E373:🎙️SECRETS REVEALED: HOW TO WIN AT SELLING ON AMAZON WHILE SPENDING LESS ON ADS!

How To Win At Selling On Amazon While Spending Less On Ads

Amazon has opened new doors for countless entrepreneurs but here’s the catch: its simplicity comes with intense competition, rising costs and ever-changing rules. For most sellers, it feels like you’re riding a rollercoaster blindfolded, hoping the next drop doesn’t derail your business. But what if there was a smoother way to navigate the chaos—one that lets you cut ad costs while maximizing your sales? Kusha Karvandi, founder of Kazam, thinks there is.

Let’s explore how Kusha turned his passion into profit, why he built Kazam and what lessons every Amazon seller can pick up along the way.

How It All Began: From Fitness Clubs to eCommerce

Kusha Karvandi didn’t set out to revolutionize Amazon selling. In fact, his origins were far from the world of digital marketplaces. Early in his 20s, he spent a decade managing health clubs, training clients and juggling 70 employees. While the fitness industry was fulfilling, it came with grueling hours—not exactly family-friendly when you’re looking to build a life beyond work.

During this time, Kusha started meeting gym members who seemed to live a completely different lifestyle. They had time, time to work out multiple times a day and time to prioritize the things they loved. What was their secret? eCommerce.

Inspired, Kusha decided to test the waters. He launched his first product: BFR Bands, affordable and practical tools for blood flow restriction training. His wife discovered Amazon’s Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) program, which felt like the perfect starting point for beginners. Amazon took care of traffic, fulfillment, customer service and returns. They focused on the product and before long, sales began to snowball.

In under two years, Kusha left his day job to focus full-time on eCommerce. Over the next few years, he scaled multiple Amazon brands—selling some for seven-figure exits. By 2020, he’d built, sold, and relaunched portfolios of Amazon businesses, learning what it truly takes to succeed on the platform.

But there was one persistent challenge: managing ad costs.

The Amazon Dilemma: Ad Spend vs. Profitability

The Amazon ad space has exploded. In fact, Amazon is now the third-largest ad platform behind Google and Meta. Sellers who want to succeed must master PPC (pay-per-click) advertising to drive product visibility. Yet that success comes at a price—sometimes a price too high to sustain.

Ad costs continue to climb, alongside Amazon’s ever-increasing fees. In 2023 alone, Amazon increased charges for FBA storage, inventory transfers and inbound shipments. Competition, especially from overseas sellers, intensifies daily. Many merchants feel the pinch as profit margins shrink.

For Kusha, this wasn’t just frustrating—it was an opportunity to innovate.

Enter Kazam: Smarter Ads, Bigger Wins

Kusha built Kazam, an AI-powered platform designed to help Amazon sellers manage ad costs intelligently. Unlike traditional ad software, Kazam uniquely factors in your organic rankings when adjusting how much you spend.

Here’s how it works:

* Focus on organic rankings first. As your product climbs Amazon’s search results organically, Kazam adjusts your bids downward. Your top goal is profitability, not endless spending. If you’re already ranking high, why pay to show up twice?

* Prevent redundant spending. By reducing unnecessary ad costs, you’re not throwing money at keywords you don’t need to compete for.

* Adapt when rankings change. If your product ranking drops, Kazam automatically increases bids to bring it back to the top.

Unlike other platforms that ignore organic growth, Kazam takes a holistic approach to PPC—giving you every chance to make your dollars work harder.

Why Amazon Success Requires More Than Ads

It’s easy to think ad spend alone determines success on Amazon, but retaining that success involves much more.

The Relevance Factor

Amazon’s algorithm prioritizes relevance. That means your product listing has to align with what customers are searching for. These are some critical elements to get right:

* Keywords: Ensure your main keywords are in your product title, the first bullet point, and description.

* Images: Amazon listings are visual first. High-quality images (and videos) build trust and grab attention.

* Branding: Even for private label products, having credible branding—think logos, professional packaging, and cohesive colors—creates a perception of quality.

If your product isn’t relevant, you’ll either waste money on clicks that don’t convert or pay a premium for poorly optimized ads.

Build Trust With Customers

Amazon shoppers care more about Amazon’s reputation than the individual brands they buy from. People trust Amazon to deliver fast and smooth transactions, but that doesn’t mean you can’t win their loyalty.

* Use product inserts: Add cards in the packaging that invite customers to learn more about your brand, register warranties, or even visit your website.

* Encourage reviews: A great product with positive reviews builds credibility fast. Even better, respond to customer questions or concerns on your product page.

Is Amazon Still Worth It?

Despite rising fees and stiffer competition, Kusha firmly believes there’s still enormous opportunity on Amazon—for those willing to adapt. The key is to build strategically:

* Treat Amazon as a launchpad, not the end game. Use it to test your product, gain traction, and explore other channels later (like Shopify or retail).

* Keep expanding your skills. Navigating Amazon’s policies, ranking algorithms, and unscrupulous competitors is tough, but the rewards go to sellers who stay persistent.

* Diversify where possible. Don’t let all your revenue rely on Amazon. Over time, look at B2B partnerships, wholesale or driving direct traffic to your site.

According to Kusha, running a successful Amazon business today requires more finesse than ever before. But with the right tools, like Kazam and a focus on profitable scaling, sellers can still turn eCommerce into their freedom vehicle.

Wrapping It Up

Selling on Amazon is no longer as simple as listing a product and waiting for sales to roll in. It’s a battleground, where understanding ad dynamics, staying on top of algorithms and planning for long-term growth make all the difference.

Platforms like Kazam prove that even in a competitive space, innovation creates room for efficiency. It’s not about spending more—it’s about spending smarter.

Whether you’re new to Amazon or a seasoned seller, now’s the time to rethink your strategy, fine-tune your approach, and prepare to win. After all, with the right moves, there’s plenty of space at the top.

To learn more, check out the related THE eCommerce EDGE Podcast episode below: