Black Friday prep for Amazon Sellers: When to avoid using the sale price field
Amazon allows sellers to promote products in a variety of ways, with the most straightforward option being to add a sale price to the ASIN itself. While adding a sale price on a direct-to-consumer platform like Shopify makes a lot of sense, given how sale price can be pushed to Google shopping feed, on Amazon there are several things happening in the background that can cause long-term catalog
chaos.
Impacts of Amazon's Sale Price Field
Unmanaged sale prices can drive down the "Was" price on your listing, making qualifying for Lightning Deals and Prime Exclusive Discounts more difficult and can lead to buy box suppressions when the sale price is removed.
The sale price also directly impacts Amazon's price graphs, meaning that even after your sale period ends, customers will be able to see that the product was sold cheaper during a previous period. If the sale price discount is substantial, customers may decide to hold off on purchasing the item until the next sale window, driving down the overall perceived value of the item long-term.
Sale prices create conflicts with automated pricing rules, including completely breaking B2B discount rules. As an example, if you have a pricing rule created that automatically sets your B2B price 5% off of the everyday price, you can run into issues where the sale price prevents your B2B offer from showing. The sale price can also conflict with the minimum price, causing total listing suppression for both e-tail and business listings.
Alternatives to using the Sale Price Feature
For products that are being discontinued and marked down, it is acceptable to update the everyday price instead of adding a sale price to the item. As long as you have a verified list price, a strikethru can still appear on the original price, giving the same effect as a sale price without compromising automated pricing rules.
Alternatively, you could choose to run other promotion types, such as coupons, which have no impact on the historical price graph. Just remember that coupons should also have limited time windows, as coupons can impact the was price if they are active for the majority of a rolling 90-day window.
Does this apply to my business?
If your business relies on automated pricing rules or you are concerned about margin erosion, Amazon's sale price feature may be something you want to avoid. Before implementing a sale price, make sure to double check your pricing rules, pausing them if necessary, and review any minimum price floors that can cause conflicts. Evaluate other promotional opportunities, such as coupons, that may drive similar or better results without risking revenue disruption.
