Category targeting is one of the easiest Sponsored Products targets to set up and one of the easiest to waste money on. Pick a category, set a bid and your ad can appear across thousands of product pages. Some of those pages are perfect. Many are not.
This guide covers what category targeting does, when it belongs in an account, how to refine it, how to bid on it and how to use its results to build tighter product targeting.
What category targeting does
Category targeting is part of product targeting. Instead of listing specific ASINs, you choose an Amazon category. Your ad then becomes eligible for placements tied to products in that category, mostly on detail pages, but also in some search results related to them.
Amazon lets you refine a category target by brand, price range, star rating and shipping option. Without refinements, the target is broad. With them, it becomes a filtered slice of the category. The product targeting guide covers ASIN and category targeting together.
When it earns its place
Discovery in a new category. When you launch a product and do not know which competitor pages your ad will convert on, category targeting finds them for you. It is the product targeting equivalent of a broad match keyword.
Visibility on competitor pages at scale. For established products, a refined category target can hold a presence across many competitor listings without maintaining a long ASIN list.
Products that win on comparison. If your product beats much of the category on price, rating or features, showing up next to competitors works in your favor. Category targeting puts you there.
When to skip it
Small budgets. Category targets can spend quickly on loosely related pages. A small budget is better spent on keywords and a short list of ASINs. PPC on a small budget covers where to focus.
Products that lose on comparison. If your price is high for the category or your rating is below most competitors, placing your ad next to them can buy clicks that leave for the cheaper or better rated option.
Very broad categories. Large top-level categories mix products that have little to do with each other. Choose the most specific category that fits, not the biggest.
Refining the target
Refinements are where category targeting goes from blunt to useful.
Price range. Target products priced near or above yours. Shoppers looking at more expensive products may see yours as a good value. Shoppers on much cheaper products often will not pay more.
Star rating. If your rating is strong, target products rated below you. Your listing will compare well on the page.
Brand. Exclude your own brand, so you are not paying to show ads on your own pages unless that is the goal. Exclude large brands whose loyal shoppers rarely switch, if your data shows they do not convert for you.
Shipping. If your product is Prime eligible, consider refining to pages where that is an advantage.
Start with one or two refinements, not all of them. Each one narrows reach, and too many can leave the target with almost nothing to serve on.
Bidding on category targets
Bid lower than on your best keywords. Detail page placements usually convert at a lower rate than top of search, and category targets mix strong and weak pages together. A moderate bid keeps the cost of the weak pages in check.
Check the placement report. Category targets often spend mostly on product pages. If that placement converts poorly for you, lower the bid. If it converts well, there may be room to raise it. Sponsored Products placements explains the report.
Turning results into tighter targets
The targeting report for a category campaign shows which specific ASINs your ads appeared on and what they produced. This is the real value of category targeting: it tells you where you win.
Step 1. After a few weeks, pull the ASIN-level results.
Step 2. ASINs with orders at an acceptable ACoS move to a dedicated ASIN targeting campaign, where you can bid on each one directly.
Step 3. Add those same ASINs as negative product targets in the category campaign, so the two campaigns do not compete.
Step 4. ASINs with many clicks and no orders become negative product targets in the category campaign.
Over time, the category campaign keeps discovering, the ASIN campaign holds the winners and the waste shrinks. This is the same harvest loop used with auto and broad keyword campaigns. Competitor targeting covers how to manage the ASIN campaign once it grows.
Defending your own pages
Category targeting is also how competitors reach your detail pages. A simple defense is a campaign that targets your own ASINs with your other products, so the ad slots on your pages show your catalog. Sponsored Display targeting options covers the display side of the same idea.
Defense is not free, so keep it measured. Use a lower bid than on competitor pages, since shoppers already on your page are partly won. Point the defensive ads at products that complement the one on the page, such as accessories or larger sizes, rather than direct substitutes that could simply split the same order.
Review defensive campaigns monthly alongside the category campaign. If competitor ads keep appearing on your pages despite the defense, look at whether a refined category target from a competitor is outbidding you, and raise the bid on your most valuable pages first.
Frequently asked questions
What is category targeting on Amazon?
Category targeting is a form of product targeting where you choose an Amazon category instead of individual ASINs. Your ad becomes eligible to show on product detail pages and in some search placements related to products in that category. You can refine it by brand, price range, star rating and shipping options.
Is category targeting better than ASIN targeting?
They do different jobs. Category targeting reaches many product pages at once and is useful for discovery and broad visibility. ASIN targeting reaches a chosen list of products and gives more control. Many accounts use category targeting to find which products convert, then move those into ASIN targeting.
How do I stop category targeting from wasting spend?
Use refinements to exclude price ranges, brands or ratings that do not fit your product, set a moderate bid, and review the targeting report regularly. Add negative product targets for ASINs that collect clicks without orders, and move the ASINs that convert into a dedicated campaign.
Off Hours performance rules watch category campaigns on a 15-minute cadence and act when a target drifts past the ACoS you set. Start a free 14-day trial.