[ Case Study ]

Overview

The Pencil Sharpener brand embarked on an extraordinary journey to scale from £0 to over £9.2M in total sales within 9 months on Amazon UK.

The strategy focused on Amazon PPC management, market entry pricing, and sustainable scaling without relying on giveaways or unsustainable tactics. With a targeted and data-driven approach to PPC, they were able to dominate the marketplace and achieve consistent profitability, becoming a leading player in the stationery and office supplies niche.

[ Case Study ]

Challenge

The Pencil Sharpener brand faced the typical challenges of launching a new product in a competitive marketplace, including:

  • Building initial traction in a crowded and competitive niche (stationery and office supplies) on Amazon UK.
  • Establishing a clear market entry strategy while competing against both new entrants and well-established brands.
  • Scaling quickly and efficiently without relying on giveaways, which can damage unit economics in the long term.
  • Optimizing Amazon PPC campaigns to drive high conversion rates while maintaining profitability and a clean account structure.
  • Have some fun and hypnotize yourself to be your very own “Ghost of Christmas future” and see what the future.

Solution

To overcome these challenges, the brand implemented a well-thought-out strategy focused on smart pricing, advanced PPC management, and data-driven scaling:

Pricing & Market Entry Strategy:

  1. Launched at a competitive price of £5.99, then increased to £6.99 after two months, optimizing for both conversion rate and long-term profitability.
  2. The price adjustment allowed for aggressive scaling without damaging the brand’s unit economics.

Amazon PPC Scaling Without Giveaways:

  1. The focus was on data-driven PPC management, which included:
    • Exact match campaigns for high-purchase intent keywords.
    • Broad match campaigns for keyword expansion.
    • ASIN targeting to capture competitor traffic.
    • Vine enrollment for verified reviews and conversion rate boosts.
  2. Ensured a clean, organized PPC structure to support scalable growth.

Advanced Campaign Optimization:

  1. As data accumulated, the strategy evolved with:
    • Auto campaigns with negative targeting to minimize wasted ad spend.
    • Refined keyword targeting to improve ROI.
    • Expanded into Sponsored Brand Video Ads for high visibility.
    • Utilized Sponsored Display Ads for retargeting and brand protection.

Scaling Through Keyword Expansion & Product Variations:

  1. Targeted broader keywords and refined PPC campaigns after introducing new product variations in February.
  2. Tailored PPC strategies and budget allocation for each ASIN to drive results across the entire portfolio.