ChatGPT for Amazon Advertisers: 5 high-impact use cases

ChatGPT: is it all hype or are there some honest hacks for advertisers on Amazon? Ever since November 2022, the LinkedIn feeds of eCommerce professionals around the world have been filled with posts about the uses (and pitfalls) of generative AI. We’ve been doing some research and experimentation and have come up with the top 5 use cases for brands, aggregators, and agencies.

Use case 1: generating product titles

One of ChatGPT’s strengths is it can write variations of a text quickly. For performance marketers that work with Amazon, this can simplify the process of coming up with optimized product titles.

A general rule for this and most other use cases, the more specific you are with your instructions, the more closely ChatGPT’s output will hew to your expectations. A prompt for an optimized product title should include: 

• important product features and benefits

• Amazon’s 200-character title limit

• the intended audience 

• the size of the product

• the quantity of the product

• instructions to write (at least) 10 variations of the title.

If you don’t get what you’re looking for the first time around, reread your prompt and consider how you can make it more specific. Then ask ChatGPT to write another 10 versions of the title with the updated prompt. 

Once you have a couple of titles you’re satisfied with, you can use them for A/B testing to see which one performs best and then use that as your product’s title.

Use case 2: writing and optimizing Amazon product listings

Writing and optimizing Amazon listings is a time-consuming and often tedious task that ChatGPT is well-positioned to take on. As we mentioned above, the more specific your prompt the better your results are likely to be. 

When crafting the prompt that ChatGPT will use to write your product listing, be sure to include the following information: 

• keywords that should appear in the listing

• the target audience

• the main feature of the product

• how the product can help address a customer’s problem

• detailed product information (colors, size, materials, etc.)

• listing format: a product description and 5 bullet points 

A note for this and other use cases: be sure to read the output carefully before copying and pasting into your Amazon product listing. While ChatGPT is very useful for coming up with content fast, it can sometimes provide information that is inaccurate or that may not align with your branding. We’ve also found that its use of keywords is sometimes clumsy or ungrammatical.

Use case 3: creating content to drive external traffic to your Amazon listing

External traffic refers to users that come to your Amazon listing from outside channels. Search engines, social media, and the Amazon DSP are all sources of external traffic that could direct to your Amazon listing.

External traffic represents an extra layer of the upper funnel that can help you outperform your competitors by boosting sales and increasing your product's organic ranking on Amazon. 

Below are some of the ways ChatGPT can get your external traffic game up and running: 

• Social media: from drafting the text of your posts to scheduling publication dates and times, ChatGPT has the potential to make your content creation quicker and more effective. ChatGPT is not only good at creating content, though. It can also analyze your social media performance data, helping you to better understand how to maximize reach and engagement.

• Search engines: there are two ways to direct traffic to your Amazon listing via search engines—paid search ads and SEO-optimized content. For paid search ads, ChatGPT is well-positioned to draft ad headlines, descriptions, and CTAs. It can also quickly generate different variations of ad copy for A/B testing. To help create SEO-optimized content like blog posts, ChatGPT can come up with ideas, outlines, and even write a draft of a blog post. Though we recommend treading carefully: how search engines will treat content that’s been written by AI remains to be seen. 

• The Amazon DSP: Streaming TV (STV) and Online Video (OLV) ads arguably give advertisers the greatest ability to connect with potential customers in an original way. From what will happen in the video to the script that the actors read, ChatGPT can help ideate and iterate to assist you in bringing unique and compelling video ad content to life. And if you don’t have the resources to create video content by yourself, AI video generators like InVideo or Synesthesia may be able to help.

Use case 4: competitor analysis

Because ChatGPT can read websites, you can provide it with the URL of competitor products and ask it to conduct a SWOT analysis. A SWOT analysis evaluates a product’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). As an Amazon advertiser, you can use the results of a SWOT analysis to hone your product positioning and differentiate yourself from competitors.

Let’s have a look at an example. We provided ChatGPT with a link to a popular pour-over coffee maker on Amazon and asked it to conduct a SWOT analysis. The response it gave us is below. 

Strengths:

• Made of high-quality, heat-resistant glass, which is durable and easy to clean

• Can brew up to 8 cups of coffee at a time, making it ideal for larger households or small offices

• Does not require electricity or any other special equipment, making it portable and easy to use in a variety of settings

Weaknesses:

• Can be relatively expensive compared to other pour-over coffee makers on the market

• Some users may find the brewing process to be time-consuming and labor-intensive, as it requires a certain level of attention and skill to achieve optimal results

• The glass carafe can be fragile and prone to breaking if dropped or mishandled

Opportunities:

• The popularity of specialty coffee and home brewing is on the rise

• The brand could explore partnerships with specialty coffee shops or roasters 

• With the rise of e-commerce, there is an opportunity to expand their online sales channels and reach a wider audience

Threats:

• Competition from other pour-over coffee makers on the market, including both established brands and new entrants

• The threat of imitation products or knockoffs that may be cheaper and of lower quality, but still bear the brand name and design

• Changes in consumer behavior or preferences, such as a shift away from traditional coffee brewing methods or a decrease in demand for high-end coffee equipment

Amazon advertisers will be especially interested in the weaknesses and threats sections of the SWOT analysis. Some questions to consider are: how can I use this product’s weaknesses to highlight my product’s strengths? and how can I leverage threats to win customers that might be considering this brand? 

Looking at the product’s weaknesses and threats, we can quickly identify some opportunities like advertising a product with a lower price point, more durable materials, or a less labor-intensive brewing method.

Use case 5: brainstorming

Most of the use cases we’ve provided so far have a common thread: writing. ChatGPT’s uses go well beyond composition, though. It can also generate ideas, helping you move through the brainstorming part of a workflow. 

Below are a few specific tasks ChatGPT could help with: 

• coming up with a brand name

• writing your brand story

• generating backend search terms

• developing ideas for improving your product 

• finding ideas for a new product

Again, a couple suggestions for optimal results. As we’ve mentioned, the more specific you are the better your results will be. If you’re not happy with what ChatGPT has come up with, you can refine your prompt and provide it with new information or ask it to complete the task again (and again) until you’re satisfied. 

If you’ve used ChatGPT to try to come up with something that ought to be original, like a brand name, you should do some research afterwards to make sure that the brand name (or whatever you’re creating) isn’t already spoken for. Also if you use ChatGPT to come up with product ideas, you’ll want to do research using a market intelligence product like Prism before investing serious time in product development.

Summary

Chat GPT has the potential to take a number of cumbersome tasks off the plates of Amazon advertisers. Our take is that some of the strongest use cases—i.e., those that lead to the most time saved—are writing tasks that frequently turn into a time sink. We also think that ChatGPT can be a great way to come up with new ideas, a sparring partner of sorts when you’re trying to identify new product niches, come up with a catchy brand name, or tell your brand’s story. That said, one thing seems certain: as AI technology continues to develop, the use cases for eCommerce practitioners are likely to become greater and greater.