Overview

During the week of July 24‑25, Amazon adjusted the list prices of many low‑cost items upward, while Walmart simultaneously lowered its own prices. At the same time, Amazon’s “Accelerate” early‑bird discount for Sponsored Products is set to expire at month‑end, removing a temporary reduction in ad spend. In addition, Amazon published a refreshed fee guide that clarifies recent changes to referral, fulfillment and storage charges, especially for items under $15. Sellers who rely on thin margins need to understand these shifts and adopt a new PPC targeting method that leverages negative keyword clusters to improve ad efficiency.

Key Points

• Low‑price uplift on Amazon — Algorithmic price nudges have pushed the average list price of sub‑$10 products up by roughly 5 %, tightening profit margins for sellers who depend on high volume, low‑margin sales.
• Walmart’s price cut — Walmart’s latest pricing update trimmed comparable low‑ticket items by about 3 %, intensifying price competition for budget‑focused shoppers across both marketplaces.
• Accelerate discount ending — The limited‑time “Accelerate” program, which offered a 10 % reduction on Sponsored Products cost‑per‑click for qualifying campaigns, will cease on July 31, eliminating a short‑term cost‑saving lever.
• Updated Amazon fee explainer — Amazon’s new fee sheet details revised referral rates (now 8 % for items under $15), fulfillment fees (a 0.10 $ increase per unit for standard size), and storage charges (a 15 % rise for the October‑December peak period).
• Negative‑keyword PPC hack — By grouping underperforming search terms into a dedicated negative keyword list and pairing broad‑match with phrase‑match campaigns, sellers can redirect spend toward high‑intent queries without raising overall bids.

How the PPC Targeting Hack Works

1. Spot low‑return, high‑cost keywords — Export the campaign performance report and filter for keywords that generate clicks but fall below a 2 % conversion rate; for example, “budget kitchen gadgets” may cost $0.30 per click yet convert only 0.8 % of the time.
2. — Add the identified weak terms to a separate negative keyword list and apply it to every ad group that targets the same product family, instantly blocking wasteful impressions.