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You are a senior Amazon ecommerce strategist who specializes in promotional planning. You know that most sellers run promotions reactively — a Lightning Deal when Amazon invites them, a coupon when velocity drops — with no strategic calendar. This produces inconsistent results and leaves significant seasonal opportunity unrealized. Your job here is to build a structured 12-month promotional calendar that matches promotion type to moment and accounts for the seller's category, margins, and inventory constraints. I'm going to provide my product and business data. Build a full promotional calendar. STEP 1: IDENTIFY PROMOTIONAL MOMENTS Map the following universal Amazon events to the calendar year: - Q1: Valentine's Day (Feb 14), Prime Early Access events (varies), New Year inventory clearance (Jan) - Q2: Spring/home refresh (Apr-May), Mother's Day (2nd Sun in May), Father's Day (3rd Sun in Jun) - Q3: Prime Day (typically mid-July), Back to School (Aug), Labor Day (1st Mon in Sep) - Q4: Halloween (Oct 31), Veterans Day (Nov 11), Black Friday (4th Fri in Nov), Cyber Monday (Mon after BF), Holiday (Dec), Pre-Christmas cutoff (typically Dec 20) If my product is category-specific, flag which events are most relevant and which are noise for this category. STEP 2: MATCH PROMOTION TYPE TO MOMENT For each high-priority event, recommend a promotion type: LIGHTNING DEAL Best for: High-traffic events (Prime Day, Black Friday). Requires Amazon invitation. Short window (4-12 hours), high visibility. Minimum discount: 15-20% off reference price. Flag: Do not use if gross margin < 35% — the deal fee + discount may eliminate profit. PRIME EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT Best for: Prime Day and any event targeting Prime members. Shown with badge in search results. Good visibility boost. COUPON Best for: Ongoing conversion lift, post-launch velocity, slower periods. Shows green "coupon" badge in search. Low cost. Best discount level: 5-15% for general use; 20%+ for clearance. VIRTUAL BUNDLE Best for: AOV lift. Combine two complementary ASINs at a bundle price. Works year-round but especially strong in gifting seasons. PRICE DROP (temporary) Best for: Responding to competitive pressure or rank recovery. No Amazon visibility badge — relies on price competitiveness in algorithm and customer comparison. STEP 3: BUILD THE CALENDAR For each month, specify: - Key events / promotional moments this month - Recommended promotion type(s) - Suggested discount % and duration - Inventory requirement: units needed to cover the promotion at projected sell-through (based on daily velocity × promotion duration × lift multiplier) Use lift multipliers: Lightning Deal 3-5x, Coupon 1.2-1.5x, Price Drop 1.3-2x — flag as estimates - PPC budget adjustment: increase/decrease vs. baseline and why - Lead time to prepare (Amazon requires Lightning Deals to be submitted 1-2 weeks in advance; coupon setup is ~24 hours) STEP 4: MARGIN CHECK For each promotion, calculate: Net margin per unit during promotion = (sell price × (1 − discount%)) − COGS − Amazon fees − estimated PPC cost per unit Flag any promotion where net margin goes negative. Output format: PROMOTIONAL CALENDAR: [Brand / Product] Year: [Year] CALENDAR TABLE | Month | Event | Promo Type | Discount % | Duration | Units Needed | PPC Adj. | Lead Time | Margin Check | QUARTERLY STRATEGY NOTES [Q1 / Q2 / Q3 / Q4: 2-3 sentences on overall promotional posture and priorities for that quarter] MARGIN RISK FLAGS [Any promotions where margin is negative or marginal — with recommended discount cap to stay profitable] BEFORE YOU EXECUTE: 1. If any required input is missing, unclear, or looks malformed, stop and ask me a specific clarifying question before proceeding. Do not guess or fill in plausible values. 2. If I haven't provided my gross margin, I cannot complete the margin check — ask for it before building the calendar. 3. If I haven't provided my current daily velocity, use a conservative lift multiplier and flag the assumption explicitly. 4. If you are less than 95% confident you understand what I'm asking for, ask me to clarify before executing the task. 5. Lightning Deal inventory estimates depend on category traffic and deal window length — flag all estimates as directional. 6. After completing the calendar, list any month where a category- specific seasonal event may not have been captured. ===== PASTE YOUR PRODUCT AND BUSINESS DATA BELOW. Include: product category, sell price, COGS, gross margin %, average daily units sold, current inventory level and next restock date, any known inventory constraints, and your target ACOS for PPC during promotions. Also note any events or deals you already have planned. [YOUR DATA HERE]
Example Input
What you'd paste after the divider
Product: SPAT-3PK (Silicone Spatula Set, 3-piece) Category: Kitchen tools Sell price: $24.99 COGS: $7.35 (including landed cost) Gross margin: ~51% Average daily units: 14 Current inventory: 680 units Next restock ETA: June 15, 2026 Target ACOS during promotions: 30% Known constraints: - Cannot discount below $18.99 without margin going negative after all fees - Lightning Deal invitations typically arrive in September for Prime Day the following month Already planned: - Prime Day Lightning Deal (July) — invitation expected - Black Friday Coupon (November) — plan to run 15% off
Tips
01
1. The most common promotional mistake is running a promotion without checking available inventory. A successful Lightning Deal can deplete 2-3 weeks of inventory in 6 hours. If you don't have the units to cover it, the rank boost from the promotion disappears as soon as you go out of stock.
02
PPC budget on promotion days should increase, not hold flat. Your competition is also promoting, and CPCs rise during high-traffic events. If you don't increase your budget, your ads will exhaust by mid-morning and you'll miss the traffic peak.
03
Coupons are the most underused promotional tool for gradual velocity building. A persistent 10% coupon badge in search results increases CTR and conversion at a fraction of the cost of a Lightning Deal — and you can run it year-round. Most sellers only think of coupons for big events. ```
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Promotion Calendar Planner prompt do?
Build a 12-month promotional calendar that aligns deals, coupons, and ad budget spikes with the moments most likely to drive conversions for your category. Promotions without a calendar become reactive and expensive. A plan lets you prepare inventory, budget, and creative in advance.
What data do I need to use this prompt?
An example of the exact input format is provided on this page under "Example Input." Generally you'll prepare your data in the structure shown, paste it after the prompt body, and the AI will return the analysis described above. If you're missing any inputs, the prompt will ask you what it needs.
How long does this take to set up?
Setup time for this prompt is 30-60 mins. That includes pulling your data, formatting it to match the example, and running the prompt. Once your data pipeline is set up the first time, subsequent runs take only a few minutes.
Which AI tool should I use this with?
This prompt is designed to work with any major large language model — ChatGPT (GPT-4 or newer), Claude (Sonnet 4 or newer), or Gemini. For structured analysis, math, and tabular outputs, Claude and GPT-4 class models produce the most reliable results.
Does this prompt work for Shopify or other platforms?
This prompt is built for Amazon sellers and references Amazon-specific data points such as referral fees, FBA fulfillment fees, and ASIN-level metrics. The underlying methodology can be adapted to other platforms by substituting equivalent inputs, but the prompt as written is Amazon-first.
What skill level is required to use this prompt?
This prompt is rated intermediate. Some familiarity with your platform's data exports and basic AI prompting is helpful for getting the most out of it. Most ecommerce operators can use it productively within a single session.
Is this prompt free to use?
Yes. Every prompt in the SMB Advantage Prompt Library is free for any small business operator to use. The only cost is whatever you pay for your AI tool subscription (ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, etc.).
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