Over the last eight years, we’ve helped more than 700 brands profitably scale on Amazon. 50+ of those started pre-launch or barely post-launch, and within two years we took them from $0 to over $1M in annual channel revenue. Based on that experience, here are the three fundamentals you need to nail (in no particular order).

1. Do Not Go Out of Stock

Amazon rewards momentum. Its algorithm gives more organic exposure to well-reviewed products with strong sales velocity. Nothing kills a new brand’s momentum faster than a stockout on a key SKU, because the platform won’t show shoppers a product they can’t order. It’s especially damaging for subscription products (supplements, pet food, beauty), where a break in a fixed delivery schedule frustrates your most loyal customers and can trigger a wave of negative reviews.

While you’re scaling, monitor inventory and sales velocity daily. Growth curves for new products are unpredictable, so err on the side of overstocking until sales stabilize, and plan several months ahead for major sales events (Prime Day, Black Friday) and promotional pushes. We’ve watched too many brands pour money into a flashy ad campaign or influencer push, then miss most of the upside because they weren’t stocked for the spike. Make sure you can capitalize on the opportunity before you invest in it.

2. Prioritize Hero Images, Product Titles & Item Highlights

In an ideal world, your brand store, PDPs, and A+ modules would all be polished and singing in harmony. But when you’re starting out, prioritize the elements that get a customer through the door:

Hero image. It’s the first thing a shopper sees in search results, so convey as much as you can at a glance - size/quantity, flavor/scent, and any standout ingredients or differentiators. If you’re selling a 6-pack of raspberry sodas with 25g of protein each, that should register instantly; don’t show a single can with text too small to read and expect shoppers to work it out. It’s also a great place to show the product outside its packaging. One cat food brand nearly tripled conversions overnight after we added callouts and an inset of the food in a bowl.

Product titles & item highlights. As of July 27, 2026, Amazon changed how titles are formatted. Gone are the keyword-stuffed names longer than most novels. You now get 75 characters for the title and another 125 for “Item Highlights.” Here’s our approach to the new format:

Title format: [Brand] + [Flagship Keyword Phrase] + [Key Identifier] + [Size]

The title should answer: who made the product, what it is, whether shoppers can identify it in one second, and whether they can quickly confirm the right size.

Item Highlights should answer why someone should buy. Key benefits, secondary keywords, top targets, and product differentiators.

Example

Title: BrandCo Keto-Friendly Cereal Bars – Cinnamon (6 Bars)

Item Highlights: High Protein, Low Carb, Nutritious Grab-n-Go Snack, Nostalgic Cereal Flavor, For Kids & Adults

3. Niche Down Your Keyword Advertising Strategy

We see new advertisers fall into two traps: spending on branded keywords before there’s search volume (or while they’re already winning top-of-search organically), or burning the whole budget on broad category terms that are expensive and rarely convert. For a brand trying to get its flywheel spinning, neither moves you toward the goal. Branded search only matters once you’re established and competitors start bidding on your terms; broad category terms are crowded and pricey.

A better place for your budget is specific, longtail keywords that speak to your product’s niche. Two reasons:

•    Lower competition, lower cost. The more specific the keyword, the fewer brands you’re bidding against. This keeps your cost per click reasonable and gives you a shot at the top of the page without breaking the bank.

•    Higher intent, higher conversion. Shoppers searching generic terms are usually still in discovery mode; shoppers on specific terms usually know what they want and just need to pick which one. For a new brand chasing sales over everything, those are the customers worth paying to reach.

Example (for the BrandCo Keto-Friendly Cereal Bars above):

Target: keto cereal bars · high protein keto snacks· keto snacks for kids

Avoid: cereal bar · breakfast bar · BrandCo cereal bars

The Bottom Line

None of these fundamentals are complicated on their own. The hardpart is executing all of them consistently while you’re heads-down building everything else a young brand needs. Keep your best SKUs in stock, win the moment a shopper sees your listing, and put your ad dollars where buying intent is highest. Do that, and $1M in annual sales stops looking like a moonshot and starts looking like a milestone on the way to something bigger.

That’s the flywheel we help emerging CPG brands build every day. If you’d like a second set of eyes to focus on Amazon while you focus on literally everything else, we’d love to talk.

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