-minute scramble

🛍️ Content: Show Up and Convert

• High-impact moves:

  • Update Brand Store with a Featured Deals page

  • Use clear Prime Day callouts and clean navigation

  • Refresh hero images and carousel assets—highlight discounts and bundles

• Don’t forget SEO:

  • Polish titles, bullet points, and backend keywords

• Timing tip:

  • Content is usually approved in 24 hours, but submit 3+ weeks early to be safe

Updating your store is a high-ROI move—even if you’re light on deals.

📣 Advertising: Budget for Four Days, Not Two

• This year’s PD event = four full days

  • Many brands will flame out early without budget pacing

• Key tactics:

  • Increase daily caps to avoid running out of spend

  • Flight budgets across all of July—not just the event window

  • Sponsored Brands banners with % off often get flagged → upload backups

  • Prime Day-specific creative = more relevance, better conversion

  • Explore “dayparting” by geography or category to catch peak hours

May Search Term Trends on Amazon

Each month, we track and analyze search volume and CPCs for popular Amazon search terms. Here are some recent trends we found interesting.