Promotions on Amazon are more than just discounts—they are visibility levers that can directly influence your sales velocity, organic rank, and brand perception. Used strategically, they can push your hero products to the top of search results during critical shopping periods like Prime Day or Black Friday. Used poorly, they can erode margins and reset your pricing baseline.
This guide breaks down the main types of promotions, their requirements, fees, and best use cases. You’ll also find a comparison table, a fee-per-unit chart, and practical strategies for maximizing ROI.
| Promotion Type | Duration | Badge / Placement | Typical Use Case | Fees (US, Non-Event) | Event Fee Rules | Cooldown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning Deal | 12 hours | “Limited Time Deal” + Today’s Deals page | Quick sales spike, rank push | $70 per day + 1% of sales (cap $2,000) | Flat event fee $500 per Parent ASIN | 7 days |
| Best Deal | Up to 14 days | “Limited Time Deal” Badge + Today’s Deals page | Sustained week-long visibility | $70 per day + 1% of sales (cap $2,000) | Flat event fee $1,000 per Parent ASIN | 21 days |
| Price Discount | Flexible (you set) | Strikethrough price; Badge during Event. | Everyday competitiveness, events | Free (no daily fee) | Event fees $100–$245 (include up to 500 ASINs) | No set cooldown |
| Coupons | 1–90 days | Green coupon badge on PDP & Search Result | CTR boost, price testing, stackable | $5 per coupon + 2.5% of coupon sales | No event fee, but discount cost still applies | No cooldown |
| Promotions (BOGO / % off) | Flexible | Promo messaging at checkout | Multi-unit discounts | Free (only cost = discount given) | Can stack if allowed | No cooldown |
| Outlet Deal | Up to 2 weeks | Amazon Outlet page | Liquidation, reduce storage fees | Free | Amazon may set timing | Cooldown after run |
1) Lightning Deal vs. Best Deal
What they are
- Lightning Deal: A short, high-urgency promotion that usually runs for 12 hours. Shoppers see a special “Limited Time Deal” badge in detail page and search result, and products are featured on Amazon’s “Today’s Deals” page.
- Best Deal: Runs for up to 1~14 days with a “Limited Time Deal” badge in detail page and search result and Today’s Deals placement. Great for extended visibility.
Cooldowns
- Lightning Deal: Same ASIN cannot run again for 7 days.
- Best Deal: Same ASIN cannot run again for 21 days.
Fees (US, non-peak)
- Lightning Deal: $70 per day + 1% of deal sales (capped at $2,000).
- Best Deal: $70 per day + 1% of deal sales (capped at $2,000).
- During major events (Prime Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday), Amazon applies a flat event fee instead.
Today’s Deal Page:
Key pathway for Amazon customers to find deals and products, the traffic from this placement could be huge if your product can rank first few rows on this page.
Best use
- Lightning Deal: Fast ranking boost, ideal for event days.
- Best Deal: Sustained exposure across two full week to help you increase organic rank for new products.
2) Price Discounts and Prime Exclusive Discounts
Price Discount
- Discount visible to all customers.
- Strikethrough pricing on the product page.
- Requirements: product in new condition, minimum 3-star rating, at least 5% off the current price and 30-day lowest price, and a valid reference price.
- Fees: free on normal days, but event weeks carry special charges (for example, $50–$245 depending on the event).
- Best for everyday promos or maintaining competitiveness without constant price edits.
Prime Exclusive Discount
- Discounts only available to Prime members.
- Badge shows up on product detail and search resutly, but ONLY during EVENT.
- Requirements: Prime-eligible, usually 5-star+ rating, and at least 5% off the past 30 days non-pronotional price.
- Fees: free on non-event days; fixed fee during major events.
3) Coupons
- Shoppers see a bright green badge on the product page and in search results.
- Runs for 1–90 days, can be paused or adjusted.
- Requirements: Professional seller account, eligible ASIN, coupon budget.
- Fees (from June 2025): $5 activation fee + 2.5% of coupon-attributed sales.
- Best for increasing click-through rate and testing pricing strategies.
- Coupons can stack with Deals and Promotions if you allow it, but watch margin impact.
4) Promotions (BOGO, Percent-Off, Multi-Buy)
- Offer Buy One Get One, Buy X Get Y, or percentage-off deals.
- Shoppers see them in the promo messaging or at checkout, not as a big badge on the deals page.
- No fees, only the discount cost.
- Great for increasing average order value and bundling products.
- Can stack with Coupons or Deals depending on your setup.
5) Brand Tailored Promotions
- Available to Brand Registry sellers with at least 1,000 customers in an audience segment.
- Targeted discounts (10–50%) to groups such as brand followers, cart abandoners, or high-spend customers.
- No fees, as these are delivered via claim codes.
- Ideal for win-back campaigns and repeat purchase incentives without impacting your public list price.
6) Amazon Outlet
- Designed for overstock or aged inventory.
- Products can appear on Amazon’s Outlet page if recommended in your Manage Excess Inventory dashboard.
- No fees outside events.
- Best for clearing old stock and avoiding long-term storage fees.
