New Campaign Launches on Amazon during COVID-19

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers continue to stock up on supplies online. On Amazon, this is leading to uncertain inventory levels, out-of-stock items, and general difficulties keeping items on the digital shelves. With this in mind, brands need to carefully evaluate how to launch campaigns with new—or old—products.

Luckily, there are a number of options available: launching as-is, postponing for later in the year, building as drafts, etc. However, if a campaign is launched as-is, it runs the risk of having products fall out-of-stock with a distant replenishment date. Postponing a campaign launch for later in the year may also not pan out, as the rest of the year itself is still uncertain.

Despite all of the unpredictability, Rise has developed a system to mitigate these issues as much as possible. We recommend the following:

Build the campaigns but save them as drafts until inventory status is clear, then launch.

• Monitor the ASIN statuses on a daily basis by leveraging a 3rd-party service that can provide proprietary information and content specific for you.
• Companies such as Sellics can help create email alerts for Out-of-Stock or In-Stock inventory changes, products that have Lost the Buy-Box, and other content or inventory updates.

If one of your original products that was to be featured in a new campaign is now Out-of-Stock, substitute this product for a similar one that is In-Stock and has a more certain inventory status.

• You will be able to run the campaign you originally wanted, but with altered products which may yield different results.

Ultimately, the decision to launch a campaign is dependent on the products you have available and their status. Even though times right now are unpredictable, seasons and sales will continue on and campaigns supporting those efforts still need to be present. If you have any questions about the right Amazon strategy for your brand, contact Rise; our team of experts is here to help.