TACOS Tuesday - Amazon Ads Tactics

Sebastian Hargreaves takes the mic solo this week while Hamish Conway enjoys a well-earned break, unpacking why rule-based automations often fail in Amazon advertising. He reveals how rigid look-back windows, over-optimisation, and limited bid adjustments can actually create more work and weaker results and why success on Amazon requires both art and science. With actionable insights and practical...

In this episode of Tacos Tuesday, Hamish Conway and Sebastian Hargreaves dive into the debate of Amazon vs Meta advertising and what it means for e-commerce brands. They unpack why consumers often shift from social media ads to shopping on Amazon, highlighting the platform’s trust factor, fast delivery, high conversion rates, and strong customer protection. You’ll also learn how to protect your br...

In Episode 55 of TACOS Tuesday, Hamish Conway and Sebastian Hargreaves break down one of the most confusing yet critical debates in Amazon advertising :  TACOS versus ACOS . You’ll learn how TACOS guides big-picture strategy, how ACOS informs day-to-day optimisation, and why clarity around campaign goals prevents wasted spend and lost ranking opportunities. Along the way, they reveal how to spot a...

In Episode 54 of TACOS Tuesday, Hamish Conway and Sebastian Hargreaves break down one of the most powerful yet overlooked levers in Amazon advertising - harvesting search terms .  They reveal how moving winning keywords from auto campaigns into targeted exact match campaigns can dramatically improve ROI, reduce wasted ad spend, and unlock new growth opportunities. You’ll learn what makes a search...

In Episode 53 of TACOS Tuesday, Hamish Conway and Sebastian Hargreaves break down the key differences between Amazon Ads results on Amazon USA and Amazon Australia. Drawing on aggregated client data from millions in ad spend, they reveal insights into click costs, conversion rates, ROAS, TACOS, and the opportunities that exist for brands in both markets. Discover why cost-per-click is over 150% hi...

In episode 52 of TACOS Tuesday, Hamish Conway and Sebastian Hargreaves reveal how to take control of your Amazon ACOS by shifting focus from ad spend to measuring revenue per click. They break down why revenue per click is a more powerful metric than ACoS alone, how to spot hidden inefficiencies in your campaigns, and practical steps to scale profitably without wasting ad dollars. You’ll also lear...

In Episode 51 of  TACOS Tuesday , Hamish Conway and Sebastian Hargreaves unpack three revealing insights from their Amazon ads audits - insights that could be quietly draining your budget and holding back your growth. Drawing on data from dozens of brands and millions in ad spend, they explore how many sellers lean too heavily on Sponsored Products while underusing high-potential ad types like Spo...

In this special 50th episode, we celebrate one year of our TACOS Tuesday Podcast - it’s our first birthday! Hamish Conway and Sebastian Hargreaves reflect on what a year of weekly episodes has revealed about winning on Amazon, and what’s next. They dig into the rise of challenger brands, the decline of early-mover advantage, the explosive growth of Prime in Australia, and how AI and content veloci...

Amazon has pulled the plug on Google Shopping ads - so what does that mean for brands? In this episode, Hamish and Sebastian break down why Amazon may have made this move, the trends pointing to declining external traffic, and how brands can adapt. Discover strategies to monitor your metrics, fill traffic gaps with smart ad spend, test new channels like Google Shopping on your own, and leverage Am...

In this short and sharp solo episode, Sebastian Hargreaves breaks down the key takeaways from Prime 2025, unpacking the data behind ad performance during the high-volume event. He reveals why ROAS dropped despite a 200% spike in ad sales, the critical role of Prime Deal badges, and how strategic spend, especially on the first and last days can make or break your results. If you're planning for...

Ready to stop guessing where your Amazon ad dollars are going? Hamish Conway and Sebastian Hargreaves reveal what six months of real Sponsored Products data from Amazon Australia tells us about which placements are actually performing. They unpack surprising insights on cost-per-click, conversion rates, and ROAS across top of search, rest of search, and product pages - highlighting where most bran...

This week on TACOS Tuesday, Hamish Conway sits down with Jim Vrondas from WorldFirst for a timely dive into the world of international payments, currency volatility, and the hidden costs that e-commerce sellers often overlook. Jim shares expert insights on how brands can protect profit margins with smart hedging strategies, avoid the double-conversion trap, and manage expenses more efficiently acr...

