Ads that ate the margin
Before we started, US TACOS ran between 22.6% and 32.4% a month from March to August 2024.
The Starting Point
The Challenges Holding the Brand Back
A short, seasonal peak
US sales ran at $13.7k to $21k a month from May to August 2024, then $139k to $177k in October and November.
An untapped Canadian store
Before ads started in May 2025, Canada had no advertising, and its 2024 sales ran at $209 to $1,592 a month.
What We Built
Rebuilding the Foundation for Scalable Growth
01
Images, A+ content and store
- New main and lifestyle images for the Lite and Long vests (April to May 2025)
- A+ content for the Lite Vest and the bandanas, and a size chart as the second image on every vest
- Brand store redesigned by category, with a Canada store added
- Product video edited to Amazon ad specs (October 2025)
02
Advertising restructured
- Full Sponsored Products, Brands and Display structure, plus brand defense campaigns (April 2025)
- Hunting and outdoor campaigns, and stronger top-of-search bids for the season
- Retargeting and high-price competitor targeting; low converters paused (August 2025)
- Bids lowered from $1.10 to $0.80 after the peak (December 2025)
03
Offers and new markets
- Virtual bundles: leash and vest, bandana and vest, collar and vest
- 10% cart-abandoner coupons and an American flag bandana 2-pack
- Canada market research, listing audit and campaigns (from May 2025)
The Results
Measurable Growth Across Every Key Metric
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Canada sales (Sep to Nov) | $2,895 (2024) | $10,157 (2025) |
| US sales (September) | $63,524 (2024) | $72,882 (2025) |
| US TACOS (September) | 15.9% (2024) | 14% (2025) |
| US TACOS (May) | 26.5% (2024) | 21.2% (2025) |
| US ad spend (Sep to Nov) | $58,545 (2024) | $53,560 (2025) |