In the highly competitive environment of the Kaspi marketplace, advertising has become a key tool for increasing sales. But in practice, launching an ad campaign doesn’t guarantee profit growth. A poor product choice can quickly “eat” the budget without delivering results. This article is an expert breakdown to help entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan avoid the most common mistakes and learn how to select SKUs for promotion correctly.
Why it’s important to choose products correctly
Kaspi is the largest online platform in Kazakhstan, where tens of thousands of sellers compete for buyers’ attention. The ad auction works on a cost-per-click (CPC) model: money is charged for each click, not for a purchase. That means advertising an inefficient product is like paying for window-shopping traffic that won’t convert.
For advertising to be profitable, you need to consider several key factors: product demand, competition level, margin, presence of reviews, and offer competitiveness.
Which products are best suited for advertising
1. Popular categories with high turnover
Categories such as smartphones, home appliances, accessories, kitchenware, textiles, and toys. These segments have high purchase frequency and a lot of impulse demand — ads help secure a top position where the purchase decision is made.
2. Products with sufficient margin
If your markup allows spending 5–15% of profit to acquire a customer, the product is suitable for promotion. For example, advertising a case sold for 1 000 ₸ with a 150 ₸ profit is unprofitable. But an accessory at 10 000 ₸ with a 3 000 ₸ margin looks much more promising.
3. Listings with reviews and a rating
If the product card looks attractive, has at least 2–3 reviews and a rating above 4, the likelihood of conversion after an ad click increases significantly. A buyer clicks the ad — and should see a product they can trust.
4. Good stock levels and reliable delivery
There’s no point in promoting a product that will run out in two days or ships in 10 days. Kaspi takes into account warehouse availability and regional delivery — ads will be shown only in cities where the product can actually be received.
5. Unique or differentiated SKUs
If your product differs from competitors (color, kit, brand) and this is visible on the card, it has a better chance to stand out even among similar offers.
Which products you shouldn’t advertise
Certain product types regularly lead to wasted ad spend. Avoid promoting items with:
- Very low margin but high CPC — when the cost to attract a buyer exceeds possible profit.
- Little or no demand — if competitor sales and search queries are negligible, clicks won’t convert.
- Strong seasonality with a very short sales window — the time to recover acquisition costs may be too short.
- Poor or empty product cards — no photos, no description, and bad reviews reduce conversion dramatically.
- Complex or expensive logistics — bulky, fragile or long-delivery items often reduce net profitability after returns and extra costs.
How AWW helps optimize advertising campaigns
AWW automates analytics collection across clicks, conversions and return-on-ad-spend (ROAS) for each SKU. That speed helps quickly identify profitable and loss-making items. The tool assists in optimizing bids and reallocating budget toward product cards with the best margin and conversion. This reduces manual work and lowers the risk of wrong launches.
Key AWW benefits for sellers on Kaspi:
- SKU-level profitability tracking so you know which items truly pay back ads.
- Automated bid recommendations based on performance and margin constraints.
- Fast detection of high CPC / low conversion positions — so you can pause them before they consume budget.
- Reports that combine marketplace data with your cost structure for smarter decisions.
Practical selection criteria
Before you start promoting, run a quick checklist:
- Demand check — search volume and competitor sales.
- Margin math — can you spend 5–15% of profit per sale on acquisition and still be profitable?
- Conversion readiness — photos, descriptions, at least a couple of reviews and rating >4.
- Availability — enough stock for the expected uplift and reliable delivery times.
- Competitive offer — price, bundle, guarantees or unique features that make buyers choose you.
Use simple metrics: expected CPC, conversion rate (click→purchase), average order value and margin. From these you can forecast cost per sale and ROI.
Example: profitable and unprofitable product for advertising
Profitable example: Portable power bank sold for 10 000 ₸, gross margin 3 000 ₸. If average CPC is 150 ₸ and conversion after click is 3% (one sale per ~33 clicks), acquisition cost per sale ≈ 5 000 ₸ — still potentially profitable when considering repeat purchases and cross-sells, or when you can optimize creatives and listing to raise conversion.
Unprofitable example: Low-cost charging cable sold for 1 000 ₸, margin 150 ₸. Even with low CPC, the number of clicks per sale and potential returns make it unlikely to recoup ad spend. For such SKUs, organic placement, cross-sell or inclusion in bundles is a better strategy.
Strategy tips
Put these practices into routine:
- Start with a hypothesis: test one variable at a time (price, creative, card content).
- Use limited budgets for initial tests — evaluate performance after 7–14 days.
- Prioritize SKUs that already convert organically — ads amplify an existing demand signal.
- Keep a reserve of inventory to avoid stockouts during spikes.
- Monitor metrics daily at first: CPC, CTR, conversion rate, cost-per-acquisition (CPA) and ROAS.
- Be ready to reallocate budget quickly — move spend to winners and pause losers.
Conclusion
Advertising on Kaspi can significantly boost sales, but only when the right SKUs are chosen and campaigns are managed with data. Focus on products with demand, healthy margin, credible listings and reliable logistics. Use tools like AWW to automate analysis and speed up decision-making. With a disciplined testing approach and clear selection criteria, you can scale profitable advertising while minimizing wasted budget.
Часто задаваемые вопросы
- How can I quickly tell if a specific product is suitable for advertising on Kaspi before launching a campaign?
- Evaluate demand by looking at search queries and competitors’ sales, check the product card’s conversion (views → purchases) and presence of reviews. Compare margin with expected cost-per-click: if you can spend 5–15% of profit to acquire a customer, the product likely fits. Ensure you have enough stock and that logistics can handle increased demand.
- What minimum margin is considered acceptable to start advertising on Kaspi?
- Follow the rule that you should be able to spend 5–15% of profit on customer acquisition without going into loss. For low-margin items, advertising often doesn’t pay off if average CPC is high due to competition. If margin is limited, test with strict budget control or try to raise price/optimize costs first.
- How to properly test new SKUs in ad campaigns so you don't 'eat' the budget?
- Run tests with a limited daily budget and low bids, evaluate results over 7–14 days by acquisition cost and conversion. Test one hypothesis at a time: the card, the price or the creative. Quickly switch off SKUs with high CPC and low conversion, reallocating budget to better-performing offers.
- What specific signs indicate products that shouldn't be advertised on Kaspi?
- Low margin combined with high click costs, lack of demand or a highly seasonal item with a short sales window. Poor reviews or an empty product card with low conversion, as well as complex or expensive logistics. Such SKUs tend to consume budget and produce negative profitability.
- How can AWW help optimize ad campaigns on Kaspi?
- AWW automates the collection of analytics on clicks, conversions and profitability at the SKU level, enabling rapid identification of profitable and loss-making products. The tool helps optimize bids and reallocate budget toward product cards with the best margin and conversion. This reduces manual work and lowers the risk of faulty launches.
