The Seattle-based retail giant announced today that its Prime Early Access sale will take place Oct. 11 and 12. The event is aimed at customers who start their vacation shopping earlier than ever with the goal of securing the best deals. During the sale, Amazon will release a top-100 list of the “most popular and gifted items of the season,” in addition to a list of popular toys, its press release says. This fall event marks the first time the retailer has scheduled two Prime Sale events in one year.

Although Amazon has promised deals on top brands during the sale event, small businesses that sell on the platform also have an advantage. Nearly 2 million small and medium-sized businesses participated in the annual Prime Day event in July, bringing in $3 billion in sales. New features, such as the Small Business Badge, have offered to help businesses succeed on the platform.

Reports show that customers have already started holiday shopping, as inflation has forced shoppers to look for better deals early before prices can increase. There’s also an advantage for businesses to make their holiday sales as early as possible: Amazon will begin charging sellers an extra 35 cents per item for using its fulfillment service between Oct. 15 and Jan. 14 to account for increased shipping and logistics costs over the vacations. The Amazon Prime Early Access sale timeline may help businesses get through a significant number of orders before the holiday fee goes into effect.

In addition, with inflation affecting the cost of living, getting customers early — before they reach their budgets or credit card limits — will be key to the holiday season’s success, said Marshall Cohen, chief retail consultant at global research firm NPD Group. recently. “The early bird catches the worm,” he says. “You want to get to the consumer when they have the money.”