Learn from Summer for Effective DSP & PPC Strategies

When it comes to strategizing ad campaigns for tentpole events like fall Amazon Prime Day 2024, Cyber 5, seasonal shopping, and other significant Q4 retail events, there is no time like the present!?

Our Buy Box Experts PPC and DSP ads teams came away with plenty of observations after our summer Prime Day 2024 successes in July, and we are using that knowledge to innovate successful actions for our brands this fall. If you’re looking for some inspiration and insight into your ad campaign development for the upcoming shopping season, take a look at these recommendations.?

Recommendations for Fall Prime Day 2024 DSP Campaigns

Leverage Third-Party Site Placements for Enhanced ROAS: We noticed a significant increase for our brands in DSP ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) from traffic through third-party exchange websites, which suggests these placements can be effective in your overall fall Prime Day campaign.?

• Pro Tip: Allocate a specific portion of your DSP budget to third-party site placements and monitor performance during the Prime Day event to optimize in real-time. This strategy will help you capture maximum value from these high-ROI sources.

Focus on Targeting Strategies Early: Category targeting in the DSP consideration funnel saw 2x the improvement on Day 1 of summer Prime Day for brands without Prime Day event deals. Engaging potential customers early in their Awareness and Consideration stages with your brand can significantly boost purchases, especially during a marketplace event where shoppers are already planning large orders.

• Pro Tip: Implement robust targeting strategies from the start and concentrate efforts on refining audience segments and using detailed category targeting to maximize early conversions.

Utilize AMC Audiences for High Engagement: For our brands, targeting AMC audience segments, particularly add-to-cart abandoners and frequent PDP visitors, outperformed expectations during summer Prime Day. By pursuing the segments that show high intent for purchase but lack opportunity, you can help turn the tide during a major ads campaign event.?

• Pro Tip: Integrate these high-intent audiences into your DSP campaigns for fall Prime Day to drive conversions. Consider developing tailored messaging for these groups to encourage final purchases and reduce cart abandonment.

Prioritize Amazon-Owned and Operated Placements: Since ROAS and total detail-page view rates spiked on Day 1 of summer Prime Day for Amazon-owned and operated placements, prioritizing these placements within Amazon’s ecosystem at the start of fall Prime Day can help increase results.??

• Pro Tip: Ensure that your ads are prominently featured on Amazon-owned properties to capitalize on the early surge in consumer interest. You may discover unknown yet successful venues that weren’t being prioritized before. These placement locations can include the Amazon website, mobile app, Fire TV, Amazon devices (Kindle, Fire tablets, Echo devices), Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Fresh & Whole Foods, Twitch, and even IMDb

Optimize for New-to-Brand Sales on Day 2: There was a slight improvement in new-to-brand sales on Day 2 of summer Prime Day, especially in the evening, which may indicate an opportunity to capture new customers later in the event. The final hours of an event can be the proverbial “end-cap” aisle for customers on their way to check out. If they have one last chance to try something new they’ve been considering, they may finally decide to take it at a reduced price.?

• Pro Tip: Tailor DSP campaigns to attract new customers on Day 2 by offering exclusive deals or promotions that appeal to first-time buyers. Consider increasing your bid for these segments as the day progresses to capture late-hour or eleventh-hour shoppers.

Recommendations for Fall Prime Day 2024 PPC Campaigns

1. Leverage Day 1 Momentum: Since Day 1 of summer Prime Day was notably strong for small- and medium-sized brands, plan to invest heavily in your Day 1 strategy. By allocating a significant portion of your budget to ensure ads are optimized for high visibility and engagement on this day, you can help attract buyers at the peak of interest.?
2. Optimize Bids for Day 2 Performance: The decrease in impressions from Day 1 to Day 2 in summer 2024 for our brands suggests a potential for diminishing returns if your campaign is not managed well. To avoid this, adjust your budget allocation to maintain competitiveness, analyze data to identify if certain segments or keywords perform better on Day 2, and adjust your bids accordingly.
3. Enhance Targeting and Creative to Improve CTR: Our brands experienced a 17% improvement in Click-Through Rate (CTR) YoY, which suggests that refining targeting and creative strategies is a worthwhile focus. Utilize data-driven insights to create more relevant and engaging ads that resonate with the larger audience.
4. Efficiently Manage CPC Budget: The 27% decrease in average Cost-Per-Click (CPC) in 2024 indicates that monitoring and adjusting bids is crucial for maintaining cost efficiency while ensuring high ad visibility for your brand.
5. Reassess Sponsored Display for NTB Targeting: New-to-Brand campaign performance dropped significantly for our brands in the summer 2024 event, particularly due to Sponsored Display. Consider shifting your budget from underperforming ad types or optimizing these campaigns more aggressively.

Pro Tip: If NTB campaigns are a priority, explore other advertising channels or types that might reach new customers during the event.

For an even deeper understanding of our summer Prime Day PPC results, check out our previous post from our PPC ads team.?

In addition to all these insights, it’s essential to continually monitor and adjust KPI metrics for both ad campaign types as you increase awareness before fall Prime Day 2024. By setting up alerts and real-time reports, you can quickly identify trends and make data-driven adjustments to your PPC and DSP campaigns, maintaining strong results across both days of the event.

AMAZON NEWS AND NOTES?

• Find Amazon strategic tips, optimization advice, and event highlights in our monthly Amazon Marketplace Insights newsletter!?

• ARE YOU READY FOR AMAZON ACCELERATE???

Our Buy Box Experts team is excited to attend the 2024 Amazon Accelerate conference in Seattle, Washington, from September 17–19. If you want to connect with us during the event, contact our vice president of growth, Brad Saksons, at [email protected] . Watch for our summary post after the event to find all the great takeaways for Amazon account growth that were covered this year!?

• CHECK US OUT AT AMAZON UNBOXED 2024

Our team will be at Amazon unBoxed 2024 in Austin, Texas, October 14–16. Reach out if you’d like to connect while we take in the innovations and technology that help bridge the gap between audience and advertiser. Contact our director of advertising growth and strategy, Dave Vermeulen, at [email protected] .

• CELEBRATING OUR EXPERTS

Congratulations to our advertising operations specialist, Mateo Conson, who won our Buy Box Experts Team-Player Award for his innovative skills and ability to drive Buy Box Experts as an incubator for our partnership with Spreetail! Thank you for all your hard work for our team and brand partners!