Three weeks into your product launch, you open Amazon Ads Console and see a 60% ACoS. Is that a warning sign of a broken campaign, or just the expected cost of establishing initial keyword ranking?

Guess wrong, and you either shut off profitable discovery campaigns that were about to stabilize, or you bleed cash on non-converting search terms.

During an Amazon product launch, standard mature-account metrics do not apply. Your objective is not short-term profit optimization; it is keyword relevancy indexation, organic review velocity, and conversion momentum.

Here are the **6 core Amazon PPC metrics** every seller must monitor during the first 30–60 days of launch:

1. Total Advertising Cost of Sales (TACoS), Not Just ACoS

While standard **ACoS** (Ad Spend ÷ Ad Revenue) tells you how efficient your ads are in isolation, **TACoS** (Ad Spend ÷ Total Revenue) reveals whether advertising is successfully fueling overall organic growth.

  • **During Launch (Weeks 1–3):** Expect TACoS to be high (40%–70%+), as nearly 100% of your initial sales will come from paid placements.
  • **During Ramp (Weeks 4–8):** TACoS should steadily trend downwards towards 15%–25% as your organic rank climbs and un-paid sales kick in.
**Rule of Thumb:** If your ACoS is 55% but your TACoS is dropping week-over-week, your ads are doing their job—they are generating keyword velocity that converts into organic rank.

2. Search Query Impression Share (SQIS)

Found inside Amazon Brand Analytics, **Search Query Impression Share** tells you the percentage of total search impressions your brand captures for high-intent root keywords.

Tracking this weekly lets you verify if your aggressive bids are successfully displacing entrenched competitors from the top of the search engine results page (SERP).

3. Click-Through Rate (CTR) on Top of Search (TOS)

A low CTR (< 0.4%) at the launch phase is almost always a creative or pricing issue: * **Main Image:** Does it have sufficient contrast, clear scale, and eye-catching lighting? * **Pricing & Coupons:** Have you paired your launch bid with an aggressive green coupon badge (e.g., 10%–20% off) to increase click appeal? * **Review Count Disparity:** If competitors have 4,000 reviews and you have 2, your CTR will struggle unless your main image and offer highlight a distinct differentiator.

Target a Top of Search CTR of **0.8% to 1.5%+** for your primary exact-match campaigns.

4. Unit Session Percentage (Conversion Rate - CVR)

Your ad can generate thousands of clicks, but if your product detail page does not convert, Amazon's A10 algorithm will quickly decrease your ad quality score and increase your cost-per-click.

  • Aim for a baseline launch CVR of **at least 10%–15%** for non-commodity items.
  • If your CVR is below 7%, immediately pause broad discovery campaigns and audit your **A+ Content, infographics, bullet points, and pricing strategy**.

5. New-to-Brand (NTB) Metric Share

For registered brand owners, Amazon provides **New-to-Brand metrics** across Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display.

During a launch, your NTB rate should ideally exceed **85%**. If you are predominantly re-capturing existing brand search traffic rather than acquiring fresh prospective buyers, your targeting needs expansion into competitor ASIN targeting and conquesting.

6. Negative Keyword Harvest Velocity

A launch campaign is only as good as its negative search term filter. When running auto or broad match campaigns, audit the Search Term Report every 72 hours.

  • Immediately add negative exact match for terms with **10+ clicks and 0 orders**.
  • Isolate search terms with 2+ sales and move them into a dedicated **Single-Keyword Ad Group (SKAG) Exact Match** campaign with isolated budget controls.

Key Takeaway for Modern Amazon Sellers

Do not fear high launch ad spend—fear **blind ad spend**. By watching TACoS, Search Query Share, and Conversion Velocity rather than fixating on immediate ROAS, you engineer sustained, ranking dominance that pays dividends for years to come.