The Mars Agency offers seven strategies for building a more effective partnership with Amazon and a winning engagement plan for the billions of shoppers it attracts.
From all the evidence so far, Amazon seems to be having another strong holiday season.
The ecommerce giant effectively launched the holiday season by hosting its second annual “Prime Big Deal Days” in October, then once again beat out all other retailers during the critical Cyber 5 window at the end of November. And its AWS advertising services division continues to lead the way in the retail media marketplace. 
And while its efforts to build up a substantial brick-and-mortar CPG business can still accurately be labeled a “work in progress” (aside from the Whole Foods chain), Amazon is a critical retail partner for all consumer product marketers, not only for the direct sales it delivers but for the impact it has on sales across the retail landscape: 50% of all product searches begin on Amazon.com, according to Search Engine Land.
The following are 7 recommendations that brands should consider to build a more strategic partnership with Amazon and build a winning engagement plan for the billions of shoppers it attracts:
Employ a Test & Learn Strategy: Amazon is relentlessly refining existing capabilities and rolling out new ones to address shopper (and sometimes advertiser) needs and stay ahead of the growing competition. Make sure you have a test & learn budget that will let you experiment with new offerings.
Integrate with Amazon Content: Leverage Amazon’s growing array of owned properties — Prime Video, Thursday Night Football, Twitch — to drive full-platform engagement with its audience.
Support Amazon Initiatives: While ongoing activation is also important, make sure you’re activating during Amazon’s key drive windows (like the ones mentioned earlier) to attract and retain shoppers.
Create Basket-Building Events: Lean into Amazon’s Stock-Up & Save platform for Prime members to create volume-driving, basket-building events.
Plan Full-Funnel Activation: Build re-targeting audiences off of your national advertising activity to create efficiency and drive conversion.
Utilize Data & Analytics: Leverage the data available through Amazon Marketing Cloud and Amazon Advertising to inform your strategic planning.
Build Omnichannel Experiences: Activate across Amazon’s various opportunities, like the Core platform for bulk purchasing, Amazon Fresh in-store and delivery services, and of course Amazon.com itself, to build a shopper experience that integrates media, online merchandising, and in-store activity.
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The Mars Agency’s Customer Development practice is an unrivaled team of in-market commerce experts who simplify the complexity of retail. Located in Bentonville, Minneapolis, Cincinnati and the “backyards” of other key retailers, they provide deep knowledge of the retailer, expertise in key business areas (like strategy, media and creative), and door-opening personal relationships with key executives to deliver an unmatched level of business success for clients across accounts, channels and shopper engagement platforms. For more information, contact SVP-GM Kandi Arrington.
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