Here's What's Working in Amazon Advertising for Merch in 2025

Things are always changing in the print-on-demand landscape, and it is crucial to recognize when certain strategies are no longer delivering results like they once did. Many methods that were successful in previous years have lost their edge, and staying current with new tactics is more important than ever. After extensive observation and collaboration with top-tier sellers, I have noticed several emerging trends in Amazon advertising that seem to be driving better results in today’s more competitive environment.

What’s Working for Merch Ads

One prominent shift is the idea of launching advertising campaigns almost immediately after a new design goes live (this is particularly true for veteran advertisers who know their target audience and what this audience likes to buy). In the past, some sellers waited for organic sales before committing to ads, but this approach no longer appears effective in a market saturated with countless competing products. By running ads early—rather than relying exclusively on the chance that buyers will stumble upon a new listing—top sellers ensure that fresh designs have a chance to gain visibility. This immediate exposure often leads to quicker feedback about which designs have genuine potential and which ones need refinement.

Another critical point involves bidding strategies. There has been a trend among some advertisers to place very low bids in an effort to preserve their budgets. However, if the bid is too low, the number of impressions is almost negligible. Multiple seasoned sellers have reported that bids around 30 cents or higher tend to generate a steady flow of daily impressions, which allows them to gather enough data to make informed decisions. Low bids—below 15 cents, for example—often fail to garner meaningful visibility, rendering the campaign unproductive.

In terms of campaign structure, single-ASIN campaigns have been widely utilized by experienced advertisers. By isolating each design in its own campaign, they can better monitor and adjust performance metrics. At the same time, running automatic campaigns in parallel can uncover additional keywords and audiences that might otherwise go unnoticed. These auto campaigns can act as a broad-reaching net, revealing search terms or customer interests that manual targeting alone might miss. Once successful keywords are identified, they can be incorporated into more refined manual campaigns.

Some sellers are concerned about high ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sales) because it often reflects a short-term loss. Yet many of the individuals I speak with view this short-term loss as an investment in long-term organic sales. A design that is advertised aggressively may not appear profitable at first glance, but its increased visibility can push it higher in Amazon’s search results, leading to more organic sales over time. This organic lift can balance (and sometimes surpass) the cost of advertising, making the overall strategy more profitable in the long run.

About Those Designs…

It is also worth pointing out that no advertising technique can salvage a weak design. The experts I communicate with consistently emphasize that design quality, niche choice, and search engine optimization (SEO) are the bedrock of success. Advertising simply puts a spotlight on a product. If the underlying design fails to resonate with an audience, ads will not transform it into a bestseller. Conversely, a remarkable design with strong niche appeal can evolve into a significant revenue source, sometimes attaining six-figure annual earnings after two to four years of concerted effort and promotion. I’ve seen this happen dozens of times.

An in-depth understanding of the target audience is another unifying factor among high-performing sellers. By mastering the preferences and needs of a specific demographic, sellers can create designs that truly connect with potential customers. This precise targeting makes advertising more effective because each campaign is showing products to the people most likely to buy them.

Ultimately, and even though organic sales can still account for large and thriving Merch businesses, advertising continues to grow as a fundamental part of almost every modern successful POD business model. Sellers who commit to strategic ad spending—while also refining their designs, niche choices, and keyword optimization—are the ones most likely to scale up to substantial earnings over time. While the initial ad investment can feel risky, it can become the catalyst that propels a product from obscurity to top-seller status. By watching these trends and applying them thoughtfully, merch creators have a solid framework for success in the ever-evolving Amazon marketplace.

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