Q4 Stats Support Buy Box Experts’ Push to Prepare Now for Holiday e-Shoppers

Big data makes clear that fourth quarter sales — to include Black Friday and Cyber Monday — can make or break a company. That data is what drives Buy Box Experts to emphasize the importance of preparing early for fourth quarter (Q4) sales as a key pillar of their consulting strategy.

Buy Box Experts is a respected Amazon marketing consultant firm that helps companies build their brands on Amazon. Their proprietary software gives clients easy access to competitor assessments and product data and automates and streamlines inventory management and product listing processes.

Though the holidays may seem a long way off, leaders at Buy Box Experts cite market research and statistics to show that Q4 is the linchpin of retail profits and something that must be prepared for starting in Q3 (July-September).

“It’s not unusual to see a company operate in the red throughout the year and then move well into the black due to holiday sales alone,” said Buy Box Experts partner, James Thomson. “We can’t overestimate the importance of retailers positioning themselves to appeal to holiday shoppers.”

Buy Box cites data from Shopify merchants that shows that in four days of Q4 2018 (those spanning Black Friday through Cyber Monday), orders came in at a rate of nearly 11,000 per minute for an average of about $37 million in sales per hour.

The firm also points to growth statistics from Adobe Analytics that show that e-commerce is increasingly ruling the day when it comes to Q4 sales. Adobe reports that last year’s Black Friday sales came in at $6.2 billion (up 28% from 2017) and Cyber Monday sales totaled 7.9 billion (up 19.3% from 2017).

Thomson and his team advise their clients that the secret to cashing in on this retail bonanza is early preparation.

“Amazon retailers should use Q3 to map out their Q4 strategy and start putting it into action,” said Thomson.

“Research shows that it takes consumers at least six weeks of consistent exposure just to be able to retain and recall information and sometimes longer to act on that information,” said James Thomson, Buy Box Experts Partner. “If sellers start thinking about their advertising campaign in October or November, they’re already behind the curve.”

Thomson encourages clients to prepare for Q4 by designing marketing campaigns — whether it be a Facebook campaign, paid ads, etc. — and pinpointing the appropriate target audience.

He said they can also use Q3 time to take steps such as updating product listings with expanded descriptions and strong photos, ensuring that all negative reviews have been responded to, watching trends for potential new products, establishing pricing, and optimizing listings for keywords.

Thomson is just one of several Amazon marketing experts on the company’s leadership team. Prior to becoming a partner at Buy Box Experts, he served as the business head of Amazon Services, the division of Amazon responsible for recruiting tens of thousands of sellers annually to the Amazon marketplace. He also served as the first Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) account manager.

Thomson wrote the book “The Amazon Marketplace Dilemma” for brand executives seeking to control their brands on the Amazon marketplace. He has been featured in Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., CNBC, Bloomberg, Internet Retailer, Globe and Mail, CBC, USA Today, and many other publications.

Thomson and his Buy Box team have managed over $2 billion in Amazon revenue and helped over 10,000 Amazon sellers increase total sales. To learn more about how Buy Box can help online retailers prepare for a successful Q4, visit www.BuyBoxExperts.com or call (801) 900-4723.

About Buy Box Experts

Buy Box Experts specializes in Amazon account management, including A+ content detail pages, Amazon product SEO, and brand equity management. Amazon sales consultants and branding strategy managers at Buy Box Experts help businesses sell more on Amazon and protect their brand equity.