If you’re running Amazon ads and constantly tweaking bids, budgets, and targeting—but still not seeing the growth you expect—you’re not alone. One of the biggest challenges ecommerce sellers face is knowing where to invest their ad dollars for maximum return.
That’s where Amazon’s Brand Metrics comes in. It’s one of the most powerful—and underutilized—tools inside Seller Central. And when used correctly, it can completely change how you approach ad spend.
Let’s walk through how to use Brand Metrics to make smarter, more profitable decisions.
What Are Amazon Brand Metrics?
Amazon Brand Metrics provides a detailed look at how your brand performs across the customer journey—compared to others in your category.
Instead of just showing your own numbers, it benchmarks you against:
- Category medians
- Top-performing competitors
Key metrics include:
- Impressions
- Detail Page Views
- Add-to-Carts
- Purchases
- Repeat Purchase Rate
- Brand Search Rate
Think of this as your funnel performance dashboard. It shows you exactly where customers are dropping off—and where you’re outperforming the competition.
The Common Mistake: Relying Only on ACoS or ROAS
Most sellers make ad decisions based purely on ACoS or ROAS.
That’s like judging a football team based only on the final score without looking at turnovers, yardage, or penalties. You’re missing the story behind the outcome.
Here’s the issue:
- A high ACoS might not mean your ads are bad
- A low ROAS doesn’t always mean you should cut spend
Without context, those metrics can lead you to make the wrong call.
Brand Metrics gives you that missing context.
For example:
- If your detail page views are low, your ads might not be compelling enough
- If your add-to-cart rate is weak, your listing may not be convincing
- If your purchase rate is below average, conversion—not traffic—is the issue
Before adjusting ad spend, you need to understand where the breakdown is happening.
Step 1: Identify Where Your Funnel Is Weak
Start by comparing your metrics to your category benchmarks.
Ask yourself:
- Are my impressions competitive?
- Are shoppers clicking through at a strong rate?
- Are they adding to cart—but not purchasing?
Each stage tells a different story.
For example:
- Low impressions → You likely need more aggressive bidding or broader targeting
- Strong traffic but low conversions → Your listing is underperforming
- Low repeat purchase rate → You may have a product or brand loyalty issue
This step alone can save you from wasting thousands on ineffective ad spend.
Step 2: Only Scale Ads When Your Conversion Rate Supports It
Here’s a simple rule I use with clients:
Don’t scale traffic to a page that doesn’t convert.
If your purchase rate is below your category benchmark, increasing ad spend is like pouring water into a leaky bucket.
Instead, focus on improving your listing:
- Upgrade your main images
- Refine your title and bullet points
- Add A+ Content
- Improve pricing strategy
- Increase review quantity and quality
Once your conversion rate improves and is competitive—or better yet, above average—that’s when you scale.
At that point:
- Increase Sponsored Products budgets
- Boost top-of-search bids
- Expand keyword targeting
Now every additional click has a higher likelihood of turning into revenue.
Step 3: Use Brand Search Rate to Measure Brand Strength
One of the most overlooked metrics is Brand Search Rate.
This tells you how often shoppers search specifically for your brand after interacting with your product.
If this number is low, it means your brand isn’t sticking. Customers may see your product—but they don’t remember you.
That’s a red flag.
To improve this:
- Invest in Sponsored Brands campaigns
- Build a stronger brand story in your listings
- Use video ads to increase memorability
- Drive external traffic from Google or social platforms
Branded search is where profitability really starts to improve. When customers search for you by name, competition drops—and conversion rates typically increase.
Step 4: Factor in New-to-Brand Customers
Amazon also provides New-to-Brand (NTB) metrics, which are incredibly valuable.
These tell you:
- How many customers are discovering your brand for the first time
- Which campaigns are driving those new customers
Here’s the key insight:
Not all conversions are equal.
A returning customer is great—but a new customer is an opportunity for long-term growth.
That means:
- You can justify a higher ACoS for campaigns bringing in new customers
- You should prioritize campaigns that expand your audience
Why? Because those new customers can:
- Leave reviews
- Make repeat purchases
- Increase your lifetime customer value
Smart advertisers don’t just optimize for immediate profit—they optimize for long-term brand growth.
Step 5: Align Your Ad Strategy with Your Data
Once you understand your Brand Metrics, your ad strategy becomes much clearer.
