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Gen Z is changing the way we shop online, and businesses need to keep up. In this newsletter, we’ll show you how AI can help you connect with this tech-savvy generation and improve your online sales. We’ll also cover how to make the most of TikTok Shops and what to expect from Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days. Read on to find out how these tips can boost your eCommerce success and attract the attention of today’s top shoppers! ✨

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- Ready to Create TikTok Shops as a Gen Z Magnet?🥳

-What Does Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days Include? 🤔

-5 ways to transform the customer experience with AI✨

-Top Reads - Real-Time News Right For You. 📚

-HTE Job Board- Get Your Dream Job With A Click! 🧐

Ready to Create TikTok Shops as a Gen Z Magnet?🥳

As we enter the final quarter of the year, TikTok's popularity continues to soar, particularly among Gen Z consumers. Despite ongoing discussions about a potential U.S. ban in 2025, the platform's impact on shopping habits remains strong. The widespread use of the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt highlights how significantly TikTok influences buying decisions.

In 2023, TikTok Shops made an impressive $11 billion in sales, with beauty and personal care products accounting for 22.5% of that total. Additionally, the platform is seeing a steady increase in repeat purchases, indicating growing consumer loyalty.

Key findings

1. Of social media users surveyed, 76% think influencers’ recommendations are fake. Yet, influencers still drive purchases.

2. After seeing beauty products on the app, 89% of TikTok-ers have purchased them.

3. Instagram ads encourage the most impulse buys.

4. Social media users are most tired of ads from Nike, Amazon, and SHEIN.

TikTok users are the most susceptible to impulse buying:

According to StyleSeat, more than half (55%) of TikTok users made impulse purchases on the platform in 2022, making TikTok the top social channel for impulse purchases. Instagram and Facebook came in second and third, 46% and 45% respectively.

Twenty-eight percent of the TikTok users agree that the platform inspired impulse purchases, more than any other platform.

So, how can you boost your sales on TikTok Shops? Let’s explore some creative strategies used by three major brands that have achieved impressive results.

1) PacSun’s Discount Strategy 

PacSun has become one of the top sellers on TikTok Shops by offering thousands of items at 30% to 50% off, capturing the attention of deal-hunting customers. The brand also utilizes 

2) Benefit Cosmetics and Exclusivity

Benefit Cosmetics has been active on TikTok Shops for a year and regularly hosts live streams with large audiences. 

3) Coca-Cola and TikTok Trends 

Coca-Cola introduced its new raspberry-flavored drink, Happy Tears Zero Sugar, on TikTok Shops, where it quickly sold out within a few hours. The brand partnered with TikTok creators to spread the word through unboxing videos that featured branded merchandise along with the new drink. 

-If you’ve opened up Instagram or TikTok lately, you know influencers are everywhere. Most social media users (79 percent) encounter influencers when they’re on social apps these days, and TikTok and Instagram are especially saturated. Nearly all TikTok users (94 percent) report seeing influencers, as do 88 percent of Instagram users. 

Younger social media users, especially Gen Z, are heavily exposed to influencers online. We found that 88% of Gen Z  users encounter influencers on social media, compared to just 59% of Baby Boomers.

In general, social media users are most interested in content related to food, health and wellness, and travel. They often look to social media for inspiration in these areas. The top influencer recommendations that users appreciate are recipes (48%), restaurants (40%), and workout routines (39%).

Users think Instagram has the best ads✨

Even though influencer marketing has a lot of hype, other social ads work too. Nearly half of social media users (49 percent) have purchased a product because they saw an ad for it on social. Again, we found TikTokers are especially susceptible to marketing: 58 percent of TikTok users have purchased products thanks to ads.

Take the ratios behind the launch of its TikTok Shop, which enables merchants to sell directly to TikTok users through the app. In September 2023, when the social platform introduced TikTok Shop in the U.S., it counted 150 million viewers here. Also, at that time, roughly 107 million U.S. consumers were shopping across all social commerce sites, according to eMarketer.

