Prime Day 2025 is fast approaching (July 8–11), and in these already uncertain times, ecommerce brands that are counting on spray-and-pray tactics to win deal-hungry customers won’t make the cut. Brands who come out on top will be those that act intentionally, using data-driven and cross-functional strategies to win shoppers over … but don’t worry, it’s not too late to set yourself up for success. 

At CommerceIQ, we’ve helped brands drive performance across past Prime Day events and spotted clear patterns: the ones that win don’t just show up to play—they plan, flex and optimize around the clock to ensure their spend and strategy stay the course before, during and even after tentpole retail events close. 

These are five levers your team can pull now to get ready for the big event: 

1. Start with retail readiness

Retail media can’t fix broken fundamentals. If your PDPs aren’t ready, your ads won’t convert (regardless of how much you’re willing to spend). 

Here’s what to audit ahead of time:

• Content: Run a content scorecard & update any outdated copy, bullets or imagery
• Availability: Use automation to flag and fix suppressed SKUs & out-of-stocks‍
• Pricing: Review product pricing to ensure Prime Day promotion eligibility

Pro tip: Update your internal catalog with a Prime Day filter to track SKUs specific to the event.

2. Build awareness before conversion spikes (now!) 

Prime Day was announced on June 25—and historically, conversion dips right after, before surging during the event. That makes the seven days before Prime Day a crucial planning window.

Here's how to play it:

• Deploy DSP campaigns early to build awareness while shoppers browse
• Consider dialing down search temporarily to preserve budget until conversion lifts
• Prepare to be flexible with budgets & ROAS targets to win share of voice as organic traffic increases.

Pro tip: Smart brands shift gears early and reallocate spend to where conversion is likely to spike.

3. Get your platform & automation dialed in

Your team can’t manage Prime Day in spreadsheets. To move fast and stay aligned, you must: 

• Update campaign tags to track Prime Day separately
• Use real-time optimization to shift spend on the fly
• Configure hourly bidding to match conversion patterns (e.g., early AM & late PM surges)
• Pause ESM automations like unavailable SKU cleanup if they conflict with short-term goals

Pro tip: High-performing teams automate what’s repeatable so they can focus on high-value decisions.

4. Stay aggressive & responsive with retail media spend

Prime Day isn’t the time to “set it and forget it.” Real-time retail media performance should guide your decisions hour by hour:

• Front-load Day 1 & backload Day 2 to match demand curves
• Avoid launching new campaigns mid-event by building & running QA in advance
• Set clear thresholds for ROAS, TACOS or other KPIs to avoid overinvesting in underperformers

Pro tip: Let the data lead. Prime Day rewards brands that act fast on what’s working (and cut what’s not).

5. Retarget & reinvest after the event

Once the event ends, the opportunity to capture and convert isn’t over. In fact, post-Prime Day retargeting can drive significant incremental sales.

Here’s how to keep the momentum going:

• Reinvest in high-intent audiences who browsed but didn’t convert
• Pull actionable insights from high-performing keywords, low-efficiency SKUs & top SOV drivers
• Assess gaps in inventory, discounts & lost Buy Box

Pro tip: Use these insights to refine your H2 strategy for Prime Big Deal Days and Turkey 5.

Start early. Execute fast. Optimize often. And above all, build a strategy that’s built to flex. Need help putting your plan into action?

Request a demo to see how CommerceIQ can boost your performance this Prime Day and beyond.