Amazon PPC Bulk Uploads is a process that allows advertisers to create, update and optimize multiple campaigns at scale. Using this operation allows you to save lots of time, increase scale and minimize potential errors.
You can do bulk uploads using bulk sheets. This spreadsheet is formatted following the Amazon PPC database schema (data hierarchy logic). This might not make sense to you right now, but we will attempt to explain in detail in this article so you will come out of reading this article like a bulk operations pro!
To access the Amazon PPC Bulk Uploads in your Amazon advertising console, you will click on the side nav bar option of “Bulk Operations.” On the “Bulk Operations” screen, you will see the option below.
On the top is the function that allows you to create a bulk sheet based on your existing campaigns. You will select the date range and other options (in most cases, keep the default).
The “3. Upload your file to update your campaign” function allows you to upload the updated bulk sheet so that your bulk changes will be reflected in the system.
Why is it Important? And How does the Expert Use It?
Bulk operation is important to Amazon PPC power users because of the flexibility and scalability that come with this function.
For example, if you want to make bid changes in 6 different campaigns, that means you will have to click in and out of these 6 campaigns on the Amazon advertising console. After your 2 campaigns, this process can get quite tedious.
On the other hand, if you are using the bulk operation, you will need will just need to filter out the keywords and campaigns on the spreadsheet, then update the “Max Bid” column on the bulk sheet.
The ability to structure and update your campaign’s ad group and targets makes the Amazon PPC bulk operations an important toolbox for all Amazon sellers and advertisers.
Scenarios to Use the Amazon Bulk PPC Upload Files
In this section, we will discuss the specific uses of bulk upload. Therefore, before you do anything with bulk operations, you need to decide whether this is the right option. It would help if you considered how many campaigns you are managing and how many changes you want to make. If you are new to the Amazon advertising console and modify a small number of changes, sticking with the advertising console might be a better way to go.
There are many different scenarios where the bulk operation could be of use when managing your Amazon PPC campaign. Below are some of the scenarios:
Bulk update on bids ➡️ as mentioned earlier bid updating in multiple campaigns
Depending on which campaign type you want to create, the structure of your bulk sheet will be different.
Follow entity hierarchy and required fields to ensure that your bulk sheet for Sponsored Products is accepted. You can see the sponsored product entity hierarchy below.
If you want to update or add to certain hierarchy levels, you will also need to provide all the information above.
For example, if you want to add a keyword to a campaign, you will need to provide all the data levels above the keyword level. This means you have to provide 1) Campaigns Name ➡️ 2) Ad Groups Name ➡️ 3) Then the keyword you want to add.
Below is an example if you want to Add a Keyword in an existing Campaign, using Sponsored Product Bulk file:
Even though some values are blank, you require all fields above for a valid worksheet.
Create Bulk Upload via Amazon Advertising Console
If you want to update the existing campaigns down to the targeting level, a more straightforward way is by using the existing amazon bulk upload template.
To download the existing campaigns go to the Create & download a custom spreadsheet section in the Bulk operations tab, as mention previously
Using the above check boxes allows you to customize what information goes into bulk sheet (but its recommend to keep the default settings):
Date Range ➡️ select what the start and end date you want to populate in your bulk sheet is
Terminated campaigns ➡️ by having this unchecked, you will show campaigns that have been ended, stopped, deleted, or rejected.
Campaign items with zero impressions:➡️ by having this unchecked, you include rows of data where the impression is zero during the selected date range. Recommend to have this checked, as having this unchecked can mean a larger than necessary bulk sheet
Placement data for campaigns:➡️having this unchecked will show the placement data of the campaigns, such as Top of shopping results, Product Detail Page, and Other Placements.
Brand assets data:➡️ by having this unchecked, will show a Brand Assets Data tab will appear in the downloaded bulk sheet.
After creating and downloading your Bulk Sheet, filter out what you want to update. Update the value in the column.
For example, I want to pause the ‘substitutes’ targeting in my auto SP campaign called “cbfb12-auto”. I would go to the specific row for the ‘substitutes’ targeting and update the row’s status to ‘paused.’
The above process is a quick way to make bulk updates without 1) having to update in the advertising console and 2) without having to create the bulk sheet from scratch.
Bulk Sheet Structure Scenarios for Sponsored Products:
Sponsored Brands Bulk Files
Sponsored Brands bulksheets can create and manage the following two campaign types:
Keywords Campaigns
PAT (Product Attribute Targeting) Campaigns
Depending on which campaigns type you want to create, the structure of your bulk sheet will be different.
