One of the most expensive mistakes I see Amazon brands make is treating PPC as a
By Michael Erickson Facchin ยท July 5, 2026 ยท Curated by George's Blog
One of the most expensive mistakes I see Amazon brands make is treating PPC as a standalone silo.
They look at a campaign and ask: "๐ท๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฆ?" If the ACoS is a bit high, they turn it off.
But by doing that, they completely miss the invisible gravity that PPC pulls on Amazonโs organic ecosystem.
Take a look at the image below. Weโve all seen the famous "Frequently bought together" section. To the average shopper, itโs a helpful recommendation. To an average seller, itโs a nice organic bonus.
But to a growth strategist, itโs a target. ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐.
A few years ago, we started experimenting with what we call the "Market Basket Strategy." Instead of just targeting direct competitors selling the exact same product, we started looking closely at complementary data.
If you sell a foam roller, your direct competitor isnโt your only target. The brand selling the yoga mat or the 7lb dumbbells is your goldmine.
Here is the play:
1. Identify the products your target audience buys right before or right alongside yours.
2. Launch aggressive Product Targeting (PAT) campaigns directly on those listings.
3. Drive joint conversions.
When a shopper clicks your ad on a dumbbell listing and buys your foam roller at the same time, Amazonโs algorithm gets a data point. Do this enough times, and you train the algorithm to link these products together.
Eventually, Amazon does the work for you. They place you in the "Frequently bought together" box completely for free.
Youโve essentially used paid ads to buy a permanent piece of premium organic real estate.
The best Amazon advertisers donโt just buy clicks. They use PPC to manipulate the algorithm, build systemic organic advantages, and lower their overall TACoS in the long run.
Have you ever successfully forced an organic bundle association using paid traffic?