Amazon Bows Out of Google Shopping – Why This Could Cause a CSS Affiliate Gold Rush Before Q4

Why This Matters to CPA Shopping Affiliates (and You)

These publishers bid in Google Shopping auctions using their own budget, driving traffic to merchant sites and getting paid only on confirmed sales. It is a pure performance model — you take no media risk, yet gain the reach and visibility of a major paid channel.

Apart from the pure performance model, there are additional benefits:

• Highly targeted traffic – Publishers utilise targeting techniques to ensure ads are shown to users with high intent to purchase, increasing the likelihood of conversions.

• Brand awareness and exposure – Even if a sale isn't made immediately, these ads help increase brand visibility and can drive future conversions.

• Performance metrics – Merchants can track key performance indicators such as cost-per-sale (CPS), return on ad spend (ROAS), and conversion rates, enabling data-driven decisions for optimisation.

When Amazon is in the mix, CPCs rise and premium ad slots are fiercely contested. Now, with the giant out of the way, these CPA affiliates face far less competition. That means:

• Lower CPCs for the traffic they’re buying, making your program more attractive to scale.

• Increased impression share for your products in top-of-page placements.

• Greater ability to target previously Amazon-dominated queries — i.e., generic “best wireless headphones”.

The smart affiliate managers are already calling their Shopping partners to lock in plans for the coming months.

Feed Optimisation: Your Lever for Maximum Impact

When it comes to Shopping campaigns — whether you’re running them yourself or through CPA partners — the product feed is everything. A lower CPC is only half the story. The winners will be those who make their feeds irresistible to both Google’s algorithm and the human eye.

Here is where you can make an immediate difference:

• Titles that Match Buyer Intent Go beyond the default product name. Include high-intent keywords that people actually search for, especially seasonal or trend-based terms.

• Bad: “Model X Vacuum”

• Better: “Model X Cordless Vacuum Cleaner – Lightweight, Pet Hair Removal”

• Structured, Complete Attribute Data Shopping publishers can only bid effectively if your feed is rich in details — size, colour, material, GTINs, MPNs. Missing attributes mean missed impressions.

• Seasonal Variations If Q4 brings gifting bundles or limited editions, make sure they’re in the feed early. This allows affiliates to bid on “gift” or “holiday” search terms well before peak demand.

• High-Quality Images Visuals are your click-through rate driver. Use clear, professional imagery with minimal background clutter. If you have multiple angles or lifestyle shots, include them.

• Frequent Feed Refreshes Out-of-stock products or outdated prices will kill Shopping performance. Set up automated daily updates to ensure CPA affiliates are bidding only on live, accurate listings.

• Leverage customer reviews in product listings – Displaying positive customer reviews in your Shopping campaign can help improve trust and credibility. Products with higher ratings often attract more clicks and higher conversion rates.

• Star ratings – Where possible, integrate star ratings directly into the product feed. This helps consumers see that your products have been positively reviewed, encouraging them to click and make a purchase.

• Mobile optimisation – Review product images and titles for mobile-friendliness, ensuring they display correctly on smaller screens, especially as mobile traffic surges during Q4.

How to Act Before Q4

• Call your CPA Shopping partners this week and discuss the opportunity.

• Review and optimise your product feed immediately — this is the number one lever to help affiliates win auctions and scale spend.

• Consider short-term commission uplifts for Shopping affiliates to encourage aggressive bidding during the Amazon gap.

• Track impression share, click-through rate, and sales uplift now to build a benchmark for Q4.

• Communicate early on promotions – Share details of any Q4 promotions, discounts, or limited-time offers with affiliates as early as possible, so they can prepare and align their campaigns accordingly.

• Study last year's Q4 performance – Review past Q4 campaigns to identify trends, top-performing products, and areas for improvement. Historical data provides valuable insights into what worked and what didn’t.

The Clock is Ticking

Auction dynamics change fast. If Amazon decides to re-enter, CPCs will climb and competition will intensify. The gap is open now, but it will not stay open forever.

For RevWise clients, this is a textbook example of why maintaining strong relationships with performance-based Shopping affiliates pays off. You are in the rare position to seize market share without paying for media risk — provided you equip your partners with optimised feeds and clear incentives to push hard in the run-up to peak season.