Amazon T-12: 4 Ad Strategies for Black Friday and Cyber Monday Success

Why holiday advertising matters.

In 2023, consumers spent over $1.17 trillion globally, with Cyber Week alone accounting for 25% of that total (Salesforce). This highlights just how much shoppers rely on these key days. And with mobile shopping responsible for over half of all online sales and driving 80% of ecommerce growth (Adobe), having the right plan in place can make the difference between average results and record-breaking success. 

Below, our commerce experts outlined four key insights and actionable tips to help your brand stand out throughout the entire T-12 period. 

Maximize visibility and engagement during Amazon’s peak shopping events. 

Visibility is everything during peak shopping periods like T-12. Decorating your Sponsored Ads and Brand Store with festive, holiday-themed banners and images creates visual cohesiveness that aligns your brand with the season while attracting the right shoppers. Additionally, using placement modifiers ensures your ads appear in premium spots during peak times, allowing you to balance driving sales volume with maintaining profitability. It’s important to monitor performance in real time and adjust your strategy accordingly. 

For Sponsored Brands ads, consider refreshing your video content and switching to action-driven, holiday-specific messaging. Simple CTAs like “Shop Our Best Sellers for the Holiday Season” or “Shop Select Styles This Holiday Season” can make a significant difference and drive higher engagement during this period. 

Insights provided by Lillie Flagel, Advertising Manager. 

Start advertising early and maintain momentum for Amazon’s T-12 period. 

Timing is key during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and starting your campaigns early while maintaining momentum throughout the T-12 period yields stronger results. A front-heavy approach for Sponsored Ads works best since traffic builds throughout November. Allocating a larger portion of your budget early on ensures your ads are visible as shoppers start researching deals ahead of the big event. 

As Cyber 5 approaches, fine-tune your DSP audiences and increase bids on must-win keywords. Focus on optimizing CPCs based on recent performance, but be careful not to overbid. During the event, keep a close eye on your campaigns to make sure your budget lasts through peak shopping hours, but don’t be afraid to invest heavily in these key moments. After Cyber 5, continue retargeting shoppers who didn’t convert during the event and gradually reduce bids as conversions naturally taper off. 

Insights provided by Johnathon Braga, Senior Advertising Manager. 

Tailor messaging and promotions for different shoppers. 

Not all holiday shoppers are the same. Some are premium buyers seeking high-end products, while others are more budget-conscious. Tailoring your messaging to meet the specific needs of each type of shopper, going beyond simple demographics, is vital for success. 

When remarketing, it’s important to differentiate your approach based on whether the customer is familiar with your brand. For existing shoppers, focus on building loyalty, while potential shoppers can be reached through lookalike audiences to expand your reach. Using behavior data allows you to deliver relevant promotions, such as highlighting a new collection that might interest your audience. With Amazon’s lookalike audience feature and AMC data, you can refine your targeting further, finding audience overlaps and optimizing campaigns for better engagement and ROI. Additionally, life events such as new parents seeking convenience or recent movers upgrading their living spaces can play a significant role in purchasing decisions. Aligning your messaging with these life moments allows for more meaningful engagement and conversions during the T-12 period. 

Insights provided by Tara Lynne Ferguson, Director of Commerce Advertising.

Leverage the power of custom audience creation and insights for Amazon brands. 

Custom audiences are one of the most valuable tools for reaching the right shoppers, but the true value lies in understanding your audience’s behavior, not just what products you’re pushing. Knowing where your audience is in the funnel and how they react at different stages helps you target specific behaviors more effectively. For instance, AMC purchase analysis can help determine how long it typically takes for your audience to convert, allowing you to set the right look-back windows for retargeting, especially for cart abandonment or product searches. 

Don’t rely on assumptions. Testing different look-back windows, such as three, five, or seven days, helps identify what works best for your audience. Additionally, keeping an eye on frequency caps and viewability rates is important. While retargeting helps maintain momentum, over-targeting can alienate your shoppers. Leveraging AMC data allows you to lower CPM and maximize returns by focusing on actual behaviors rather than assumptions. 

Insights provided by Wyatt Burley, Senior Advertising Manager.

Don’t leave your holiday season performance up to chance. 

With so much at stake during the T-12 period, having a holistic advertising strategy will help you make the most of the opportunities available. By focusing on custom audiences, optimizing bids, and tailoring your messaging, your brand can better connect more effectively with shoppers and boost performance. For more insights and detailed strategies to navigate Black Friday and Cyber Monday on Amazon, check out the full guide here.

Ready to make the most of Amazon’s T-12 period? 

Our team partners with some of the world’s most innovative brands to fine-tune their Amazon advertising strategy. Through data-driven insights, technology and a team of retail media specialists, we help increase visibility, engage the right audiences, and drive meaningful conversions throughout the holiday season. Whether you’re looking to optimize ad placements or refine audience targeting, we’re here to help you succeed during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and beyond. Let’s talk about how we can support your holiday sales goals.