In the 2024 cross-border e-commerce landscape, soaring traffic costs have become a common pain point for all direct-to-consumer (DTC) sellers. As the advertising benefits of Google and Facebook gradually reach their limits and customer acquisition costs (CAC) remain high, where should brands look for new growth opportunities?
Recently, ZBANX helped a leading laser engraving machine brand, which has been deeply rooted in the industry for five years, successfully overcome traffic bottlenecks through an Amazon DSP Link-out strategy. This not only achieved an astonishing 17.02 million impressions during the new product launch period but also reduced advertising traffic costs by 60%.
This article will provide an in-depth review of this textbook marketing case study.
I. Project Background: Established sellers are facing growth bottlenecks.
The client is a well-established brand seller specializing in the research, development, production, and sales of laser engraving equipment, and possesses:
- Over 5 years of e-commerce sales experience.
- A mature product development system and supply chain capabilities.
- Enjoying a good reputation within specific user segments.
Even so, before the launch of its first new products in 2024, the brand still faced typical growth challenges for cross-border sellers.
II. Opportunities for Collaboration: Multiple Challenges Under the Initial Launch Phase
1. The initial launch of the new product lacked sufficient buzz.
- First large-scale new product launch
- The availability of suitable influencers is limited.
- Relying on a single channel makes it difficult to amplify your message.
2. Advertising channels are highly concentrated.
- Advertising budgets have long been concentrated on Google Ads and Facebook Ads.
- Conversion costs fluctuate significantly.
- Testing new user groups is time-consuming and inefficient.
3. The ROI of independent websites continues to face pressure.
- Insufficient accuracy in traffic targeting.
- High customer acquisition costs
- Lack of multi-platform collaboration capabilities
Brands urgently need:
A new traffic solution that can quickly amplify reach during the initial launch phase while also maintaining conversion efficiency.
III. ZBANX Solution: Amazon DSP + P+ Omnichannel Audience Expansion
Core Strategy One: Introduce Amazon DSP Link Out capabilities.
ZBANX does not replace existing advertising channels, but rather works through Amazon DSP Link Out:
- High-value users within the Amazon ecosystem
- Driving traffic to the brand’s independent website.
- Achieve cross-platform user asset accumulation.
Core Strategy Two: P+ (Performance Plus) Machine Learning-Based Advertising
To achieve its goals during the new product launch period, ZBANX adopted a P+ advertising strategy, with the core idea being:
Using machine learning to accelerate testing → Quickly identify the “optimal placement × optimal creative × optimal target audience”
1. Multi-placement + multi-creative testing
- Twitch Video
- Online Video
- Video editing materials for creating derivative works from popular influencer videos.
accomplish:
- Secondary amplification of influencer content
- Brand exposure and trust endorsement are enhanced simultaneously.
2. Lookalike audience expansion
Based on DSP Performance Plus Prospecting:
- Modeling the behavior of existing users.
- Expand the pool of potential customers with high similarity profiles.
- Expand reach at a lower CPM (cost per thousand impressions)
3. Remarketing Strategy
For users who have visited the website but haven’t converted:
- Continuously reach your target audience through DSP Remarketing.
- Improve overall conversion efficiency.
- Shorten the decision-making process.
IV. Marketing Results: Exposure, cost-effectiveness, and conversion rates all increased.
During the initial product launch period, the project achieved significant results:
Key data performance
- Total impressions: 17.02 million
- Overall advertising costs were reduced by 60% (compared to third-party advertising platforms).
- The lowest cost per person is as low as 0.54.
Key conclusions from the ad placement test
Through systematic testing, ZBANX has accumulated high-quality, reusable resources for brands over the long term:
- Amazon Publisher Services（APS）
- Click-through rate and customer acquisition cost performance are outstanding.
- Become an exclusive premium advertising partner with Amazon.
- Google AdX（Authorized Buyers）
- Index Exchange
The above placements have all performed exceptionally well in terms of traffic generation and conversion rates, providing clear direction for future scaling.
V. Case Summary: Launching a new product is more than just “running advertisements.”
This case study of launching a new laser engraving machine validates a key conclusion:
The essence of a new product launch is a “reconstruction of omnichannel audience assets.”
ZBANX’s value in this project went beyond simply reducing advertising costs; it helped the brand:
- Breaking the dependence on a single channel
- Build a multi-platform collaborative population coverage model
- Achieve simultaneous amplification of brand awareness and sales efficiency during the initial launch period.
VI. Case Study Insights: How can DTC brands learn from this?
This case offers profound insights for cross-border sellers:
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket: When Facebook/Google traffic becomes expensive, Amazon’s DSP’s link-out feature is an excellent supplement for independent websites to acquire targeted traffic.
Leverage the power of video content: Especially for visually impactful products like laser engraving machines, combining them with streaming platforms like Twitch and influencer video content can produce a synergistic effect.
Data-driven decision-making: Utilize P+ intelligent strategies for ad placement testing, letting algorithms save you money.
Summary: How does ZBANX empower new product launch growth?
Within ZBANX’s “New Product Launch Content Cluster,” we continuously validate and refine the following methodologies:
- Audience Insights and Placement Prediction Before New Product Launch
- The combination of influencer content and programmatic advertising amplifies [the impact of the campaign].
- The key role of Amazon DSP in independent website growth
- Long-term reuse of initial data assets