Here’s how it typically plays out:
- Strong conversion rate? Scale aggressively
- Weak conversion rate? Fix your listing first
- Low brand search rate? Invest in brand-building campaigns
- High new-to-brand performance? Support those campaigns, even at a higher cost
This approach ensures your ad spend is always aligned with your actual performance—not just surface-level metrics.
A Real-World Example
We worked with a brand that was spending heavily on ads but struggling with profitability.
At first glance, it looked like an ad problem.
But Brand Metrics told a different story:
- Click-through rates were strong
- Traffic was consistent
- Purchase rates were below category average
The issue wasn’t traffic—it was conversion.
So instead of increasing ad spend, we:
- Improved product images
- Enhanced listing copy
- Adjusted pricing
- Built out A+ Content
Within weeks:
- Conversion rates improved
- Add-to-cart and purchase metrics increased
- Overall performance exceeded category benchmarks
Only then did we scale ad spend.
The result? Lower ACoS, higher revenue, and a much more efficient advertising strategy.
Final Thoughts
Amazon Brand Metrics isn’t just another dashboard—it’s a decision-making tool.
If you use it correctly, it will tell you:
- Where your funnel is breaking down
- When to scale your ads
- When to hold back and optimize
The biggest takeaway?
Smarter ad spend isn’t about spending less—it’s about spending at the right time, with the right foundation in place.
So before you increase your budget or cut campaigns, take a step back and look at your Brand Metrics.
Because when you understand the full picture, every click becomes more valuable—and that’s how you truly make each click count.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are Amazon Brand Metrics and who can access them?
Amazon Brand Metrics is a dashboard available to sellers enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry. It provides insights into how your brand performs across the customer journey—impressions, clicks, add-to-carts, and purchases—compared to competitors in your category. This data helps sellers identify strengths and weaknesses in their funnel.
- How are Brand Metrics different from standard Amazon advertising reports?
Standard ad reports focus on campaign-level performance metrics like clicks, CPC, ACoS, and ROAS. Brand Metrics, on the other hand, provide a big-picture view of your brand’s performance, including organic and paid activity, along with competitive benchmarks. It helps explain why your ad performance looks the way it does.
- How can Brand Metrics help improve my Amazon ad performance?
Brand Metrics allow you to pinpoint where customers drop off in your funnel. For example:
- Low detail page views may indicate weak ad creatives
- Low add-to-cart rates may point to listing issues
- Low purchase rates suggest conversion problems
By identifying the bottleneck, you can fix the right issue before increasing ad spend.
- When should I increase my Amazon ad spend based on Brand Metrics?
You should consider scaling your ad spend when your purchase rate and conversion metrics are at or above your category benchmark. This indicates your listing is converting efficiently, and additional traffic is more likely to generate profitable sales.
- What does Brand Search Rate tell me and why does it matter?
Brand Search Rate measures how often shoppers search specifically for your brand after seeing your products. A higher rate indicates strong brand awareness and customer recall. This is important because branded searches typically convert at higher rates and face less competition.
- What are New-to-Brand metrics and how should I use them?
New-to-Brand (NTB) metrics show how many customers are purchasing your brand for the first time. These metrics are valuable for growth because acquiring new customers increases lifetime value. Sellers often accept a higher ACoS on campaigns that drive NTB customers to expand their customer base.
- What should I do if my Brand Metrics show poor conversion rates?
If your purchase rate or add-to-cart rate is below your category benchmark, focus on listing optimization before increasing ad spend. This includes improving product images, refining copy, enhancing A+ Content, adjusting pricing, and building reviews. Fixing conversion issues first ensures your ad dollars are not wasted.
Need Help with Amazon Ads? If you’re looking to maximize your Amazon ad returns, sometimes you need an expert who’s been there, done that. I’m Andy Splichal, author of Make Each Click Count and host of the Make Each Click Count podcast. Amazon’s PPC landscape can be overwhelming, but with the right guidance, you can make every dollar count, I’m here to help. Let’s make those clicks count!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Splichal is the founder and managing partner of True Online Presence, author of the Make Each Click Count book series, host of the Make Each Click Count podcast, founder of Make Each Click Count University and certified online marketing strategist with twenty plus years of experience helping companies increase their online presence and profitable revenues.
He was named to Best of Los Angeles Awards’ Most Fascinating 100 List in both 2020 and 2021. To find more information on Andy Splichal, visit trueonlinepresence.com or read The Full Story on his website or his blog, blog.trueonlinepresence.com.
