Before you touch a single holiday promo, answer one question: is Amazon a distri
By Lubailyasova · September 28, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Before you touch a single holiday promo, answer one question: is Amazon a distribution channel or an acquisition channel for your brand?
Most brands never decide. So they run Amazon like both and measure it like neither - a blended ROAS target that tells you nothing about which SKU is actually making money once fees, PPC and promotions come out.
That's the chapter I wrote for Levanta's new playbook, 9 Plays to Defend Your Margin This Holiday Season. Full playbook: https://lnkd.in/eeaeq_K4
1) Decide what Amazon is for you. Distribution means you protect price and margin. Acquisition means you pay for the customer on purpose and know what they're worth after the first order.
2) Calculate true per-SKU margin. Referral fee, FBA, storage, PPC, coupon, deal fee, returns. Per SKU, not per account.
3) Let that number decide what gets promoted in Q4. Not the ROAS target. Not the "hero SKU" everyone loves. The margin.
Q4 doesn't kill margin in one place. It leaks across the whole P&L - discounts, fees, ad costs, January returns. You only see it if you're looking at the right number.
Thanks to Levanta for the invite, and to Chris Brewer and the OMG Commerce team. Contributors include Triple Whale, CommerceIQ, and others - worth the read before Black Friday planning locks.
#Amazon #Ecommerce #Q4 #HolidaySeason #Margin #DTC #CPG