The Real Cost of Amazon PPC - And Why Smart Brands Still Invest

Featuring insights from Elizabeth Greene of Junglr and Zeal Agency

Amazon PPC Feels Expensive in 2025 — But That’s Not the Full Story

Every brand selling on Amazon reaches that same point:

“Are we spending too much on PPC?”

In a recent episode of Executive Roast, Zeal Agency founder Emma Bagley sat down with Elizabeth Greene, co-founder of the Amazon Ads agency Junglr, to unpack the reality behind rising ad costs — and when they’re actually worth it.

At Zeal Agency, we run PPC campaigns every day for lifestyle, wellness, and home-focused brands. We also believe in creating space to learn from other experts in the industry. Why? Because Amazon evolves fast — and the smartest strategies come from exchanging insight, not protecting it.

Here’s what we discussed, and what every brand leader should consider before scaling their ad budget.

Why Amazon PPC Feels Expensive — But Isn’t Always

Both agencies agreed: PPC isn’t too expensive. It’s just too often misunderstood.

Amazon’s auction model means brands are paying to access high-intent search visibility. But spend without structure rarely performs. The question isn’t whether to invest in PPC — it’s how to do so without bleeding profit.

Key Takeaways from the Interview

Relevancy matters more than reach
Bidding on high-volume keywords that don’t tightly match your product is a fast route to wasted spend. The search page must reflect the product experience — otherwise, your conversion rate suffers.

Exact match campaigns still work — but they’re not the end goal
Launching with exact match, single-keyword ad groups allows for clean data. But most brands stop there. What matters is how quickly you analyse impressions, shift bids, and expand into broader match types and auto once traction is proven.

Launch cost must be weighed against lifetime return
Many brands panic when ACOS spikes early. But that's expected. The long-term win is in driving organic rank, which stabilises performance and reduces reliance on paid visibility.

Don’t obsess over ACOS in isolation
A low ACOS looks good in a spreadsheet but often hides deeper issues — such as weak sessions, limited keyword coverage, or poor product page conversion. What matters is total channel profitability, not campaign-level vanity metrics.

What This Means for Brands Scaling on Amazon

If your brand is doing £500K to £15M in revenue and investing in Amazon as a core channel, PPC is no longer optional. But undirected spend is.

You need a structure that connects ads, SEO, and creative — all focused on one goal: profitable conversion.

At Zeal, we help brands see the full picture. We combine marketing and commercial strategy plus real-world performance data to scale ad investment intelligently — with clarity, not chaos.

Watch the Full Conversation

We cover campaign structure, ad cost forecasting, launch sequencing, and how to use PPC data to inform wider channel strategy.

Watch the full episode here: [bit.ly/4mzioO7]
Ready to get serious about scaling with profit? [Book a call with Zeal]

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