When Should You Choose Down Only vs Up and Down?

When Down Only makes more sense

Down Only is usually the better starting point for campaigns with fixed daily budgets, new products, or performance data that is still limited. It helps reduce wasted spend by allowing Amazon to lower your bid when a conversion appears less likely, without increasing it above the bid you set.

• You want predictable daily spend and fewer budget surprises
• You are testing a new product or a new targeting group
• Your account is still building conversion history
• You prefer to keep bid increases manual until data supports them

When Up and Down fits the campaign

Up and Down is more appropriate when a campaign already has reliable conversion data and you want Amazon to raise bids in situations where a sale is more likely. This can expand reach and increase volume, but it also introduces more day-to-day spend variation.

• You have consistent order history and know your target ACOS or ROAS
• Your goal is to maximize conversions from proven keywords
• You can monitor spend closely and absorb occasional spikes

When this matters most

The decision becomes more important when a campaign has limited margin for error. If your daily budget is small or your cost-per-acquisition is already close to the break-even point, Down Only may prevent expensive swings. If you are scaling a proven product, Up and Down can help capture additional sales that a conservative setting might leave on the table.

Reviewing search term and spend trends before switching can help. A tool like the Amazon Ads Dashboard by Todoza can make it easier to see where spend is moving and which campaigns are consistently efficient or volatile.