How to Use Product Targeting Strategies to Win on Amazon Advertising

Amazon Sponsored Ads may seem simple at a glance—pay per click, target a few branded and non-branded keywords, and let it run—but there are Amazon advertising strategy rabbit holes that can be utilized in unique and effective ways for any brand. One such strategy to bring into play is product targeting through Sponsored Ads on Amazon.

The central idea behind Sponsored Ads on Amazon is that a seller is able to pay to play in spaces they may not otherwise inhabit using a pay-per-click model to showcase their product in certain areas. While targeting specific keywords seems to be the most common approach, there is also a form of targeting that allows a seller to target specific products instead. There are many benefits to this as well as many ways to go about it through either Sponsored Products or Sponsored Display.

A few potential Amazon advertising strategies for a product targeting campaign include:

• Competitor spaces
• Complementary productsdetail page
• Brand defense

Product targeting on competitor spaces

One way to ensure your products get a high impression volume and thus a higher proportion of clicks is through hijacking the detail pages of competing high performing products. For example, if you are trying to advertise for a new product in a competitive space, you may find it hard to gain relevancy on high volume generic search terms. One way a seller may be able to hack this is through bidding to get their new product on the detail page of an established high-performer that comes complete with reviews and star ratings—this can ensure you are able to get a lot of eyes on your product detail pages and thus a lot of new potential consumers as well.

To make sure your products have the best chance at conversion from a competitor detail page, make sure that the competitor products you decide to target are generally similar products that have an equal or lower star rating to yours and an equal or higher price point. For example, if you are a seller of bath and body products advertising on a two pack of bath soaps for $20 with a 4.6 star rating, you may want to consider placing your product on the detail page of a competing brand’s bath product with a 4.1 star rating priced at $30.

All things considered, a consumer may be more compelled to select or at least consider your product despite their prior brand loyalty directly from that competitor’s detail page. One of the great things about product targeting competitor pages is that a consumer is confirmed to be interested in a certain type of product by navigating to a detail page, but may be able to be swayed by a product that looks otherwise the same but has a lower price point or higher star rating.

Think about this when gathering ASINs to use as targets. That’s the sweet spot for making sure your products have a chance at bringing potential customers to your detail pages instead.

Product targeting on complementary products

Product targeting provides an interesting way to get into the mind of consumers by way of targeting complementary products. Essentially, this allows a seller to showcase their products on the detail pages of products that go well with theirs. A few examples of this may be:

• If your product is a pair of running socks, you may want to consider putting a 3-pack on the detail page of a pair of running shoes.
• If your product is a baby monitor, you may want to target new parents who haven’t thought about monitors yet by sitting your product on the detail pages of bassinets or baby blankets.
• If your product is a sleeping bag, you may want to place one on the detail page of a camping chair or tent.

Targeting complementary products can be beneficial in many of the ways targeting competitor spaces is—you can hijack top performing products and take advantage of increased organic search volume without feeling pressure to compete with the products you’re targeting.

Product targeting for brand defense

As is the case with Amazon, sellers always run the risk of other sellers conquesting their branded terms or attempting to take market share by directly targeting their detail pages, like was covered above. To combat this happening on your own product pages, use product targeting as a way to defend your branded spaces.

Instead of running the risk of a consumer navigating to your page (either organically or through sponsored advertising) and potentially clicking on a competitor’s ad—whether it be because of difference in price, ratings/reviews, or other factors—a seller can bid through product targeting to sit more products on their own product detail pages. This ensures that when a consumer is on one of your product detail pages, they will only continue to see your products.

While many sellers may limit themselves to a “set it and forget it” approach when it comes to advertising, utilizing the product targeting feature through Sponsored Products can lead to great wins for your brand in sales and brand awareness. As stated explicitly by Amazon, product targeting can help sellers gain a higher percentage of product detail page views—meaning more eyes on your products and a higher chance of conversion no matter which strategy you choose to utilize.

Our expert digital marketing teams can help you grow your Amazon business at no added cost. If you’d like to learn more about Amazon advertising strategies for product targeting, or for any other ad goals for that matter, schedule a demo with Pattern today.