Amazon’s Return to Google Shopping After 3 Weeks: What UK eCommerce Brands Must Do Now

jax5027
Aug 23
5 min read

Buckle Up: Shopping Just Got Interesting Again

Well, nobody can say Amazon doesn’t know how to keep eCommerce brands on their toes. After a three-week “holiday,” Amazon has stormed back onto Google Shopping, and just like that, the digital ad chessboard is scrambled once more. For UK eCommerce brands, it’s less “Keep Calm and Carry On” – more “Brace Yourself, The Retail Titan Is Back.”

So, what happens next? Are your sweet, Amazon-free Search days over? Will CPCs go through the roof again? Or is there a cunning way for nimble brands to exploit the new status quo? Let’s break down what your next move should be.

What Happened? The Amazon Hiatus Recap

Picture this: in late July 2025, Amazon quietly left the Google Shopping scene. Agencies rejoiced. CPCs dropped. Impression shares soared. Competitors finally glimpsed a world without the world’s biggest retailer muscling in on every auction.

During those three glorious weeks, UK brands saw:

Lower cost per click (CPC) on many high-volume queries.
A surge in impression share (and, if you were quick, a spike in conversions).
Margins breathing a little easier.

But, as with all great holidays, normal service has resumed. Amazon has slotted itself right back in, just as you were getting used to the sun.

Why Did Amazon Leave – and Why Are They Back?

Amazon’s disappearing act wasn’t just for dramatic effect (although, hats off, they achieved that too). With their own ad platform booming and over four billion product searches a month happening directly on Amazon, they fancied funneling shoppers internally, cutting Google out of a slice of the pie. Plus, a cool £50 million a year saved on Shopping ads does warm the soul at Amazon HQ.

So why return? Let’s not pretend Amazon can resist the lure of Google’s billions of product-hungry searchers. Perhaps ad costs dipped, rivals got a little too comfortable, or the internal maths just didn’t work. Either way, they’re back – and so is the old battleground.

The Immediate Impact: Welcome Back (Sort Of)

Let’s call a spade a spade: Amazon’s return is going to shake up your results. Here’s what you’ll probably notice (unless you’ve got your head in the sand):

CPCs creeping up: Those lower costs you loved? Say goodbye. Amazon’s budgets and machine learning will drive bids north.
Impression share headaches: Expect to lose ground in auctions, particularly for coveted product terms and high-demand SKUs.
Conversion volatility: If Amazon reclaims top spots, click-through and conversion rates could wobble.

Strategic Questions You Should Be Asking Right Now

Before you pour another cuppa and resign yourself to fighting behemoths, consider these:

Where did my brand win during the hiatus? (Which keywords, categories or products over-performed?)
How much has my impression share dropped since Amazon’s return?
Which ad groups or SKUs are getting hammered by the new competition?
Are there new pricing/positioning plays to outwit Amazon?

If you can’t answer these off the top of your head, it’s high time for a deep-dive Google Ads account audit (need help? This might help).

Five Actions UK eCommerce Brands Must Take Now

1. Audit Auction Insights Like a Hawk

Pull your auction insights weekly (or more) and specifically benchmark pre-hiatus, during-the-hiatus, and post-return periods. Look for:

Amazon’s impression share and overlap rate
Key CPC surges (by device, location and network)
Congregations of aggressive bidding behaviour (hello, automated campaign scripts!)

If you spot double-digit jumps in CPC or sudden loss of impression share, triage your Shopping and Performance Max campaigns immediately.

2. Beef Up Your Creative & Unique Offers

Amazon wins auctions with scale and machine learning, but is laughably bland at human-driven creative. Use:

Promo feeds: Push niche codes, extended returns, or bundles Amazon won’t match
Rich media: Lean into Shopping images and videos that showcase what Amazon can’t – service, story, localness

Don’t play “who’s cheapest.” Play “who’s most different.”

3. Tighten Your Feed Quality and Data

Google’s systems love a slick product feed – but so does every other retailer post-Amazon hiatus. Your feed must now be:

Up-to-the-minute accurate (think: price, inventory, delivery)
Fully descriptive (all relevant product attributes and high-resolution images)
Crystal-clear on unique selling points ("UK-exclusive,” “Free next-day delivery,” etc.)

Redo feed diagnostics and don’t sleep on merchant centre errors.

4. Experiment with Bidding Strategies – Don’t Just Surrender to PMax

Performance Max (PMax) may be everyone’s flavour of the month, but with Amazon blasting budgets, you need to:

Look at manual CPC/ECPC for core SKUs you can shield
Layer audiences (email lists, remarketing, interest segments) to out-snipe generic Amazon targeting
Use demographics and geo targets: Are there pockets where Amazon isn’t winning yet?

And yes, consider a controlled budget “hold” on your lowest margin, most vulnerable products. Don't let Amazon eat your lunch.

5. Diversify Beyond Google Shopping

Why duel with a giant if you can flank them? Channel-hop your efforts into:

Google Search text ads (brand + generic)
YouTube Shopping extensions (video still isn’t Amazon’s domain)
TikTok Shop and Meta Shops (Amazon is trailing)
Retail media networks native to your sector

Don't build your castle on someone else’s land – get your own traffic where Amazon can’t bulldoze you.

Proactive Risk: Preparing for Next Time Amazon Plays Houdini

Amazon’s return proves that dominant players can drop out (and back in) at the drop of a hat. Want to avoid being at the mercy of their moves next time? Start stress-testing your PPC and Shopping strategy now:

Can your brand weather CPC spikes for a month without losing profitability?
Where are your “moats” that Amazon can’t cross (brand loyalty, exclusive SKUs, bundles)?
Do you have a first-party data play ready to retarget and remarket when giants shift the sands beneath your feet?

Should You Panic (Again)? Sarcastically Speaking…

Only if you built your entire model around Amazon’s whims. But if you want to run a smart, future-proofed eCommerce operation, now’s your chance to rethink your PPC playbook:

Embrace the return of competition as an invitation to get clever
Remember, not all brands have to go toe-to-toe with Amazon (position, segment, and innovate)
If in doubt, bug your agency to show you real before-vs-after proof (not just “the sky is falling” emails)

Summary: Opportunity is Hiding in the Chaos

Amazon leaving Google Shopping gave us a tantalising taste of life without the world’s biggest player breathing down our PPC neck. Their return is hardly the end of the world, but a sharply worded reminder that agility, creative thinking, and ruthless account management will always give best-in-class brands an edge.

Ready to adapt? If you're looking for a proper strategic overhaul, the team at JudeLuxe is more than happy to review your Shopping performance and plot your next (savvy) move.

Further Reading from JudeLuxe