Amazon and ecommerce analytics
Amazon seller analytics: the numbers that decide profit
The short answer
Track profit per SKU after all fees and advertising, TACoS (ad spend as a share of total sales), organic rank on the keywords that sell, buy box share and days of stock cover. Seller Central has the raw data spread across many reports with limited history; marketplace analytics platforms combine it into one view for brands and agencies.
Key takeaways
- Profit per SKU after fees and ads matters more than revenue.
- Rising TACoS means growth is being bought rather than earned.
- A spreadsheet works until it takes hours a month or you add Walmart.
On this page 4 sections
The metrics
| Metric | What it tells you | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution profit per SKU | What each product earns after referral, fulfilment, storage and ad costs | Best sellers that lose money |
| ACoS | Ad spend divided by ad-attributed sales | Low ACoS on campaigns that only buy branded searches |
| TACoS | Ad spend divided by total sales | Rising TACoS means growth is being bought, not earned |
| Organic rank | Position on the search terms that drive sales | Slips after a stockout or a price change |
| Buy box share | How often your offer wins the buy box | Resellers undercutting you |
| Days of cover | How long stock lasts at current sales | Stockouts that reset rank |
Where Seller Central falls short
- Sales, advertising, inventory and fees live in separate reports with different date ranges.
- History is limited in several reports, so year-on-year comparisons need exports kept elsewhere.
- Profit is not shown directly; you calculate it from several sources.
- Agencies managing many accounts repeat the same exports for every client.
Do it yourself first
A spreadsheet that combines a monthly settlement report, the advertising report and your landed cost per unit will show profit per SKU. When that takes more than a few hours a month, or you sell on Walmart too, a platform starts to pay its way.
Questions
- What is a good TACoS?
- It depends on margin and stage. A new product may run a high TACoS to build rank; a mature one should see TACoS fall as organic sales grow. Track the trend against your margin, not a universal number.
Next step
Compare the tools for this job
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