In the daily operations of Amazon, the traffic and number of purchases vary at different times, so can we set different bids for different times to reduce ineffective advertising costs and avoid low bids during peak times when traffic is unavailable?
Before starting, we can download the order report to determine the peak order times. The specific process is not described here. After processing, the recent order times for my store are as follows:
![[Amazon Order Time Period.png]]
From the chart, it can be seen that the peak order period is from 11 AM to 2 PM Pacific Time (US site time), and the low order period is from 12 AM to 6 AM. Therefore, we can set high bids for peak periods and low bids or even turn off ads during low periods.
Previously, operations required staying up late or using ERP to achieve this, but now it can be set directly in the Amazon backend. For specific settings, you can refer to [[Exploring Automated Adjustments for Amazon Ads]]. I used two ads that are neither too high nor too low for testing.
The categories are the same, only the models are different, and both are targeting core keywords. All premium times are set the same, and the test lasted for 7 days.
![[A Link Bid Premium.png]]
Conclusion#
First, the conclusion; the following process can be analyzed more deeply based on individual needs.
After testing, the time-based ladder bidding did not show significant help for the two tested ad campaigns, because even during the low order period, it only indicates that traffic is low during that time and does not prove that the conversion rate is low. Instead, it may affect the control over bidding and keyword positioning.
Due to time constraints, no further testing under more conditions will be conducted. This test only applies to specific situations and specific links and does not represent applicability for everyone. Because there is a considerable amount of organic traffic, a higher CPC can be accepted. Bidding should be based on one's actual situation without getting too caught up in the data details; just observe the data changes. Please think carefully before adopting the conclusions of this article; I am not responsible for the results.
For the 3C category I am currently in, if the product price does not have a significant competitive advantage, it is still necessary to compete for the top position on the homepage, as the conversion will be much better. The lower the base bid, the easier it is to run in other positions and product pages.
If there are large coupons available, it may be worth trying to increase and decrease bids, as it might yield better returns.
Link A#
New link, no reviews, newly opened ad, recent 7 days of ad data for the third week of July (7.15 - 7.21)
- Clicks: 44
- Spend: $220
- Conversion Rate: 18.18%
- CPC: $5
- ACOS: 43.58%
Summary 1#
Current data changes from 7.22-7.29 compared to 7.14-7.21
- Clicks increased by 142
- Spend increased by $866
- Conversion Rate decreased by 3.73%
- CPC increased by $0.9
- ACOS increased by 243%
I also compared the first week of July (conversion rate 7.5%), second week (conversion rate 6.25%), third week (conversion rate 18.18%), and the test week (conversion rate 12.36%).
The $8 coupon was opened on 7.18 of the third week, and the bidding mode was switched to increase and decrease on 7.16.
From this data set, it can be seen that large discounts have a significant impact on conversion rates. The main reason for the increase in conversion rate is that the large discount brought good conversions to the product page and other ad positions. Therefore, if there are large discounts, using increase and decrease may be more effective, which is why the conversion rate was best in the third week.
Day 1, US Time 22#
Discount: $10
Bid: $2
Bidding Plan: Fixed Bid
BID: Top 50%
Base Budget: $10
Budget Rules: Daily 7 AM - 11 PM premium 3000%
Clicks: 20 (Top 3, Others 7, Product 10 with 2 orders)
Spend: $77
Conversion Rate: 10%
Actual CPC: $3.85
TACOS: 83.89%
Day 2, US Time 23#
Non-top conversions were too low, so to secure the top position, the bid was adjusted to $3.
Discount: $10
Bid: $3
Bidding Plan: Fixed Bid
BID: Top 50%
Base Budget: $10
Budget Rules: Daily 7 AM - 11 PM premium 3000%
Clicks: 46 (Top 14 with 2 orders, Others 20 with 6 orders, Product 12 with 0 orders)
Spend: $278
Conversion Rate: 17.39%
Actual CPC: $6.04
TACOS: 134.40%
Day 3, US Time 24#
Discount: $10
Bid: $3
Bidding Plan: Fixed Bid
BID: Top 50%
Base Budget: $10
Budget Rules: Daily 7 AM - 11 PM premium 3000%
Clicks: 38 (Top 10 with 1 order, Others 19 with 3 orders, Product 9 with 1 order)
Spend: $231
Conversion Rate: 13.16%
Actual CPC: $6.1
TACOS: 89.93%
Day 4, US Time 25#
Discount: $10
Bid: $3
Bidding Plan: Fixed Bid
BID: Top 50%
Base Budget: $10
Budget Rules: Daily 7 AM - 11 PM premium 3000%
Clicks: 36 (Top 13 with 1 order, Others 14 with 2 orders, Product 9 with 1 order)
Spend: $218
Conversion Rate: 11.11%
Actual CPC: $6.06
TACOS: 44.34%
Day 5, US Time 26#
Reduced CPC to $2.5, clicks halved, observing Saturday and Sunday first, will restore to $3 on Monday.