What Does Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days Include? 🤔

Amazon is excited to offer another major shopping event this fall with Prime Big Deal Days, scheduled for October. This exclusive sale will provide Prime members with special discounts on a wide range of products. It will be available not just in the U.S., but in 18 other countries as well. If you’re a Prime member, you’ll get early access to holiday deals and significant savings on popular items from top brands.

This new event follows the recent Prime Day, which took place on July 16 and 17. During Prime Day, shoppers enjoyed discounts across 35 different categories, including electronics, apparel, and beauty products. The upcoming October sale will build on that excitement with more opportunities to snag great deals.

If you’re not yet a Prime member, you’ll need a membership to take advantage of the Prime Big Deal Days discounts. However, you can still join the fun by signing up for a free 30-day trial before the event begins. This way, you can access all the special deals without committing to a long-term subscription right away.

When do Amazon Prime Big Deal Days begin?🤔

Amazon Prime Big Deal Days is a highly anticipated event, scheduled to launch in October, just in time for early holiday shopping. 🌟 Prime members will enjoy exclusive access to discounts on a wide range of products, from electronics to fashion and home goods. The event isn't just limited to the U.S.; it will also be available in 18 other countries, offering a truly global shopping experience. 

For those who haven't yet joined the Prime membership, there's an easy way to get in on the action. 🛒 Amazon offers a free 30-day trial of Prime, which allows non-members to participate in Prime Big Deal Days and take advantage of the incredible discounts. This is a perfect opportunity to explore the benefits of Prime membership, including fast shipping, exclusive deals, and access to Amazon's vast library of movies, TV shows, and music. 

Can you shop Amazon Prime Big Deal Days without a membership? 🤔

To access Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, you do need to be an Amazon Prime member. This exclusive shopping event, which kicks off in October, is designed to reward Prime members with special discounts and deals across a wide range of products.  However, if you’re not currently a member, there’s a simple way to still take advantage of the sale. You can sign up for a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime before the event begins. This trial will grant you access to all the exclusive deals and offers available during the Prime Big Deal Days. 🛒

By opting for the free trial, you can enjoy all the benefits of Prime membership, including early access to sales and discounts, without committing to a long-term subscription right away. This means you can shop the Prime Big Deal Days just like a regular Prime member, taking advantage of the best deals on top brands and popular products. 🎉

What Amazon sellers can do to prepare for Prime Big Deal Days 2024?

To make the most of the upcoming Prime Big Deal Days 2024, it's essential for Amazon sellers to start preparing now for a potential increase in sales. 📈

1. Give Shoppers Plenty of Ways to Save 💰

To attract customers during the Fall Prime Deal Event, it's smart to set up deals, discounts, and promotions on your listings. Even sellers who don't run any special deals often see a boost in sales simply because of the extra traffic. However, offering discounts can really help encourage purchases. Here are three ways to do it:

In addition to Lightning Deals, sellers can offer something called a Prime Exclusive Discount during Prime Big Deal Days. This discount is available only to Amazon Prime members and shows up as a reduced price with the original price crossed out, along with the percentage saved. 

2. Get Your Inventory Ready 🚚

If you haven't shipped your inventory for Prime Big Deal Days yet, it's crucial to do it as soon as possible. 📦 Amazon has set a deadline of September 13 for your products to arrive at their fulfillment centers, ensuring they are Prime badge-ready during the fall deal event.

For sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), it's important to check your FBA capacity limits before ordering too much stock. With the new capacity limits, sellers can now plan their inventory needs up to three months ahead. 📊

If your current capacity limits are low, focus on improving your sell-through rate and reducing excess inventory. These are key factors that Amazon considers when setting your inventory limits. 📈

3) Supercharge Your Marketing Strategy 🚀

To ensure customers find your products during Prime Big Deal Days, it's essential to boost your brand's visibility both on and off Amazon. Start prepping now, so when the sale arrives, you can attract a wider audience with amazing deals.

