Amazon PPC Management That Turned Revenue Into Profits

The client was a bootstrapped private-label brand with growing demand but thinning margins. They were spending more each month on ads without a matching lift in profit. Sellerite stepped in to apply profit-first Amazon PPC Management—tying spend to unit economics and building a clean, scalable ad system.

• Business model: Private label, FBA
• Catalog size: 12 core SKUs, 28 variants
• Primary marketplace: Amazon.com (US), with light presence in CA
• Objectives: Lower TACoS, stabilize cash flow, and scale without sacrificing contribution margin

• Fragmented architecture and keyword overlap – Multiple auto and broad campaigns targeting the same terms; budget cannibalization
• Flat conversion with rising CPC – Minimal negative matching, no placement strategy, and inconsistent bid logic
• ACoS-only decision-making – No SKU-level contribution margin view; profitable SKUs and lossmakers treated the same
• Retail readiness gaps – Average main images, thin infographics, and missing short-form video
• Missed search term harvesting – Converting queries not promoted to exact; wasted spend allowed to persist

• Profit stability as the North Star – TACoS target: 12–15% with contribution margin floors per SKU
• Efficiency across non-branded spend – Reduce CPC volatility and improve CVR on generic terms
• Scalable structure – Grow total sales with intent-led keyword expansion and smart placements
• Conversion lifts through retail readiness – Upgrade images, infographics, and video; tighten offers and Store journeys

We rebuilt the system from the ground up. Structure, bidding, and creative worked together to turn ad spend into predictable outcomes. This is Amazon PPC Optimization done with discipline—every dollar must return profit now or build near-term demand.

• Clean, intent-led campaign architecture – Branded defense, Exact high-intent, Discovery (broad/phrase/auto), Competitor, Product Targeting, SB Video, and Store Spotlight
• Systematic keyword harvesting – Promote proven search terms to exact; add negatives to starve waste weekly
• Contribution-margin bidding – Bids anchored to SKU-level unit economics; selective placement multipliers only where data justified
• Listing and creative improvements – Stronger main images, benefit-led infographics, concise 30–45s videos, aligned coupon strategy
• Store journeys and AOV plays – Comparison charts, bundles/value packs, and curated landing paths to lift order value

Phase 1 — Stabilize and Clean (Weeks 1–3)

• Consolidated overlapping campaigns; set account-wide negatives
• Paused chronic lossmakers; reset bids using margin floors
• Quick creative wins on hero SKUs: main image refresh and one key infographic

Phase 2 — Intent-Led Growth (Weeks 4–8)

• Promoted converting terms to exact; launched SB Video on high-intent terms
• Added product targeting on weaker competitor ASINs with strong CVR patterns
• Implemented dayparting to suppress low-intent hours and protect budgets

Phase 3 — Scale and AOV Lift (Weeks 9–12)

• Introduced bundles and value packs; updated A+ and Store to feature them
• Increased budgets on proven campaigns; applied measured Top of Search multipliers
• Rolled short product videos across remaining top SKUs

• TACoS: Reduced from 18.6% to 13.2% in 90 days while total revenue grew 32%
• ACoS (non-branded): Improved from 41% to 28%; CPC down 17%, CVR up 22%
• Contribution margin: +6.4 percentage points on top 5 SKUs
• AOV: Up 11% after bundles/value packs and Store curation
• Waste reduction: 29% decrease in non-converting spend via negatives and bid control
• Ranking: Stable branded rank; generic rank improved on 9 core terms to page 1 positions

• Intent-led architecture – Budgets flowed to proven queries; discovery stayed on a tight leash
• Contribution-margin bidding – Protects profit during CPC swings and seasonal pressure
• Weekly prune-and-promote – Non-performers negative-matched; winners moved to exact with tailored bids
• Creative and offer clarity – Upgraded visuals and video lifted CVR across placements
• Store and AOV mechanics – Comparison charts and bundles made each click worth more

Campaign Architecture by Intent

• Branded: Low ACoS guardrail to protect rank and price perception
• Exact High-Intent: Contribution-margin bidding with placement multipliers only where proven
• Discovery (Broad/Phrase/Auto): Tight negatives, capped bids, and weekly harvest cadence
• Competitor/Product Targeting: Selective takeovers based on CVR and review parity
• SB Video and Store Spotlight: Capture mid-to-high intent with richer storytelling

Keyword Harvesting Rhythm

• Thresholds for promotion: X+ orders, CTR/CVR benchmarks, and ACoS within margin
• Negatives at three levels: campaign, ad group, and account where needed
• Long-tail expansion to defend rank while keeping CPCs in check

Bidding Logic Aligned to Unit Economics

• Floors per SKU based on COGS, fees, shipping, and target margin
• Bid-up rules on strong placement/CVR; bid-down rules on CPC spikes or seasonality dips
• Dayparting and pacing to protect budget for peak-converting windows

Creative and Listing Enhancements

• Main images: clarity, scale, and differentiation compliant with Amazon policies
• Infographics: benefit-first, objection-busting (size, materials, fit, compatibility)
• Video: 30–45 seconds, hook in first 3 seconds, demonstration + proof points
• Offers: Modest, strategic coupons that lift CTR without eroding margin

Store and AOV Strategy

• Curated Store paths by category; comparison charts for quick decisions
• Bundles/value packs positioned above the fold; seasonal tiles rotated monthly
• Measured impact via Store Insights to double down on top-performing paths

• Weekly operating rhythm – Search term pruning, bid updates, exact-match promotions, and budget reallocations
• Monthly strategy reviews – Creative tests, placement strategy, expansion into new terms or ad types
• KPI dashboard (shared) – TACoS, ACoS by intent layer, CPC/CVR trends, contribution margin, and placement ROAS
• Communication protocol – Change logs, rationale notes, and next-week forecasts to align decisions

In weeks four through eight, the account began compounding. Search terms with steady orders graduated to exact, SB Video captured high-intent traffic with stronger CTR, and product targeting chewed into competitor shelf space where our CVR beat theirs. Conversion rose even as we trimmed clicks.

By the third month, the scale felt controlled. Bundles raised AOV, Store paths improved funnel clarity, and Top of Search multipliers were applied only where data said they’d pay. TACoS fell while revenue rose—a signal that the system wasn’t just selling more, it was selling smarter.

• Revenue: +32% overall; ad-attributed revenue +24%
• TACoS: 18.6% → 13.2%
• ACoS (non-branded): 41% → 28%
• CPC: $1.62 → $1.34
• CVR: 11.3% → 13.8%
• Contribution margin (top 5 SKUs): +6.4 pp
• AOV: +11%
• Non-converting spend: −29%
• Page 1 generic rankings gained: 9 core terms

• Structure by intent, not ad type – It clarifies budgets, bids, and success metrics per layer
• Measure what matters – Contribution margin beats vanity ACoS every time
• Harvest relentlessly – Winners to exact, waste to negatives—every single week
• Treat creative as a performance lever – Better visuals, stronger hooks, and tighter proof raise CVR and lower CPC waste
• Lift AOV to compound profits – Bundles and comparison charts make the same traffic produce more

• Profit-first methodology – Bids and budgets mapped to SKU-level contribution margin
• Tight feedback loops – Weekly execution, monthly strategy, transparent dashboards
• Full-funnel alignment – Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands (incl. video), Product Targeting, Store optimization
• Creative + analytics partnership – Retail readiness that multiplies every advertising dollar