Like Sponsored Product, creating a bulk sheet for Sponsored Brand needs to follow the entity hierarchy and its required fields. You can see the sponsored brand entity hierarchy below
Bulk Sheet Structure Scenarios for Sponsored Brands:
Sponsored Display Bulk Files
Sponsored Display bulksheets can create and manage the Audience Targeting campaign type only (As At June 4, 2021).
Creating a bulk sheet for Sponsored Display needs to follow the entity hierarchy and its required fields. You can see the sponsored display entity hierarchy below. In the Product Target Campaign part of the chart below, this type is not supported in the bulk file currently.
Bulk Sheet Structure Scenarios for Sponsored Display:
Common Errors
Error 1004 – Failed to create ad group [Ad Group Name], [Number of Ads] ads were not created
Resolution for Error 1004:
We were unable to create the ad group you tried to add, so we could not add the ads associated with that ad group. Resubmit your file once you have confirmed all required fields are included in ad group.
1005 – Failed to create campaign, [Number of Ads] ads were not created
Resolution for Error 1005:
We were unable to create the campaign you tried to add, so we could not add the ads associated with that campaign. Resubmit the file once you have confirmed all required fields are included in the campaign line.
1012 – Duplicate row at position [Position], first row was processed and all other duplicates were ignored.
Resolution for Error 1012:
Your bulk file contains a duplicate row in the position listed, so that row has been ignored. When you submit multiple rows with the same information, we will accept the first row and ignore others. In this case, take no action.
2201 – Incomplete header, or bulk file is not in .xlsx or .csv format
Resolution for Error 2201:
The system was unable to recognize your bulk file header. Generally, this is because your file is missing campaign information or is was uploaded in an incorrect format. Confirm that your header is complete, you have at least one campaign, and that your file is an Excel (.xlsx) or Comma Separated Values (.csv) file, and then resubmit it. Review the Sponsored Products template for more information on the structure and required values.
2203 – Unknown campaign: [Campaign Name]. This campaign does not exist in your Bulk File or within your account, [Number of Ads] Ads were not created
Resolution for Error 2203:
The campaign you reference in your bulk file upload does not already exist and was not included as a line in your upload, so we did not make any changes. To create a campaign, you must add a campaign line to your upload, including the following fields:
Campaign Name Campaign Daily Budget Campaign Start Date Campaign End Date Campaign Targeting Type Campaign Status Please add a campaign line to your file then resubmit it.
2204 – Unknown ad group: [Ad Group Name]. This ad group does not exist in your Bulk File or within your account, [Number of Ads] Ads were not created
Resolution for Error 2204: The ad group you reference in your bulk file upload does not already exist and was not included as a line in your file, so we did not make any changes. To create an ad group, you must add an ad group line to your file, including the following fields:
Campaign Name (of an existing campaign or campaign you are creating) Ad Group Name Max Bid Ad Group Status Please add an ad group line to your file then resubmit it.
How can SellerMetrics help with Bulk Updates?
SellerMetrics allows the bulk editing of Keywords/Audience/Product Targeting bids. In the screen Manual Optimization ➡️ Keywords, you can see the target level data with its corresponding bid and performance. You can also further filter the data by:
Date Range
Accounts
Text Search (Campaign/Ad Groups/Keywords)
Type Search (Campaign Targeting Type/Advertising Product/Match Type)
After you filter out the keywords, you can make a bulk update by selecting individual checkboxes beside the keyword, or you can select all by clicking on the select all check box on the top right.
Upon the check box selection, the change bid function will appear. Then, you can change the bid in the following ways:
Increase from Bid (Bid + X)
Decrease from Bid (Bid – X)
Change Bid to CPC
Change to $ (Bid = X)
% Increase from CPC
% Decrease from CPC
% Increase from Bid
% Decrease from Bid
By continuously bulk updating the bid, you can effectively and efficiently optimize your Amazon PPC campaigns using SellerMetrics manual bulk bid function.
Conclusion
Bulk operations allow the Amazon advertiser to quickly analyze and identify campaigns that need to be optimized and organized. Certainly, this operation may seem quite intimidating at first, especially if you are not a regular spreadsheet user. The upside is that getting comfortable using the bulk operation will allow you to manage campaigns much more effectively than using the front-end advertising console.
If you have questions or insights to share, please feel free to post them via the comments section. Please also consider joining our Facebook Group where we discuss any questions you may have about running an Amazon business.
We are SellerMetrics, our Amazon PPC Software helps Amazon sellers, brands, KDP Authors and agencies navigate Amazon Advertising PPC via bid automation, bulk manual bid changes, and analytics.
