The Date Windows Sheet
How it works
Amazon credits a Sponsored Products sale to your ad for 7 days after the click (Sponsored Brands and Display: 14), and dates the sale back to the day of the click. So your newest days are always still filling in, and yesterday’s ACoS almost always looks too high. Judge on windows that end a few days back, change one thing at a time, and wait before you judge it.
Your windows for today
The window for every report
| Report / decision | Sponsored Products (seller) | Brands, Display, vendors (14-day credit) |
|---|---|---|
| Search term report: negatives and new keywords | 30 days ending 3 days ago (60 for low-traffic products) | 30 days ending 7 days ago |
| Targeting report: bids | 30 days ending 3 days ago | 30 days ending 7 days ago |
| Placement report: placement boosts | 30 days ending 3 days ago | 30 days ending 7 days ago |
| Campaign report: ACoS and ROAS trend | 30 days ending 3 days ago | 30 days ending 7 days ago |
| Budget and spend checks | Yesterday is fine (spend isn’t delayed, sales are) | Yesterday is fine |
| Before / after a change | 7 days before vs the 7 days from the change, judged 3 days after those end | 14 days before vs 14 days after, judged 7 days after those end |
| After a peak event (Prime Day, Black Friday) | Wait 7 days after it ends, then judge | Wait 14 days after it ends |
How to use it
- Pick the window from the table for the report you’re reading.
- Leave out the newest days: they’re still filling in.
- Change one thing per campaign, and never move a bid more than 25% at once.
- Log it: date, what changed, why, and the day to judge it.
- On that day, compare before and after on complete days only.
Good to know
- Example: Monday you spend $100. Tuesday morning, Monday shows $150 in sales: 67% ACoS. A week later the late orders have landed: $400 in sales, 25%. Same day, same spend. Cut that bid on Tuesday and you cut a winner.
- Attribution as of October 2026: Sponsored Products 7 days for sellers (14 for vendors); Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display 14 days. Sales are reported on the click date.
- “Most late orders are in after 3 days” is a rule of thumb, not an Amazon rule. For 14-day ads we wait a week.
- “Last 7 days, through yesterday” always looks worse than it is, because its newest days are still filling in.
Dr. PPC works the same way: it judges on complete days and logs every change with the reason, so you can check it a week later.
Start for $1