Understanding Smart Bids+ Automation

Updated
April 18, 2024

Smart Bids+ is an automation feature within Merch Jar that refines your bid management for Amazon advertising campaigns. It adjusts bids to align with your target ACOS, using a set of user-defined settings to optimize campaign performance.

Note: Smart Bids+ is a legacy feature in Merch Jar, and while it remains functional, newer and more advanced tools like Recipes are recommended for bid optimization.

Key Settings of Smart Bids+

Here’s an overview of the individual settings that influence Smart Bids+ automation:

Target ACOS

Your Target ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sale) is the goal for your campaign's efficiency. It is the percentage of sales revenue you are willing to spend on advertising. Smart Bids+ uses this figure as a benchmark for bid adjustments.

ACOS Threshold

This setting acts as a buffer around your Target ACOS. If your actual ACOS is within this threshold range, Smart Bids+ will not make any bid adjustments. For instance, with a Target ACOS of 20% and a Threshold of 2%, bid adjustments are paused if the actual ACOS is between 18% and 22%.

Look Back Period

Smart Bids+ examines the performance data within the Look Back Period, which you set. This period is crucial as it determines the historical data range the algorithm uses to decide on bid adjustments.

Max Bid Adjustment

The Max Bid Adjustment setting defines the maximum percentage your bids can be adjusted during an optimization cycle. It limits how drastically your bids change day-to-day, ensuring smooth fluctuations in bid amounts.

Minimum and Maximum Bids

These settings establish the floor and ceiling for your bids. Smart Bids+ will not adjust any bids below the minimum or above the maximum limits you set, ensuring your bids stay within a range you’re comfortable with.

How Smart Bids+ Uses These Settings

Smart Bids+ analyzes your campaign's performance against these settings. If your campaign's ACOS is outside the threshold range based on the Look Back Period, the system will adjust bids up or down but never beyond the Max Bid Adjustment percentage. These adjustments are made with the intent of bringing your ACOS back into the target range.

Furthermore, Smart Bids+ ensures that all bid adjustments respect the Minimum and Maximum Bids you’ve specified. This dual-level control means that even when the system automates bid adjustments, it operates within the strategic confines you’ve established.

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