Understanding frequency capping on Amazon depends on a combination of factors both technical and strategic. Flywheel – specialist in Amazon advertising – explains what you need to know.

“It’s important to note that a frequency cap is just that – a cap. Not to be confused with a frequency goal,” write Patrick Miller and Sandy Welsch, respectively co-founder and emerging platforms director at Flywheel Digital.

“It’s importance will vary depending on the advertisers’ primary purpose – is it to drive Amazon sales? Or is it brand building?”

Their exclusive article, Frequency capping on Amazon, appears in this month’s edition of Admap, which focuses on frequency.

The topic is a consistent headache for brands and agencies. As Direct Line’s Mark Evans explains in the issue, “over-serving of advertising, or ‘bombardment’ to give it a catchy title, is one of the key drivers of mistrust and also creates significant wastage of spend”.

As Amazon grows in importance as an advertising platform, understanding the techniques and systems will be crucial.

The basics

There are two main reasons why a customer might see an ad: they either asked for it (paid search), or they didn’t (Amazon’s demand-side platform).

“The ideal frequency will vary greatly depending on whether a consumer had searched for a product on Amazon, or if they were being targeted on the basis of previous product view or purchase behavior.”

Techniques

There are three self-serve advertising products:

  1. Sponsored Products
    “A native search ad with content generated from the Product Detail Page.” These do not have a controllable cap.
  2. Sponsored Brands (formerly Headline Search)
    These act more like a display ad, triggered by the customer’s search query. It is possible to cap these.
  3. Amazon DSP (formerly Amazon Advertising Platform)
    The biggest influence on frequency through this method is a combination of audience size and campaign budget. It is possible to cap at an order or line level, and at an hourly or daily grain.
Variations

“When we think about setting a proper frequency cap, we look to balance the customer experience with the right level of persistence and consistency,” the authors write.

As well as audience size and campaign budget, flight length is important to consider, too. For instance, the intensity with which you serve ads will be far higher if you’re advertising for just a day or two, compared with an always on campaign that runs over half a year.

Ultimately, for most campaigns the best overall strategy is to aim for steady messaging rather than bombardment.

Sourced from WARC