What was supposed to be a golden opportunity for sellers during Amazon's annual Black Friday shopping frenzy turned into a series of technical frustrations this year. Instead of enjoying anticipated sales surges, merchants faced multiple platform glitches that disrupted traffic and conversions.
Prime Exclusive Discounts Disappear When Needed Most
As Black Friday kicked off, U.S. sellers discovered their Prime Exclusive Discounts weren't performing as expected. While the program's badge had been upgraded to a more noticeable red color, non-Prime member accounts couldn't see the indicator in product searches. This visibility issue significantly reduced click-through rates and directly impacted product exposure. To compound the problem, the exclusive discounts page crashed during peak shopping hours, leaving participating products invisible to potential buyers.
Deal Pages Crash During Critical Sales Period
The technical troubles extended beyond Prime discounts. Some sellers reported that their Deal of the Day (DOTD) promotions became inaccessible through the official Black Friday deals page, displaying an "unavailable" message instead. While customers could still find these products through regular search results, the malfunction effectively neutralized the traffic-driving power of time-sensitive deals that sellers had carefully prepared.
Extended Black Friday Strategy Fails to Shift Shopping Habits
Amazon's attempt to stretch Black Friday into a 48-hour event appears to have missed the mark. Many sellers noted disappointing first-day sales compared to previous years, with significant order growth only materializing on the traditional Black Friday date. This suggests consumers remain committed to concentrated shopping on the main event day, resisting Amazon's effort to distribute demand across a longer period.
Extended Discount Windows May Be Counterproductive
The marketplace's recent trend of prolonging deal durations—including extending Lightning Deals to 12-hour windows and adding new promotion types—has raised concerns among sellers. Many worry that longer availability reduces consumer urgency, potentially encouraging shoppers to delay purchases rather than act immediately. This creates a challenging balancing act for Amazon between extending sales periods and maintaining buying momentum.
Platform Stability Concerns Emerge After Black Friday Breakdowns
This year's technical failures highlight significant platform reliability issues that affected both shoppers and sellers. The disappearing Prime discounts and malfunctioning deal pages represent more than temporary inconveniences—they resulted in measurable losses through missed sales opportunities. These incidents underscore Amazon's need to strengthen its technical infrastructure to support high-volume shopping events.
Merchants Adapt With Diversified Strategies
Faced with these challenges, sellers are adjusting their approaches. Many are expanding traffic sources beyond Amazon's ecosystem, turning to social media and external advertising channels to drive store visits. Simultaneously, merchants are increasing their vigilance regarding platform policy changes while developing contingency plans for technical disruptions. These adaptive measures aim to mitigate risks during future high-stakes sales periods.
While Amazon's overall Black Friday sales are still projected to show year-over-year growth, this season's technical difficulties serve as a wake-up call for marketplace sellers. In an increasingly competitive e-commerce environment, resilience through channel diversification and operational flexibility may become critical differentiators for successful merchants.