This week on TACOS Tuesday, Hamish Conway sits down with Timothy Malakou, Brand Manager at Sheldon and Hammond, one of Australia’s most respected distributors of premium home and kitchenware. Representing powerhouse brands like OXO, Scanpan, Global Knives, and Avanti, Sheldon and Hammond has seen remarkable growth on Amazon, with a 45% lift in ad-attributed sales and 35% total sales growth in just...

In Episode 44 of TACOS Tuesday, Hamish Conway and Sebastian Hargreaves break down exactly how to prepare for Amazon Prime Day - whether you’ve secured official deals or not. With just weeks to go, they cover the key steps to maximise sales: from ad strategies and pricing tactics to managing budgets across the crucial first, middle, and final days. They also reveal smart lead-in and lead-out moves,...

In this episode, Hamish Conway and Sebastian Hargreaves break down the “secret sauce” to setting effective objectives for Amazon Ads. They walk through a practical framework to determine your contribution margin, define whether your focus is growth or profit, and calculate a target ACoS to guide smart bidding. Learn how to structure campaigns by job ranking, research, or profit and why assigning t...

In Part 2 of this deep dive into Amazon’s evolving search algorithm, Hamish Conway is joined again by Viktoriya, Sell Global Account Director, to explore Rufus - Amazon’s new AI-powered shopping assistant. They break down how Rufus builds on the Cosmo algorithm to deliver more personalised, intent-led search results, and why this shift is a game-changer for sellers. Viktoriya shares insights on ho...

Amazon’s algorithm is changing - fast. In this episode, Hamish Conway is joined by Viktoriya, Sell Global Account Director and experienced Amazon seller, to explore the shift from keyword-based search to AI-driven intent. They break down how the new Cosmo algorithm works, how it’s already transforming search results in the US, and what sellers need to do to stay visible. Viktoriya shares actionabl...

In this episode of Tacos Tuesday, Hamish Conway and Sebastian Hargreaves dive into a strategic analysis of Amazon Prime Day advertising performance. They walk through a real example using cohort analysis to assess the long-term impact of Prime Day deals on customer lifetime value and acquisition costs. Listeners will learn how to evaluate whether Prime promotions are truly worth the investment, ho...

In this episode, Hamish Conway and Sebastian Hargreaves unpack the key challenges around managing your margins when selling on Amazon Australia as a vendor. They take a deep dive into the various vendor programs like AVS, Vine, Subscribe & Save, and A+ Premium, highlighting which ones offer real value and which ones may be quietly eating into your profits. You’ll learn why many brands are unin...

In this episode of Tacos Tuesday, “Middle Months – What We Are Doing For Our Clients Right Now,” Hamish and Sebastian break down the strategies they’re using to navigate the seasonal lull between Q1 momentum and Prime Day build-up. They discuss how to adjust bids based on changing conversion rates, and how brands can use historical data to stay profitable during off-season slumps. They also touch...

In Episode 37 of Tacos Tuesday, we dive into the art and strategy of setting and controlling ad budgets to drive better performance without overspending. Learn how to align your budget with business goals, adjust based on campaign performance, and avoid the most common pitfalls that drain ad spend. We cover practical methods for scaling, when to pull back or double down, and how to use data to mak...

In this episode of Tacos Tuesday, Hamish Conway sits down with Jamie Paros, co-founder of SKUdrop, to explore how smart supply chain strategies can unlock huge savings for e-commerce brands. Jamie shares his journey from running a transport business, to successfully launching his own brand on Amazon and then to launching a global logistics platform. Jamie has spent a significant amount of time in...

In this episode of Tacos Tuesday, Hamish and Seb bring you the best moments from three standout episodes to help you move from confusion to clarity with your Amazon Ads strategy. They break down the biggest ad mistakes smart brands still make like poor campaign structure, catalog gaps, and wasted spend and explain why relying solely on ROAS can actually stunt your growth. You’ll learn how to set s...

In this episode of TACOS Tuesday, Hamish and Seb dive into the chaotic ripple effects of Trump’s latest tariff changes and what they mean for Amazon sellers. With compounded duties nearing 200%, they share real client examples of how margins are being squeezed and what strategic moves can help sellers stay competitive. From cutting wasteful ad spend and leveraging dayparting, to seizing stock adva...

In Episode 33 of Tacos Tuesday, Hamish Conway and Sebastian Hargreaves dive into the crucial topic of negative matching for Amazon ads. They break down common mistakes sellers make, such as blindly negating high ACOS keywords and eliminating low-volume terms that can actually drive profitability. The discussion covers key criteria for effective negative matching, including relevancy, click-to-sale...