Ultimate Guide On Amazon Lightning Deals

Vidyullatha Matcha
Amazon Selling Strategies
4 min readNov 22, 2021
amazon lightning deal

Amazon Lightning Deals are a promotional offer that offers a limited number of products for a brief time, usually just a few hours. Amazon Lightning Deals will be available until the deal ends or stocks last.

Amazon Lightning Deals are highly time-sensitive and customers will be more likely to buy quickly.

Lightning Deals must be purchased within 15 minutes after being added to a cart. If the Lightning Deal is not claimed by the customer, the deal will be made available to the next customer who has joined the waitlist.

Amazon has stringent requirements regarding Lightning Deal products. These include that the deal must be at a minimum of 20% off the Buy Box price and in-stock inventory minimums.

Amazon also markets Lightning Deals via email and its mobile app as well as social media networks. All deals on Amazon Prime Day are only available to Prime members. Get ready now with Amazon Lightning Deals.

Check out SellerApp’s video to know the importance of Amazon lightning deal:

Amazon Lightning Deals: Eligibility requirements

Amazon sets some criteria for sellers and products that are eligible for Lightning Deals to ensure they maintain the integrity of the promotion.

A professional seller account is required in order to qualify for Lightning Deals. A seller must also receive at most five amazon seller feedback ratings monthly and have an average rating of at least 3.0 stars for those ratings.

To be eligible for inclusion in a Lightning Deal, products must meet the following requirements:

  • An overview of sales that includes at least three product reviews.
  • When applicable, coverage of multiple product variants. If you are creating a Lightning Deal for a shoe type that has multiple colors, it is important to have at least 65% stock.
  • The product should not be considered offensive, inappropriate, or restricted.
  • Amazon Prime eligible products must be available in all US regions, Puerto Rico included. To meet this requirement, you can either use Fulfilled by Amazon (or Seller Fulfilled Prime).
  • All products must be in “New Condition.”
  • Lightning Deals cannot be run on the same ASIN more times than once within a seven-day period.

Amazon makes it easy for sellers to determine eligibility. It is important to read and understand the rules in order to ensure compliance and help you troubleshoot any issues if your product isn’t listed as an option.

Pro Tip:

To create lightning deals on Amazon, check out SellerApp’s Amazon Lightning Deals blog.

There are pros and cons to running a lightning deal on Amazon

Lightning Deals on Amazon have its pros and cons, as with all sales strategies. These are the main arguments against and for Lightning Deals for your product.

Pros

Exposure for your Brand and Product:

Without a doubt, the greatest benefit of a Lightning Deal is how much exposure you get. Amazon will feature your product prominently in its best deals. Even if they don’t purchase the product, they may still be aware of it and decide to buy it or another product from you.

Additional Product Reviews:

Increased sales and impressions on your product will naturally lead to more product reviews.

Increased Organic Rankings:

Products that are currently in a Lightning Deal are identified as such throughout Amazon’s entire marketplace. Even if the shopper searches for your product using targeted keywords, the Lightning Deal listing will still be visible on the page with the “limited-time offer” badge. This will increase clicks and sales, even if your Lightning Deal is still active.

Long Term Benefits:

Amazon lists the “halo effect” as one of the benefits of Lightning Deals. In some cases, Lightning Deals have led to long-term benefits for sellers, such as increased sales, better bestseller ratings, and greater brand awareness.

Great way to clear out inventory:

Lightning Deals can be more appealing than other methods of getting rid of inventory, even if you do take a loss due to the discount price. However, reviews and exposure may make Lightning Deals more attractive than other options.

Cons

Lightning Deals can be expensive:

A Lightning Deal typically costs $150, but this fee will vary depending upon the product category and the year. This cost is added to the lower ROI you’ll receive on sales because the product is being sold at discounted prices, and it becomes clear that not all products will be suitable for this type of deal.

It can be difficult to plan inventory:

You may need more inventory than you are used to in order to stock your Lightning Deal. This could cause logistical problems depending on the business.

Lightning Deals are not guaranteed. If your product doesn’t sell as fast as you expected, you will be responsible for any excess inventory.

Lightning Deals are not yours to control:

Once you submit a Lightning Deal proposal to Amazon, you can’t change when the deal will be run. Your six-hour Lightning Deal window may be scheduled at a time that is not compatible with your product or target audience.

There are no refunds for performance. Although you have the right to cancel your Lightning Deal, this is only possible after the process has been completed.

Many sellers don’t see the long-term benefits;

Some businesses have experienced success with the “halo effect”, which can lead to higher sales. For many, however, the Lightning Deal’s short-term boost in sales and rankings can quickly fade, leaving some sellers questioning whether they even ran the promotion.

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