Welcome to another episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast hosted by Director of Retail Operations, Jordan Ripley.

Today, we're bringing together some of Acadia's brightest minds from our retail media, account management, and strategy teams for a roundtable discussion.

They'll share their initial insights into what set this Black Friday and Cyber Monday apart for Amazon and the brands we support.

Joining us are Ross Walker, leader of our retail paid media team; Joanna Otto, account manager for some of our largest brands; and Predrag Vetnić, account strategist and our in-house authority on merchandising, promotions, and tentpole strategies.

Make sure you tune in to find out more!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Jordan, Ross, Joanna, and Predrag discuss:

• Brand Sentiment and Strategy:

• Observations on brand attitudes towards Q4 events amidst economic uncertainty.

• Strategies range from aggressive discounting for growth to cautious participation to preserve margins.

• Changes in 2024:

• Introduction to new promotional structures by Amazon, including increased required days for discounts to get badging.

• Highlights on how brands adjusted their strategies to align with these new requirements.

• Economic and Logistical Factors:

• Reflection on how macroeconomic factors and Amazon's logistical considerations influence the extended shopping event period.

• Performance Results:

• General consensus that most brands saw better performance year-over-year.

• Notable swings in performance based on promotional participation and advertising strategies.

• Operational Challenges:

• Common platform and operational issues, including listing suppressions, pricing compliance issues, and feature glitches.

• Positive notes on some improved aspects of Amazon's ad console.

• Upcoming Shopping Weeks:

• Continued focus on strategies for the remaining holiday shopping weeks.

• Importance of brand tailored promotions and advanced media tactics using AMC audience data.