Boating Brand Achieves 52.6% Year-On-Year Growth

From Adrift to 52.6% Year-on-Year Growth

Scaled from ~$2.7K/month to over $24K/month in total sales
Corrected critical listing issues to unlock new growth
Decreased TACoS from 21% to 12%
Increased conversion rate from 7.63% to 10.88%

The Results

These systems worked in tandem to turn a brand with stagnant sales into a rapidly scaling business, surging from just $2,700/month to over $24,500/month in total sales and achieving 52.6% year-on-year growth.

This increase in top line revenue paired with a stable profitable TACoS allowed Carolyn to stop worrying about day to day PPC management and start focusing on what she does best: creating exceptional products for the boating community.

As she says, “I have had the feeling all along that things are constantly improving… I can stay in this little area that I need to do… and somebody else has taken care of all of that other day-to-day stuff.”

About The Brand

Founder Carolyn K. Shearlock and her team of current and former full-time cruisers create cruising guides, log books, and organizers to help people master the skills of living on a boat. With a product range that includes onboard organisers, cruising guides, and practical tools for life on a boat, the brand is a trusted resource for coastal, ICW, and liveaboard boaters.

Wrong Categories. Rising Fees. Stuck Growth.

They Had A Passionate Audience, But Sales Were Adrift On Amazon.

The Boat Galley had successfully built a trusted brand through authenticity and grit. However, they hit a wall on Amazon where sales stalled and even started to dip.

Without the specialized PPC expertise or time to learn the complexities of the platform, they were struggling to stay afloat in the competitive marketplace. As Carolyn put it before working with Sophie, “I have no clue what the plan is (frankly don’t think there is a plan), and ad costs are rising with no increase in sales.”

Upon onboarding them, we quickly uncovered a number of core issues and insights:

Mis-categorization of Products

Several of their core products were miscategorized by Amazon as “books,” making them completely ineligible for advertising and costing the brand an extra $1.80 in fees per sale.

1 Lack of a Cohesive Strategy

Their previous approach was reactive and lacked a clear, forward-looking plan, leaving the brand feeling like they were just bouncing between failed tactics without direction.

2 No Niche-Specific Targeting

Campaigns were not properly structured to target their unique audience (e.g., ocean, ICW, and Great Lakes boaters) versus more generic inland lake boaters, leading to wasted ad spend.

3 Ineffective Campaign Management

There was no system for segmenting campaigns, managing bids, negating irrelevant keywords, or graduating winning search terms, which limited performance and scalability.

4 Stagnant and Declining Sales

Despite having great products, overall sales were flatlining, and some key products were on a downward trajectory, threatening the brand’s viability on the platform.

5 Stagnant and Declining Sales

Despite having great products, overall sales were flatlining, and some key products were on a downward trajectory, threatening the brand’s viability on the platform.

5 Rebuilt Strategy, Refocused Targeting, Restored Sales

How We Charted A Course For Profitable Growth

The Boat Galley had fantastic, unique products but lacked the Amazon-specific systems to unlock their potential. Sophie Society stepped in, conducted a full audit, and implemented a multi-faceted strategy to get The Boat Galley on an upwards trajectory.

We Corrected Critical Product Categorization Issues

Our first step was to work with Amazon to re-categorize their guides correctly. This immediately made their products eligible for advertising and fixed the margin-eating fee issue.

1 We Launched A Granular, Niche-Specific Keyword Strategy

We conducted in-depth keyword research to target the specific language their ideal customers use, focusing on terms related to ocean cruising, the ICW, and other relevant waterways.

2 We Built A Segmented Campaign Structure

We rebuilt their ad account from the ground up, segmenting campaigns by word stem, search volume, match type (Exact for performance, Broad/Phrase for research), and branded vs. non-branded terms.

3 We Implemented Advanced Product & Category Targeting

We launched product targeting campaigns to appear on listings of complementary products, helping one of their key items—the Boat Document Organizer—to begin taking off.

4 We Optimized Listings For Conversion

With insights we uncovered from running ads (PPC data loop), we guided the client on updating their images, bullet points, and A+ Content. This improved click-through and conversion rates, making ad spend more efficient across the board.

5 We Provided A Clear, Proactive Plan

We established a plan and maintained constant communication, giving Carolyn the peace of mind that her brand’s growth was being managed by experts, allowing her to focus on product development.