How to Increase Sales on Amazon With PPC: 19 Strategies That Actually Move the Needle

Selling on Amazon keeps getting tougher: more competition, higher ad costs, and an algorithm that rewards relevance and performance. The good news is that sales growth is not random—it's a math problem you can manage.

When you zoom out, Amazon sales at the ASIN level usually come down to improving one (or more) of these levers:

• Sessions (how many shoppers visit your detail page)
• Unit Session Percentage (your conversion rate: how many of those sessions become orders)
• Average Order Value (AOV) (how much each order is worth)

You can find these metrics in Seller Central at the ASIN level (Business Reports → Detail Page Sales and Traffic).

If you want to scale sales, PPC is often the fastest lever for increasing sessions, and it can also help improve conversion and AOV when your traffic is targeted and your offer is strong.

Below are 19 practical strategies—organized by what they improve—to help you grow sales through Amazon PPC.

Part 1 — Increase Sessions with PPC (Get More Qualified Traffic)

1) Expand keyword coverage aggressively (beyond the "top 10")

A very common ceiling: sellers only bid on a small list of obvious keywords. Instead, build a much larger keyword universe (including long-tail) and create campaigns that give you structured coverage, not a "mixed bag" campaign. Goal: become discoverable on more relevant searches, not just a few head terms.

2) Mine competitor listings for keyword ideas (then validate)

Competitors are already paying to learn what converts. Pull ideas from competitor titles/bullets/A+ language, "frequently bought together" context, and Amazon search suggestions. Then validate via ads (don't blindly upload everything at high bids).

3) Use Brand Analytics (if you have it) to prioritize demand

If you're Brand Registered, Brand Analytics can give you clearer signals about what shoppers actually search in your category and which terms are "real market demand" vs. random tool output. Use it to identify high-volume terms you don't advertise on and find terms where you're under-indexed vs competitors.

4) Run auto campaigns as a discovery engine (not as your core structure)

Auto campaigns are valuable for finding new search terms and ASIN placements. Run auto with controlled budgets, regularly harvest converting queries into manual campaigns, and add negatives to prevent auto from bleeding budget into irrelevant traffic.

5) Create a "research" layer with Broad/Phrase match

Broad and Phrase campaigns are excellent for discovering long-tail search terms and variant wording you wouldn't think of. Keep these separate from Exact campaigns so you can control spend, evaluate performance cleanly, and move winners to Exact.

6) Use product targeting to capture shoppers in comparison mode

Product targeting (ASIN targeting) puts your ad on product detail pages. It works well when your price/value is competitive, your reviews/ratings are strong, and your listing makes differentiation obvious. Start with direct competitors, "weaker" listings (lower ratings, poor imagery), and your own ASINs (defense + cross-sell).

7) Use category targeting to scale beyond individual ASINs

Category targeting gives you reach and helps you find new pockets of demand. Improve results by using refinements: price ranges that match your offer, rating thresholds, and subcategories closer to your exact product use-case.

8) Add Sponsored Brands (especially Video) for incremental reach

Sponsored Brands can be a strong way to add sessions, particularly SB Video (often efficient because it stands out) and SB campaigns that drive to a curated product set or Store page. You're not only bidding on keywords—you're also buying attention.

9) Use Sponsored Display for prospecting and competitor audiences (selectively)

Sponsored Display can add sessions if used carefully, but it can also waste budget fast. Use it when you have strong creative and a clear offer, can segment audiences (views, category interest, competitor shoppers), and monitor conversion rate and click quality.

Part 2 — Improve Unit Session % (Conversion Rate) Using PPC + Offer Alignment

More traffic doesn't help if it's the wrong traffic—or if your detail page doesn't convert.

10) Tighten relevance: separate high-intent vs. exploratory traffic

One of the fastest conversion improvements is segmentation. Example structure: Exact (high-intent, proven queries), Phrase/Broad (exploration + harvesting), Product targeting (comparison intent), Category targeting (discovery). This avoids mixing "buyers" with "browsers" in one campaign.

11) Build a negative keyword / negative ASIN habit

Conversion rate often improves when you stop paying for bad clicks. Weekly routine: identify search terms spending with weak conversion, add negatives at the right level (ad group or campaign), repeat consistently. This is one of the highest-ROI "boring" optimizations.

12) Align landing pages: send each intent to the best ASIN

If you sell multiple variations (size, pack, bundle, scent, etc.), your ad traffic should land on the variant most likely to convert for that query. If you send all traffic to one ASIN, you create unnecessary friction.

13) Improve the offer before you "fix the ads"

PPC can't permanently compensate for a weak offer. Conversion rate is heavily influenced by main image clarity, price positioning, coupon visibility, reviews and rating, and shipping speed. If you're paying for traffic, your listing needs to "close."

14) Use launch-phase pricing and promo strategy intentionally

For newer ASINs, conversion is usually the weak point. Launch-friendly tactics: temporary price positioning (within your margin reality), coupon tests (watch profitability), focused PPC on a smaller keyword set that matches the offer strongly. The goal is to build momentum without training the market to expect permanent discounts.

15) Use review acquisition programs ethically (and within Amazon rules)

Newer ASINs often struggle until they build trust. If eligible, consider programs like Amazon Vine (where available) and post-purchase experience improvements that reduce negatives and returns. Avoid anything that violates Amazon policy—short-term wins can become long-term account risk.

16) Use retargeting to bring back high-intent shoppers

Some shoppers need multiple touches. Retargeting can help improve conversion rate by reconnecting with shoppers who viewed your product or engaged with your brand. Keep audiences segmented and measure incrementality (don't assume it's "free sales").

Part 3 — Increase AOV (Raise Revenue Per Order)

AOV is often overlooked, but it can be a huge lever—especially for established sellers.

17) Add bundles and multipacks (then advertise them properly)

Bundles and multipacks can raise AOV, protect margin, and reduce direct price comparison. Make sure ads promote the bundle on queries that match the "value per unit" logic.

18) Use variations strategically to move shoppers up the ladder

If you have a variation family: anchor with an entry option, offer a "better value" mid-tier, and include a premium option with clear differentiation. Then use PPC to guide traffic based on intent.

19) Cross-sell inside your catalog using product targeting

Target your own ASINs to push accessories, promote premium variants, and move shoppers from a low-margin hero to a higher-margin bundle. This can increase AOV while defending your detail pages from competitors.

Recommended PPC Campaign Structure (Simple and Scalable)

What to Track Weekly (So Growth Stays Profitable)

Beyond ACoS, include these in your regular review:

• Sessions (are you actually growing traffic?)
• Unit Session % (is traffic converting?)
• AOV (are you increasing revenue per order?)
• TACoS (are ads supporting total business efficiency?)
• Search term quality (are you paying for the right clicks?)

Action Plan

Final Takeaway

To increase sales on Amazon with PPC, stop thinking in terms of "more ads" and start thinking in terms of the three levers:

• Drive more qualified sessions
• Convert more of those sessions
• Increase AOV through smarter product strategy

Once you treat growth as a measurable system, PPC becomes predictable—and scalable.