Discount: $10
Bid: $2.5
Bidding Plan: Fixed Bid
BID: Top 50%
Base Budget: $10
Budget Rules: Daily 7 AM - 11 PM premium 3000%
Clicks: 9 (Top 3 with 0 orders, Others 4 with 1 order, Product 2 with 1 order)
Spend: $48
Conversion Rate: 11.11%
Actual CPC: $5.41
TACOS: 38.58%
Day 6, US Time 27, Saturday#
Discount: $10
Bid: $2.5
Bidding Plan: Fixed Bid
BID: Top 50%
Base Budget: $10
Budget Rules: Daily 7 AM - 11 PM premium 3000%
Clicks: 14 (Top 7 with 1 order, Others 4 with 0 orders, Product 3 with 0 orders)
Spend: $78
Conversion Rate: 7.14%
Actual CPC: $5.6
TACOS: 163.04%
Day 7, US Time 28, Sunday#
Discount: $10
Bid: $2.5
Bidding Plan: Fixed Bid
BID: Top 50%
Base Budget: $10
Budget Rules: Daily 7 AM - 11 PM premium 3000%
Clicks: 15 (Top 2 with 0 orders, Others 13 with 3 orders, Product 0 with 0 orders)
Spend: $77
Conversion Rate: 20%
Actual CPC: $5.14
TACOS: 106.26%
Link B#
Old link, with reviews, recent 7 days of ad data for the third week of July (7.15 - 7.21)
- Clicks: 161
- Spend: $664
- Conversion Rate: 12.42%
- CPC: $4.13
- ACOS: 124.53%
Summary 2#
Current data changes from 7.22-7.29 compared to 7.14-7.21
- Clicks increased by 218
- Spend increased by $1517
- Conversion Rate increased by 1.93%
- CPC increased by $1.61
- ACOS increased by 28.48%
I also compared the first week of July (conversion rate 12.44%), second week (conversion rate 14.79%), third week (conversion rate 12.42%), and the test week (conversion rate 15.22%).
The base bid is relatively low, and even if the top BID is increased, it will encourage more clicks to concentrate on other positions and product pages. Although the conversion rate decreased after lowering the base bid, the number of clicks obtained under the same spending increased, so the final orders will be similar, but it does not help much with the natural ranking of keywords.
If there are no large coupons available, it is still necessary to have a high base bid + top BID.
Day 1, US Time 22#
Discount: $10
Bid: $3
Bidding Plan: Fixed Bid
BID: Top 50%
Base Budget: $10
Budget Rules: Monday - Friday 7 AM - 11 PM premium 3000%
Clicks: 57 (Top 38 with 6 orders, Others 7 with 3 orders, Product 12 with 1 order)
Spend: $300
Conversion Rate: 17.54%
Actual CPC: $5.28
TACOS: 51.30%
Day 2, US Time 23#
The $10 coupon expired and was not continued.
Discount: None
Bid: $3
Bidding Plan: Fixed Bid
BID: Top 50%
Base Budget: $10
Budget Rules: Monday - Friday 7 AM - 11 PM premium 3000%
Clicks: 39 (Top 40 with 6 orders, Others 4 with 0 orders, Product 5 with 1 order)
Spend: $308
Conversion Rate: 14.58%
Actual CPC: $6.44
TACOS: 37.55%
Day 3, US Time 24#
Discount: None
Bid: $3
Bidding Plan: Fixed Bid
BID: Top 50%
Base Budget: $10
Budget Rules: Monday - Friday 7 AM - 11 PM premium 3000%
Clicks: 48 (Top 38 with 7 orders, Others 3 with 0 orders, Product 6 with 0 orders)
Spend: $312
Conversion Rate: 14.58%
Actual CPC: $6.51
TACOS: 56.45%
Day 4, US Time 25#
Discount: None
Bid: $3
Bidding Plan: Fixed Bid
BID: Top 50%
Base Budget: $10
Budget Rules: Monday - Friday 7 AM - 11 PM premium 3000%
Clicks: 50 (Top 38 with 8 orders, Others 4 with 0 orders, Product 7 with 0 orders)
Spend: $310
Conversion Rate: 16%
Actual CPC: $6.2
TACOS: 42.11%
Day 5, US Time 26#
After reducing the base bid to $2.5, there was a significant decrease in CPC, and under the same spending, clicks increased by 20 times. However, clicks on product and other page positions also increased, and the conversion rates for these two positions have not been very good. (But the clicks obtained at the top remained the same)
However, referring to the previous $10 coupon, the conversions for these two positions were also good. I will continue to open a $10 coupon today, keeping everything else unchanged, and observe the data changes.
Discount: $10
Bid: $2.5
Bidding Plan: Fixed Bid
BID: Top 50%
Base Budget: $10
Budget Rules: Monday - Friday 7 AM - 11 PM premium 3000%
Clicks: 67 (Top 33 with 6 orders, Others 19 with 2 orders, Product 15 with 0 orders)
Spend: $317
Conversion Rate: 11.94%
Actual CPC: $4.74
TACOS: 65.11%
Day 6, US Time 27, Saturday#
Discount: $10
Bid: $2.5
Bidding Plan: Fixed Bid
BID: Top 50%
Base Budget: $10
Budget Rules: Monday - Friday 7 AM - 11 PM premium 3000%
Clicks: 3
Spend: $11
Conversion Rate: 0%
Actual CPC: $3.88
TACOS: 86.07%
Day 7, US Time 28, Sunday#
Discount: $10
Bid: $2.5
Bidding Plan: Fixed Bid
BID: Top 50%
Base Budget: $10
Budget Rules: Monday - Friday 7 AM - 11 PM premium 3000%
Clicks: 3
Spend: $14
Conversion Rate: 0%
Actual CPC: $4.96
TACOS: 178.58%