Here are some marketing tips:

• Optimize Your PPC Campaigns: Review your pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns and consider increasing your bids on crucial keywords to boost your organic ranking. 

• Run Ads Outside of Amazon: Drive more traffic to your deals by running ads on platforms like Facebook and Google. These ads offer advanced targeting features, which can help you reach the right customers. Don't forget to track your off-Amazon traffic and conversions using Amazon Attribution.

• Leverage Social Media: More and more consumers are discovering products on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Capture their attention with posts, Instagram Stories, and short videos that highlight the savings they can enjoy on your products during Prime Day.

5 ways to transform the customer experience with AI🤖

AI in customer experience is its ability to automate routine tasks, freeing up human agents to focus on more complex issues. For example, AI-powered chatbots can handle common customer inquiries 24/7, providing instant support and resolving issues quickly. This not only improves customer satisfaction but also reduces operational costs for businesses.

AI also plays a crucial role in enhancing personalization. By analyzing customer behavior and preferences, AI can predict what products or services a customer is likely to be interested in and recommend them proactively. This level of personalization can significantly boost conversion rates and foster customer loyalty, as customers feel that the brand truly understands their needs.

AI tools across marketing and commerce can revolutionize every stage of the customer journey, offering powerful ways to enhance customer experiences and improve results. Here's how you can leverage AI effectively:

1. Enhance Marketing Strategy and Planning📈

AI enables businesses to design and optimize marketing campaigns, media planning, and commerce strategies. This leads to better customer experiences and higher conversion rates. By understanding how different campaign elements, like content and ad designs, affect success metrics such as conversion rates and average order value, marketers can create personalized campaigns that reach customers across multiple channels.

2. Hyper-Personalize Customer Experiences✨

AI allows marketers to go beyond basic audience segmentation, enabling true one-to-one marketing. Advanced AI tools can continuously update customer profiles and preferences, tailoring experiences uniquely for each individual. Additionally, AI can generate thousands of variations in images and content to create personalized recommendations that resonate with each customer.

3. Speed Up Content Creation🚀

AI empowers marketing teams to develop content strategies faster and more efficiently. By analyzing historical data, AI identifies trends and suggests the most effective types of content for each stage of the customer journey. From brainstorming to design and delivery, AI accelerates the entire content creation process, ensuring that customers see fresh, relevant content.

 4. Streamline Customer Journeys✨

AI helps create seamless and cohesive customer journeys. By analyzing data in real time, AI identifies the most effective touchpoints and interactions for different customer segments. It then guides customers through personalized journeys that boost engagement and conversion rates, continuously optimizing the experience based on real-time feedback.

5. Scale Content Testing and Optimization🥂

AI enables marketers to test a wide range of content variations to determine which ones resonate most with customers. By generating and evaluating numerous content options, AI ensures that every customer receives a personalized experience. It also helps identify new opportunities to engage customers, whether by entering new channels or refining existing content strategies.

Real-World Success🚀

Many businesses are already seeing significant benefits from using AI in their tech stacks. For example, Canon USA uses AI to deliver personalized experiences, directing customers to relevant products and content that meet their specific needs. Meanwhile, IBM leveraged AI to streamline its creative processes, generating hundreds of assets and over a thousand marketing variations in minutes, leading to higher engagement and reaching key decision-makers more effectively. AI isn't just a buzzword; it's a transformative tool that can drive real results for businesses ready to embrace it.

Top Reads📚

Where to deploy AI for maximum martech impact ~ 27 August 2024,  MarTech

Google removes Auction Insights from Looker Studio  ~ 27 August 2024, Search Engine Land

News from the rosen law firm ~25 August 2024, PR Newswire

Win over Gen Z: The promotional strategies that work ~  26 August  2024, Marketing Week 

Harris campaign ads aim to tie Trump to Project 2025, despite denials ~ 28 August  2024, Reuters

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Phew! That was a lot, right? But hey, knowledge is power🌟. We hope this edition gave you some insights and maybe even cleared up a few doubts.

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