Exploring Incrementality

When it comes to evaluating ad performance on Amazon, many brands rely on familiar metrics like attributed sales, ROAS, and ACoS. These indicators offer valuable insights into ad efficiency and returns. But they often miss a crucial layer: the actual impact your ads are having on driving net-new sales.

That’s where incrementality steps in. Instead of simply measuring performance, incrementality uncovers whether those conversions would’ve happened without the ads—and if your advertising strategy is truly moving the needle.

Understanding Incrementality

At its core, incrementality is about measuring growth that wouldn’t have occurred otherwise. It’s not enough to know that an ad led to a sale. The real question is: Would that shopper have bought the product anyway, without the ad? If the answer is yes, then your ad might be capturing a sale, but not creating a new one.

Take branded search traffic, for instance. If someone is already searching for your product or brand by name, they’re likely deep in the buying journey. Ads on those searches might secure the final click, but the intent to purchase was probably already there. In contrast, a shopper browsing by category or using more generic keywords is less committed and more open to influence. Winning those shoppers through advertising often results in sales that are truly incremental—sales that your brand may not have captured otherwise.

How to Drive Incremental Sales with Smarter Ad Targeting

Incremental advertising starts with identifying the right opportunities. That means focusing on search terms and traffic that offer real potential to convert undecided or unaware shoppers. Generic and category-level searches typically represent audiences earlier in the buyer journey—those who haven’t settled on a brand yet. These searches tend to be more competitive, but they also represent the kind of traffic where your ad can genuinely influence the decision.

Once you’ve pinpointed those high-potential search terms, matching them to the right product listings is essential. Not every product is an ideal candidate. You want to highlight items that are relevant to the search intent, stand out competitively, and have a strong chance of converting. Products with solid ratings, strong reviews, and price points that hold up well next to competitors often perform best.

There’s also the element of visibility. If a product already ranks high organically, pushing aggressive ad spend might not yield truly incremental results. In fact, it can lead to something called “mirroring,” where a product appears twice in the search results—once organically and once as a sponsored listing. While this might boost visibility, it can also lead to ad spend cannibalizing what would have been an organic sale.

To mitigate that risk, consider adjusting your ad placements. If you’re bidding heavily for top-of-search placements on keywords where you already rank well organically, scale back slightly and shift focus to placements where your product visibility is lower. This approach allows you to preserve the power of your organic rank while still using advertising to unlock incremental opportunities.

Why Incrementality Matters More Than Ever

In today’s competitive ecommerce environment, every advertising dollar needs to work harder. It’s not just about increasing attributed sales—it’s about growing your actual customer base and making sure your ad spend is reaching new buyers. By embracing an incrementality-focused strategy, you stop chasing redundant wins and start investing in true growth.

When you shift your focus from surface-level metrics to meaningful impact, you’ll find smarter ways to allocate budget, refine targeting, and deliver results that grow your brand over time. Incrementality isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a mindset shift that allows you to get the most out of every campaign.

Final Thought

The most valuable sales are the ones you wouldn’t have captured without advertising. That’s the power of incrementality—it reveals the hidden value in your ad strategy and pushes you to think beyond traditional performance metrics. By aligning your campaigns with this deeper level of impact, you can build a stronger, more efficient path to sustainable growth on Amazon.