The Company

NERF, one of the prominent toy gun sellers, leveraged Amazon’s PPC ads to grow its brand globally. Originally focused on localized sales, the company has now decided to expand its business and cater to customers outside the US. Initially, the brand targeted business-to-business (B2B) marketing, but it soon focused on full-fledged selling when it began selling and advertising on Amazon.

In June 2021, NERF partnered with one of the fastest-growing e-commerce intelligence agencies, SalezPeak, to improve listing content, reduce ACoS, and increase sales through Amazon Advertising.

The Problem

NERF wanted to focus on retail readiness, with its primary aim to differentiate themselves from their other competitors. They wanted to target their unique products—N-Strike Elite, Ultra Series, and Rival Series—and advertise them to highlight the brand’s versatility.

However, they were facing a decrease in sales due to poor listing quality and lower product visibility. This is when they turned to SalezPeak to create a strategy that would recover lost sales and prepare for the new launch of the NERF Kids Series, while keeping an ACoS of 30%. Their primary focus was on a robust listing optimization strategy and greater CTR. SalezPeak knew that Sponsored ads combined with high-performing keywords would do the job.

Our Approach

In order to help NERF improve their product visibility and increase awareness of their unique products, SalezPeak began with a powerful listing optimization strategy and Sponsored Products campaigns, using a combination of automatic and manual campaigns to promote the unique product listings. Since NERF wasn’t an old brand, SalezPeak knew they had to implement automatic targeting to find out which keywords were most effectively driving discoverability and desirability for the brand’s ads.

SalezPeak then leveraged Sponsored Brands to help drive traffic in a cost-effective manner by displaying multiple products within one PPC ad and motivating customers to explore the brand’s product pages. By doing so, they were able to encourage customers to view the brand’s unique product catalog in the Store, decrease the cost-per-click (CPC) rate, and help increase sales velocity.

To optimize both campaign types, SalezPeak eliminated the under-performing and non-performing keywords while keeping the RoAS and ACoS in check. SalezPeak also optimized keyword, bid price, and placement insights to inform campaign management more broadly and help improve performance across Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands for NERF.

Results

By leveraging SalezPeak's data-driven strategies and machine learning tools, NERF successfully launched and expanded their brand in the competitive Amazon marketplace. The strategic approach not only boosted their sales and reduced their ACoS but also significantly increased their CTR and ROAS, paving the way for further global expansion.

Conclusion

The partnership with SalezPeak enabled NERF to streamline their PPC campaigns, optimize their listings, and effectively use Sponsored ads to enhance their market presence. This comprehensive approach resulted in significant growth in sales, higher ROAS, and an increased engagement rate, setting the stage for NERF’s continued success on Amazon and beyond.