How does the automation work in detail?

Will keywords be paused? If a monthly budget is set as the target value, will the campaign budgets also be adjusted?

The automation is the heart of the campaign optimization. We differentiate between optimization through bid adjustments for keywords depending on performance and optimization through keyword management, which creates new keywords and negative keywords.

What does the automation do when I set a target ACOS?

The automation tries to reach the set target ACOS. Primarily, the bids are adjusted depending on the available performance data. To ensure that the necessary adjustments can be calculated on the basis of reliable data, adjustments are only executed once a minimum number of clicks (approx. 15) has been reached. After an adjustment, BidX waits 3 days until the next adjustment, in order to take the time into account, that Amazon needs for a complete allocation of sales.

Tip: Read the relevant articles to get more information about how the management of bids and keywords in BidX works in detail.

Are bids being adjusted and if so, how?

Yes, the automation adjusts the individual bids of all targets. This includes bids for keywords, ASINs, categories, and automatic targets. The magnitude of the adjustment depends on the difference between the current ACOS and the target ACOS, the Click-Through-Rate and other KPIs. 

By using individual rules, the standard bids of ad groups can also be adjusted. This is especially helpful and useful for automatic campaigns created before 2019. 

Are campaign budgets being adjusted?

No, currently the automation does not adjust campaign budgets.

Are non-performing keywords being deactivated or paused?

No, the automation does not change the status of a keyword. When transferring keywords between the linked ad groups, negative keywords are created in all campaigns, but not in the exact campaign. By  optimizing bids, these could be reduced to a minimum of 0.02 EUR for Sponsored Product Ads and 0.10 EUR for Sponsored Brands (the minimum bids given by Amazon). In most cases, the bid is then no longer competitive, so that the ad is no longer displayed for this keyword. If it is still displayed, then a very low ACOS is usually achieved.

How can I maximize the budget?

In order to maximize the budget, the number of clicks and keyword bids must be increased. The BidX automation only increases the bids moderately. A more aggressive increase can be achieved by defining individual rules. 

What happens if the budget set in the campaign deviates too much from the target budget - does BidX readjust the budget of the campaign?

The system does not adjust campaign budgets. It tries to reach the budget - if the budget is set too high, it may not be possible to reach it. In general, only the bids for the keywords are adjusted. We also recommend that you manage the campaigns in this way and provide the campaigns with a sufficient budget. The bids will be increased if the click rate allows it or if the keyword performs well. The BidX automation does not increase all bids across the board just to exhaust the budget. However, if needed, this can be solved by defining an individual rule.

What works best, the automation or individual rules?

We recommend to use automation and add individual rules only for certain cases. The BidX automation works with dynamic values, depending on the difference between the current ACOS and the target ACOS, and thus adjusts the bids very dynamically and goal-oriented.

If I set up automation with a target ACOS in %, how will the system handle keywords that do not yet have an ACOS, e.g. no sales?

In this case, the system stores an ACOS of zero for the keyword. If the keyword reaches a certain number of clicks and still has no sales, then this case is handled by the internal function "No Sales" and the bid of the keyword is reduced accordingly.

With specially created individual rules, those keywords would not be captured by an ACOS condition, because they do not have a real ACOS. For such a case, we recommend using the condition "Orders = 0".