What Can Small Online Businesses Learn from Amazon Prime Day?

Last week, online marketplace Amazon celebrated its 20^th anniversary with “Prime Day” by offering special sales exclusively to its Prime members — ultimately rivaling its annual Black Friday event.

Was Amazon’s Prime Day a success? Well, it depends on who you ask. Many shoppers took to Twitter to express their disappointment about the items that were offered. On the other hand, Amazon seemed pleased with the results, seeing a spike in orders in excess of last year’s Black Friday event.

Now that the dust has settled, let’s take a look at a few things online businesses can learn from the event.

Manage Customer Expectations

The negative reaction on social media was, in large part, due to mismanaged expectations. Customers were surprised to find themselves sifting through (as Adobe Digital Index put it) a selection of “socks, microfiber towels, and Adam Sandler movies” when they anticipated deals on electronics. In a nutshell, the customers’ disappointment related to the type of offerings, not Amazon’s customer service.

This means that when you promote a sale for your online business, the messaging and advertising should adequately match the event itself. Amazon Prime Day also demonstrated that after a business kicks off a major sales event, customers will hold subsequent events to that same standard.

Meet Customers’ Personalized Needs

While some stipulated that Amazon was trying to unload excess warehouse items, others were proudly posting the great deals they’d gotten. So this begs the question — could the different reactions to Amazon Prime Day be nothing more than personal preference?

If this were the case, Amazon, the king of customer retargeting, might have considered pulling information on the types of products each customer wanted, improving the sales experience.

Small online businesses have a predisposed advantage when it comes to meeting customers’ personalized needs. As the one-stop-shop for online consumers, Amazon’s customer needs vary significantly from person to person. On the other hand, small online retailers focus on a niche retail segment, so they are able to personalize their products and sales events for that specific customer base. If small online businesses can stay sharply in tune with their audience, they can best meet their customers’ needs.

For more small online business tips, check out our Online Business Success Stories page.

(Feature Image Source: Phandroid)