Here we will discuss the different situations in which an ASIN has no prior sales.
When an ASIN has no prior sales, the algorithm can not rely on historical data for optimisation. One needs to force the algorithm to bid by controlling the traffic.
What one should do depends on the situation. Here are the possibilities we will cover in this article:
- Product launch
- Product already advertised through a strategy
Product launch
A product can be launched through a Sponsored product strategy with force visibility or ACOS optimisation
Force visibility
This is the best way to launch a product. One should:
- Isolate the ASINs concerned in another product group
- Set keywords and product targeting for each ASIN to help the algorithm be very relevant from the start if one knows what to target.
- Set a suggested bid and daily budget for a sponsored product strategy with a force product visibility algorithm.
- Wait until it is possible to switch to ACOS optimisation.
The ACOS target should be higher than expected in order to let the algorithm bid high. If the ACOS target is too low, the algorithm will not generate traffic enough to sell.
For a start, one should not set any budget or spending.
After 2 days of advertising, one should check the spending on a daily basis to ensure the algorithm is spending within an acceptable range.
- The ACOS is higher than the ACOS Target. If the strategy converted at least one order a day for a week, one should set a target daily budget. Otherwise, one should wait for the algorithm to convert at least one order a day for a week. If it does not work after 2 weeks, one should follow the force visibility instructions above.
- The ACOS is lower than the ACOS target and the algorithm spends too little. One should set a min daily spend or increase the ACOS target in order to increase the traffic. Here are more details.
- The algorithm does not spend at all: one should pause the strategy and follow the force visibility instructions above.
Products already advertised through a strategy
The algorithm collects keywords and products to target and changes the bids in order to match the ACOS target. Below are a few reasons why an ASIN that is in a strategy might not convert:
No target
The algorithm does not know what to target. To verify that, one should check that the campaign on the Amazon advertising console of the strategy is targeting keywords and products. If it is not the case, one can force the algorithm to target specific keywords and products in 2 ways:
- For a specific ASIN, one can add seed keywords and products.
- For all the ASINs in a product group, one can add a tactic.
- The keywords and products added should be common to all the ASINs in the product group. If it is not the case, one should either split the product into different strategies or define the keywords and products on an ASIN level.
Low traffic
The strategy does not have traffic enough. To verify that, one can check the impressions and clicks on the page Overview. One should follow the instructions for a product launch above.
Low ACOS target
The algorithm can not achieve the ACOS target for the given ASIN. To verify that, one can filter the product group on the page Products and compare the ASIN's spending to the rest of the product group. If the ASIN is spending but there are no sales, one should follow the instructions for a product launch above.