Prime Day and Black Friday with AMC: analysing lead-in, event and lead-out
In short: Evaluate a promotional event in three phases: lead-in, event, lead-out. From the last event you derive how early buyers saw their first ad and when conversions fell back to the normal level. Amazon's example uses seven days of lead-in and fourteen days of lead-out; those are example values, not rules.
Preparation: secure the data of the last event
- The last comparable event must lie within your instance's lookback window, otherwise the comparison basis is missing. The playbook requires the event to be no more than 13 months back. On November 11, 2025 Amazon extended the ad traffic lookback window from 13 to 25 months in some marketplaces (including DE); check which window your instance has.
- Identify the campaigns that ran in the last event: query the running campaigns with a generous buffer around the event (Amazon's example uses a window of about three months).
- Decide on ASINs or a product category. If a product did not exist in the last event, Amazon says to substitute a similar one or take a broader approach without an ASIN filter.
- Keep the aggregation thresholds in mind so small groups do not drop out.
The three phases
| Phase | Goal | What Amazon does in the example |
|---|---|---|
| Lead-in | Build awareness, prepare prospects | The time between first ad and purchase sets the length. Because the seed group consists of 1-to-7-day buyers, at least 7 days of lead-in are planned; more time allows more optimisation in the DSP. |
| Event | Bulk of sales | Fixed duration of the event, two days in the example. |
| Lead-out | Nurture relationships, guide to a later purchase | Duration until conversions fall back to the normal level, 14 days in the example. Targeting with lower-funnel rule-based audiences; Amazon does not recommend lookalike audiences here. |
Amazon also recommends a frequency analysis per phase, an analysis by ad format (DSP versus sponsored ads) and a keyword analysis.
What the numbers in the example are not
The seven and fourteen days come from an illustrative example with data from a Prime Day. Your own numbers from your own last event replace them. Amazon also assumes that price promotions for the ASINs do not change: if you gave 50 percent off last year and 10 this year, a lookalike audience built from the last event may reach a different group of buyers.
We do not list event dates here; they change and are published by Amazon.
Frequently asked questions
How long before the event should targeting start?
It depends on your data. In the playbook the time between first ad and purchase sets the lead-in; there it comes to at least 7 days.