Amazon advertising
Amazon product targeting services
A product targeting service decides which product pages and categories your ads should appear on, sets bids for each target and removes the ones that do not work. The heart of the job is comparison: looking honestly at how your product stands against each one you might appear beside, on price, reviews, features and images, and only targeting where the comparison favours you or the products are genuinely complementary. A service that targets every competitor in the category without that comparison is likely to spend money on clicks from shoppers who prefer the product they were already viewing.
We set out how a careful engagement runs, the questions worth asking, warning signs, what you should receive and how to judge results. LetGetGrow manages Amazon advertising as ongoing management or one-off projects, working in your own advertising account, with the scope and fee set out in a custom quotation.
Illustrative diagram
- Understand
- Research
- Compare
- Launch
- Review
How a product targeting engagement runs
Understand
Your product's real strengths and weaknesses.
Output: Product notes
Research
Comparable and complementary products.
Output: Candidate targets
Compare
Price, reviews, features, images.
Output: Shortlist with reasons
Launch
Separate campaigns, bids per target.
Output: Live targets
Review
Spend and sales by target.
Output: Exclusions and bid changes
An honest view of your product
The service needs to know where your product is weaker as well as stronger. If it has fewer reviews than the leader, or costs more than budget options, those pages are poor places to advertise. A provider that only hears your strengths will choose targets that look appealing on paper and disappoint in practice. Be candid in the brief.
Questions to ask
| Question | Good answer shows |
|---|---|
| How do you choose target products? | A comparison against each one |
| Will you advertise on our own listings? | A view on whether it is worth testing |
| How do you handle categories? | Refined categories, tested separately |
| When do you exclude a target? | A spend threshold based on margin |
| How will results be reported? | Spend and sales for each target |
Warning signs
Every competitor targeted
No comparison behind the choices.
Mixed with keyword campaigns
Results hard to separate.
No exclusions over time
Poor placements left running.
Comparative claims in ads
Check Amazon's advertising policies.
Complementary products
A good service will look beyond direct competitors to products that pair with yours. Ask how it checks compatibility, because an accessory advertised on a product it does not fit leads to returns and poor reviews as well as wasted clicks.
Example: a target shortlist
Illustrative example — not a client case study
Situation: A seller of a mid-priced electric kettle asks a service to set up product targeting.
- The service lists twenty competing kettles and compares price, capacity, reviews and features.
- Eight are shortlisted where the seller's kettle is cheaper for similar features or has a feature they lack; the rest are left out with reasons.
- Descaler and filter products compatible with the kettle are added as complementary targets on the seller's own pages.
What this shows: The seller could see why each target was chosen. This example is illustrative.
What you should receive
Plan
- Target list with comparisons
- Rejected targets with reasons
Campaigns
- Separate product targeting campaigns
- Bids per target
Review
- Results by target
- Exclusions with evidence
Listing recommendations
Product targeting exposes your listing to direct comparison. A service that notices your main image looks weaker than competitors', or that a key feature is missing from the title, should say so. Ask whether listing suggestions are part of the work.
Access
Give the service its own user through Amazon's permission settings, never your login, with only the access needed. Remove it when the work ends.
What to agree
Agree products in scope, how targets are chosen, budget limits, review frequency, reporting, fees and whether listing suggestions are included.
Category targeting
Category targets reach more product pages than individual targets, which can be useful for discovering where your product competes well. They can also spend across many pages where it does not. Ask the service how it refines categories using the options available in the console, and whether it tests categories separately from individual product targets so the two can be judged on their own results.
When competitors change
A target that worked last quarter may stop working if the competitor lowers its price, gains reviews or improves its images. Ask how often the service revisits its comparisons, not only the performance figures, so targets are dropped when the comparison stops favouring you.
Budget limits
Agree a spend limit for any new set of targets and a date to review them. Product targeting can spend quickly on busy competitor pages, and a review point stops weak targets running unnoticed.
What to share
Provide margins, the products you think shoppers compare yours with, any compatibility details for accessories and your budget for a first test.
Questions about Amazon product targeting services
What does a product targeting service do?
Chooses product pages and categories for ads and manages them.
How should targets be chosen?
By comparing your product honestly with each one.
Should we share our weaknesses?
Yes; they show where not to advertise.
What about complementary products?
Worth targeting if genuinely compatible.
How are results reported?
Spend and sales for each target.
Will listing advice be included?
Ask; product targeting exposes listing weaknesses.
Request a Custom Quote
Ask about Amazon product targeting services
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