To state the obvious, Amazon has become a superpower in the e-commerce world. In 2024, Amazon generated $638 billion in revenue, leading publicly traded e-commerce companies by a landslide. While Amazon is not the only place consumers shop online, it’s far and away the biggest, with many e-commerce businesses selling their products on the platform.
Challenges for PPC Advertisers Selling on Amazon in Addition to Their Website
A challenge for PPC marketers can be driving sales to a small or medium-sized business’s website or store if said company sees a large percentage of sales through their Amazon shop. This is especially true for those who sell apparel, personal care products, or personal electronics, which are popular buys on Amazon.
Leverage the Consumer Trust That Comes with the Amazon Platform
It’s safe to say, in addition to the convenience of the platform, there is “comfort” in shopping on Amazon. Users generally know what level of service they are getting and trust the platform they are shopping on. A well-built Amazon store with good reviews on a reputable platform can go a long way. Prime shipping and easy returns are also huge draws to shopping on Amazon.
Evaluate a Paid Search Ads Strategy via Amazon Sales
With that said, PPC marketers can face a situation where a business’s best revenue-driving strategy will be via Amazon sales. Whether it’s because Amazon is where people often shop for their types of products, their store doesn’t convert enough sales because their smaller, lesser-known brand isn’t a big enough selling point, or the market itself just doesn’t have the volume of consumers shopping retail.
What Is Amazon Attribution?
The Amazon Attribution beta is a good tool for PPC marketers to implement paid Search ads on platforms like Google or Microsoft to drive users to a business’s Amazon store. A pixel-embedded link can be generated to allow a paid Search ad’s final URL to be redirected to an Amazon store and track the conversion rate of those ads from Google to Amazon.
Test Amazon Attribution with Experimental Campaigns
There are several ways to go about this, whether with an experimental or a permanent strategy. An experimental approach can be used if the marketer wants to see the potential revenue/ROI difference between their site and Amazon over a period, and evaluate it. This could be done with separate campaigns set up with similar keywords, targets, and ad copy running previously, but with the final URLs being the Amazon attributed URLs. The goal is to keep generating the same type of traffic, but lead the searcher to the Amazon store to see if that converts better. Experiments can also be implemented on existing campaigns if automated bid strategies and/or audience signals have collected good data (note that a new final URL can impact some data collection).
Transition a PPC Strategy to Amazon
Other circumstances could call for a business to shift its PPC focus strictly to Amazon, meaning all ads would point directly to the Amazon store. Reasons to try this strategy are that either past ad strategies of driving sales through their site or store have not worked, or the business itself could decide it wants its marketing efforts to shift focus on driving traffic to its Amazon store. Using existing campaigns can help if they are set up with good existing data. Or one can start over and adjust their targets and bidding strategy.
Meet Shoppers Where They Are
Overall, this strategy is a good way for PPC advertisers to help bring more traffic to an e-commerce business that drives sales through Amazon. You’re potentially getting the best of both worlds by bringing searchers to a platform they trust to buy from.
In today’s competitive e-commerce landscape, PPC advertisers must remain flexible and strategic in where they drive traffic. While directing users to a brand’s website may be the ideal scenario for some businesses, others may find greater success leveraging the trust and convenience of Amazon. Utilizing tools like Amazon Attribution allows marketers to make data-driven decisions, test outcomes, and pivot campaigns based on real performance. Whether testing or fully transitioning, aligning PPC efforts with consumer behavior, especially when that behavior heavily favors Amazon, can be a smart, ROI-focused move that meets shoppers where they already are.
