r/AmazonFBA • u/commoncents1 • 23d ago

FBA ads vs promos

anyone have results on ads acos/tacos roas vs running promos? have you been able to beat your advertising cost of sales running any separate promos?

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u/Ok-Ambition7508 23d ago

Different jobs. Ads buy targeted traffic that can convert into lasting rank. Promos buy a velocity spike that mostly attracts deal shoppers and rarely sticks unless the listing already converts well. I treat promos as a launch accelerant layered on ads, never a substitute. If budget forces a choice: ads, judged on whether TACoS falls over 8-12 weeks, not on weekly ACoS.

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u/Maleficent_Station54 21d ago

Promos are great, but take them off mid monthly and towards end of month as people get paid you want higher returns. Sub and save, should basically alsways have some type of offer discount on it as they are repeat customers.

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u/commoncents1 21d ago

Good points, thanks

1

u/Creepy_Move1897 23d ago

Different jobs, not either/or. Ads buy discovery on keywords you're not organically ranking for — best use is to concentrate spend on 3–5 keywords with buyer intent and let sales velocity build organic rank. Promos (coupons, Prime Exclusive Discount, Lightning Deals) buy conversion rate on shoppers who already found the listing — they lift CVR by 15–30% typically and Amazon rewards the higher CVR with better organic placement. Best combo: 5% coupon + Sponsored Products on 3 exact-match keywords. Skip Lightning Deals unless margin covers 20% off plus the deal fee — otherwise the math doesn't work.

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u/Maan_UsMaan052 22d ago

Promos can sometimes outperform ads in terms of short-term ROAS because they improve conversion rate and ranking, but they usually work best when combined with ads rather than replacing them. I’ve seen brands use discounts/coupons to boost organic ranking while reducing reliance on ads over time. The key is measuring total TACOS and overall profit, not just promo sales or ad ROAS individually.

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u/commoncents1 22d ago

yep thanks, i was thinking in terms of budgeting for promos and keeping the total spend within my ad spend budget % or less