Overview

Amazon offers Professional sellers two powerful promotional tools — Lightning Deals and Best Deals — designed to boost product visibility and accelerate sales. These time-limited promotions feature special merchandising badges that help products stand out in a crowded marketplace. Understanding how each deal type works, along with eligibility requirements and associated fees, is essential for sellers looking to move inventory and attract new customers.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Two deal types available — Professional selling account holders can create Lightning Deals (short-duration flash sales) and Best Deals (multi-day promotional offers), each with distinct merchandising benefits.
• Lightning Deal badge — Products featured as Lightning Deals receive a special badge and prominent placement for a limited window, typically 4 to 12 hours as determined by Amazon.
• Best Deal badge — Best Deals run for a longer period of several days and also receive a dedicated promotional badge, giving products extended visibility.
• Professional account required — Only sellers with a Professional selling plan can access and create deals through Seller Central.
• Fees apply — Amazon charges a fee for running deals, and the amount can vary depending on the deal type, time of year, and event-specific pricing during major shopping events like Prime Day or Black Friday.
• Inventory impact — Deals are particularly useful for reducing excess inventory, launching new products, or generating a sales velocity boost that can improve organic rankings.

How Deals Work

When a seller creates a deal, they select a product, set a discounted price, and specify the quantity available at that price. Amazon then schedules the deal during an available time slot and handles the promotional merchandising. Lightning Deals appear on the Amazon Deals page and may also surface in search results and on product detail pages with a countdown timer showing how much time remains. Best Deals similarly receive prominent placement but run over multiple days, making them better suited for sustained promotional pushes. Both deal types create a sense of urgency that encourages shoppers to purchase before the offer expires.