Amazon Announces Their New Text Ads Program will be Discontinued
Amazon has decided to end the Text Ads program after only running for about two months.
If you advertise with Amazon Product Ads, then it’s been a hectic couple months for e-commerce merchants. Early in August Amazon announced it was discontinuing the Product Ads program in favor of a new offering called Amazon Text Ads.
Well, Amazon announced today that it will be ending that program come October 31, 2015. While Amazon did not give any specific reason for ending the program, an inside source told us the program did not get a great response from merchants…and we were not surprised.
Not Really Surprised Amazon Ended the Text Ads Program
I can honestly say I’m not surprised at the quick demise of the Text Ads program. Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Facebook have all embraced a “product ad” style of advertising products which shows a picture with the ad. Let’s face it, people naturally want to see an image of what they are going to purchase. Amazon killed that program in favor of a text-only ad. The majority of our Amazon Product Ads clients wanted nothing to do with the Text Ads program when we offered it as an option.
When the announcement about Product Ads ending went out and the Text Ads program was announced, we got a lot of negative feedback from our clients about the transition.
Here are just a few comments:
“Amazon is turning into Google and monetizing their “search result” pages. The text ads will be much less effective for us and more expensive — no product images and less traffic leaving amazon site. The “product ad” equivalents are only for marketplace sellers and drive to Amazon product pages. My guess is we won’t be successful with text ads. I’m sure we’ll do very limited testing, if we even give it a try.”
“This sucks!! Don’t spend anymore time on this channel! We will just shut off Amazon in October. No way we are going backwards to text ads!”
So What Options Do You Have Now
If you still want to advertise on Amazon, there are several options. If you are already selling on their marketplace, Sponsored Products is the Product Ads replacement.
If you’re not selling on marketplace Amazon does have a couple of programs such as Amazon Media Group and Fulfillment by Amazon.
Don’t forget about Google Adwords. Adwords text ads are shown under “Sponsored Links” on product and search pages in Amazon.
OperationROI continues to help our clients navigate through the confusion of Amazon Learn more about how we can help you sell and advertise your products on Amazon by calling us at 1-888-277-5429 or by filling out our contact form.
Advertise on Amazon
With no more Product Ads or Text Ads, what are your options with Amazon? Below are more links with information pertaining to getting started and selling on Amazon, as well as Amazon Marketplace Management from OperationROI.
Amazon Marketplace Management Sell on Amazon How to Sell on AmazonHERE IS THE MESSAGE FROM AMAZON WHEN LOGGED INTO SELLER CENTRAL
Discontinuation of Text Ads FAQ
What is happening with Text Ads?
As of October 31, 2015, we will no longer show Amazon Text Ads on Amazon.com. We value your business and regret any inconvenience this may cause. We have chosen October 31, 2015 as the discontinuation date so that advertisers have time to prepare for the change.
What are my options given the discontinuation of Text Ads?
If you are not already an Amazon Seller and you are interested in selling your products on Amazon, we encourage you to consider Selling on Amazon, with the opportunity to advertise using Sponsored Products.
How much longer can I run my text ads?
The Amazon Text Ads service will remain available through October 30, 2015.
Will I need to do something in my account to stop my Text Ads advertising?
No, you do not need to do anything to your account or text ads.
When will I receive my final Text Ads invoice?
The final invoice for October charges should be posted in November. You may continue to access to your Text Ads invoice history through February 29, 2016.
What happens to my Text Ads unused promotional ad credits?
Any promotional Text Ads credits applied to your account will expire on October 31, 2015.
Will the discontinuation of Text Ads affect my other Amazon accounts (e.g. FBA, Sponsored Products, Amazon Text Ads)?
No, it will not affect your other Amazon accounts or advertising campaigns.
I have more questions, who can I contact?
Please contact Seller Support for further questions.
