How a Skincare Brand Recovered Efficiency and Grew 32% On Amazon

A clinical skincare brand specializing in high-concentration anti-aging serums operates in a competitive, ingredient-driven category. The portfolio includes targeted treatments built around actives such as peptides, retinol, and vitamin C, competing in a mid-to-premium segment where performance and efficiency directly impact growth.

The Challenge

When Quartile onboarded, the account was under pressure from every angle.

Efficiency had deteriorated. ACOS had climbed into an inefficient range, with peaks approaching even higher levels during Q4. Despite continued investment, performance had stalled, and revenue remained flat.

The issue wasn’t lack of spend—it was how spend was being used.

Budget was diluted across inefficient campaigns and non-converting search terms. At the same time, operational challenges compounded the problem. A key hero SKU had lost momentum, inventory instability disrupted performance, and conversion rates became inconsistent.

The account was also navigating platform risk, adding urgency to stabilize performance quickly.

This wasn’t a scaling problem. It was a structural one.

Why Quartile

Quartile recognized that pushing more budget into a broken system would only amplify inefficiency.

Instead of chasing short-term revenue, the focus shifted to rebuilding the foundation. By aligning spend with performance, tightening campaign structure, and eliminating waste, Quartile created a framework where efficiency could recover first—allowing growth to follow.

This approach prioritized control, clarity, and disciplined execution under real operational constraints.

The Solution

Quartile rebuilt the account from the ground up.

Legacy campaign structures were replaced with a segmented framework designed for control and scalability. Search term harvesting campaigns were introduced to systematically identify high-performing queries, which were then promoted into exact match campaigns to isolate intent and improve conversion efficiency.

Branded and non-branded traffic were separated, ensuring high-intent demand was protected while discovery efforts remained controlled.

A full search term audit removed over 100 non-converting queries, immediately reducing wasted spend.

Placement strategy was recalibrated. Aggressive top-of-search bidding was reduced where conversion rates were weak, and budget was redirected toward placements with stronger performance.

Spend was consolidated into a focused group of top-performing campaigns, concentrating investment where returns were already proven. During periods of inventory instability, growth budgets were intentionally compressed to avoid scaling inefficiency.

Across Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display, the strategy emphasized one principle: efficiency before scale.

Results & Impact

The structural reset delivered rapid and measurable improvement:

• ACOS improved by 16%, eliminating previous inefficiency spikes  

• Total sales increased by 32% year over year, reversing stagnation  

• TACOS improved slightly while revenue grew, signaling stronger organic contribution  

Within one quarter, the account transitioned from unstable and inefficient to controlled and scalable.

Performance became more predictable, and growth was driven by improved efficiency—not increased spend.

Ongoing Value & Future State

With a structured foundation in place, the brand is now positioned to scale efficiently. Campaigns are aligned to performance, spend is concentrated on proven drivers, and optimization is continuous.

Quartile continues to refine targeting, manage inventory-aware scaling, and expand high-performing segments to sustain long-term growth.