How joining in on the BFCM (Black Friday Cyber Monday) event on Amazon boosts your visibility, builds shopper trust, and drives long-term growth after the event – while sitting out can quietly push your products out of sight.
Amazon turns BFCM into a platform-wide traffic event, and sitting out means leaving money on the table
Amazon invests heavily in promoting the BFCM event across out-of-home ads, social media, email, and on-site countdowns. This coordinated push creates real anticipation, entails FOMO, and drives a surge of high-intent traffic.
If you don’t participate, you’re turning down a flood of ready-to-buy shoppers Amazon has already helped you attract. The traffic and intent are there – the question is whether your products are positioned to capture it.
Participation captures the surge; non-participation misses it
In our analysis of brands during the two-week BFCM period compared with the two weeks prior, the performance gap was significant. Brands that participated in deals saw revenue increase by an average of 295% week over week, page views climb 132%, and conversion rates rise 35%.
Brands that did not participate experienced sales declines of around 34% and page view drops of 39% – even as conversion rates ticked up roughly 8%. What this tells us is that the problem wasn’t demand; it was visibility. Without deals, products weren’t seen or clicked, and shoppers moved to competitors who showed up.
The takeaway: deals make your product discoverable and compelling. Opting out just routes traffic elsewhere.
Deals lift your organic ranking, fueling long-term visibility
Participating in BFCM doesn’t just spike sales; it improves where you show up. We tracked Best Sellers Rank (BSR) across deal-participating and non-deal ASINs before, during, and after the event.
ASINs that ran deals improved their average BSR by about 82% during BFCM and remained roughly 22% better than baseline two weeks after the event ended. Non-deal ASINs, by contrast, saw their BSR worsen by about 47% during BFCM and recovered to only a 15% improvement post-event.
Higher rank means more visibility, which drives more sales, which strengthens rank – and this is a growth flywheel. Rankings also serve as trust signals; when shoppers are scanning dozens of similar products, they rely on these cues to make fast decisions. Securing a strong BSR during BFCM positions your brand at the forefront for discovery-minded and category shoppers who aren’t yet brand-loyal.
Amazon mirrors the market; mismatched pricing hurts your Buy Box
Amazon monitors pricing across the web. If you discount on your site or with retailers but don’t match on Amazon, the platform may flag your offer as uncompetitive, leading to Buy Box loss and suppression (a “Price higher than typical” message that buries your listing).
Brands that didn’t match pricing saw suppression jump from 2.8% pre-event to over 10% during BFCM, and Buy Box share slipped from 95% to 87%.
Losing the Buy Box during the highest-traffic week stalls sales velocity, drops your BSR and sales rankings, and sidelines you during the year’s most important growth moment. On Amazon, most orders flow through the Buy Box – without it, ads underperform, and pages convert poorly.
The post-event halo rewards participants
Two weeks after BFCM, participating brands saw revenue up 125% versus pre-event, and average order value (AOV) rose 18%. Non-participants saw revenue down 44% and AOV dropped 7%.
And what does this tell us? Promotions don’t cheapen your brand – they lower the barrier to trial. When shoppers discover your product at a compelling price and have a positive experience, they may return with a higher willingness to pay. You’re not just buying a spike; you’re seeding repeat purchases and building long-term loyalty.
The bottom line
Black Friday and Cyber Monday on Amazon aren’t just discount days – they’re the biggest discovery and re-ranking moment of the year. Brands that participate fully capture traffic, climb search results, and build momentum that lasts. Brands that sit out lose visibility and cede shelf space to competitors during the week that matters most.
Ready to Grow Your Brand on Amazon?
Pattern has the proven strategy to maximise your brand’s performance on Amazon, fuelling a growth flywheel that lasts long after the deals end.
Contact Pattern today to learn how we can accelerate your brand.
