Earlier this month, Amazon Ads announced that Product targeting would be available on Sponsored Display for U.S. sellers.
Now available via Seller Central, the expanded capability means reaching shoppers who are browsing similar and/or complementary product types and categories.
Previously, Seller Central targeting was limited to just audience choice.
This change means the abilities to target specific product IDs and categories are now available.
A Welcome Addition Upgrade to Sponsored Display
Amazon released Sponsored Display last year, but sellers were underwhelmed with its debut.
“There was very little ability to control targeting and the bids were very expensive and didn’t convert well,” said Robyn Johnson, an Amazon expert and CEO of Marketplace Blueprint.
She goes on to praise the addition of Product targeting, “One of the brands we manage is getting a $5.63 ROAS on their Sponsor Display ads with product targeting on their brand…we are excited about this new targeting and feel like it is worth exploring.”
Outshining Competition with Superior Stats
The additional targeting options with Product targeting give advertisers many avenues to consider when it comes to strategy.
The ads themselves appear just below the “Buy” button, and have the ability to show average star rating, deals, and savings badges.
This can be a huge advantage.
For example, if you sell for less than a competitor, or you know you have a better star rating, your ad would appear beneath the “Buy” button of the product they’re considering.
This inserts you right into the buying path to give the customer an option to comparison shop you against the product they’re thinking of buying.
Brand Defense, Upselling & Cross-Selling
However, that strategy also needs to be considered as one competitors might do.
Because of that, Johnson also recommends you bid to have your ads placed on your own products.
“You can highlight another variation of the product or other products you sell. You want to do this for two reasons: the first is the potential to increase your average order amount. The second reason is that it protects your digital real estate from other brands looking to siphon off traffic.”
The targeting ability also means you can cross-sell to your own product lines.
Instead of thinking simply in terms of like products, think about how you would cross-sell to other, related categories.
If you sell matching jewelry, pair a complementary bracelet with the necklace a user is looking at so they can add it to their cart easily.
Consider how you might cross-sell in emails, and apply it to the products you have on Amazon.
Likewise, you can target complementary product categories.
If you sell tennis racquets, you may want to target users browsing tennis skirts.
Product Targeting is now available in Seller Central to U.S. Sellers only, with a modified version for worldwide sellers.
The full announcement can be found here.
Image Credits
Image 1 courtesy of Robyn Johnson
Image 2 courtesy of Amazon
