Leaves are falling, deals are dropping, and holiday shopping has officially begun.
Amazon Prime Big Deal Days returned October 6–7. Although Halloween is still weeks away, consumers are already thinking about this holiday and beyond. According to Stackline, 53% of shoppers planned to use the event to start their holiday shopping, signaling just how far forward the season has moved.
For brands, what happened during those 48 hours matters well beyond Amazon. The strategies and results we saw offer an early look at how to reach holiday shoppers who are starting earlier, seeking greater value, and comparing their options across retailers.
From standout strategies to shifting shopping behavior, here’s what stood out during Prime Big Deal Days and what brands can carry into the rest of the holiday season.
Give Shoppers a Reason to Act
Holiday shopping may be starting earlier, but that doesn’t mean the competition is any leaner, as consumers still have plenty of deals to choose from. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday still ahead, brands need to give shoppers a reason to act now instead of waiting for the next offer.
During Prime Big Deal Days, brands made the moment feel more immediate. Amazon dropped limited-time “Today’s Big Deals” 3 times a day, featuring brands like medicube and Dr.Jart+. Ring and Blink leaned into bundles, giving shoppers more value without relying on a single-product discount.
Price still matters, but shoppers want meaningful savings. According to Stackline, fewer than 1 in 6 Prime Big Deal Days shoppers wanted discounts under 20%. Interest at 25% off and nearly two-thirds of shoppers bit at 30% off, showing how quickly expectations rise as discounts deepen.
As the holiday continues, brands need to make each promotion feel valuable without simply making every discount bigger than the last. Prime Big Deal Days showed that urgency, exclusivity, and added value can make an offer more compelling while giving brands more room to compete throughout the season.
Follow the Shopper, Not Just the Sale
The checkout may happen on Amazon, but the decision rarely starts there. Prime Big Deal Days shoppers are moving across platforms as they discover products, compare options, and decide what is worth buying.
For amika, January Digital ran an always-on Meta traffic campaign directing shoppers to Amazon, building audiences throughout the year to scale during major promotional events. Using Meta’s pixel-less landing page view optimization, the campaign prioritized shoppers who reached Amazon rather than simply clicked an ad, while Amazon Attribution helped identify which creative drove attributed revenue.
Heading into Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this approach demonstrated the value of building audiences and identifying what worked ahead of major shopping events, giving brands a clearer understanding of where to invest as demand picks up.
Amazon Doesn’t Own the Demand It Creates
Prime Big Deal Days may belong to Amazon, but the shopping moment extends well beyond it, creating opportunities for retailers and brands to capture demand on their own channels.
Walmart stretched its Fall Deals event across a full week, while Target offered early access to Circle 360 members during Circle Deal Days. Ulta Beauty offered members 20% off online purchases, while Gap and SharkNinja ran overlapping promotions on their own sites.
The competition also impacted paid media. Across January Digital’s portfolio, brands that maintained or increased Meta spend during Prime Big Deal Days saw a median 19% increase in cost per click and 22% increase in cost per landing page view compared with the previous 5 days. For several apparel brands, impression costs remained steady while click-through declined, suggesting shoppers’ attention was shifting toward Prime deals.
For brands, the opportunity isn’t simply to match Amazon’s promotions or increase media spend. It’s about understanding how these major shopping moments influence consumer behavior and adjusting offers and investment accordingly.
Take October Into Cyber 5
Prime Big Deal Days may be over, but holiday shopping is just getting started. The event gave brands an early look at how consumers are shopping this season and, more importantly, time to act on what they learned.
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday still ahead, now is the time to carry those learnings forward. Brands that adapt now will be better positioned to make the most of a holiday season already well underway.
