If you’ve logged into Seller Central lately and thought, “Why are Sessions down?”—you’re not imagining it.
Some sellers are seeing double-digit traffic declines, including reported ~13% Session drops in certain categories.
But here’s the critical truth:
“Amazon traffic down 13%” doesn’t automatically mean Amazon is collapsing.
It often means the mix of traffic sources changed, and your listings are receiving fewer of the Session types you used to rely on.
In other words, Amazon can be doing fine overall while your brand feels the hit.
This guide will explain:
- what that “13% traffic drop” is likely referring to
- the biggest driver sellers are overlooking (Amazon’s offsite pullback)
- how to diagnose the root cause in under 30 minutes
- and the exact recovery playbook brands use to replace traffic and protect sales
First: What Does “Traffic Down 13%” Actually Mean?
Most sellers track “traffic” through Sessions in Business Reports.
Sessions are not the same as:
- impressions
- clicks
- page views
- or ad clicks
A Session is essentially a visit to your detail page within a time window.
So when sellers say “traffic is down 13%,” they often mean:
- Sessions are down 13%, or
- Sessions relative to another metric changed (like Amazon Search clicks)
In fact, one analysis tied Session drops to a change in Sessions relative to Amazon Search clicks, with category-specific declines including Health & Personal Care at -13%.
That’s an important nuance:
- It’s not always that Amazon Search died
- It’s that the “extra” Sessions you used to get from offsite sources may have shrunk
The Big Driver: Amazon Pulled Back From Google Shopping Ads
One of the largest potential contributors to “mystery Session declines” is this:
Amazon has pulled back dramatically from Google Shopping ads.
Why does that matter to sellers?
Because Google Shopping placements can send people into Amazon listings through:
- product ads appearing on Google
- shoppers clicking Amazon offers
- and then landing on Amazon detail pages
If Amazon reduces that spend, the funnel tightens. Some listings will feel it more than others depending on:
- category behavior
- how often shoppers comparison-shop off Amazon
- how reliant your niche was on Google Shopping discovery
Separate research around Amazon’s Google Shopping exit showed changes in the paid search ecosystem and performance patterns after Amazon pulled ads (including shifts in clicks and ROAS for advertisers).
Even if you never ran Google ads yourself, you can still be affected if your category historically benefited from Amazon’s offsite ad presence.
Important Reality Check: Overall Amazon Traffic Might Not Be Down
This is where sellers get confused.
You might be seeing Sessions down while third-party tools show Amazon’s site traffic as stable or even up.
For example, Similarweb’s public snapshot for December 2025 shows amazon.com web traffic increased month-over-month (their estimate).
So how can both be true?
Because:
- Overall Amazon traffic can be stable
- While specific categories or traffic sources decline
- And Amazon’s traffic can shift between web vs app experiences (and between internal vs offsite sources)
Similarweb’s broader ecommerce reporting has also pointed to shifting dynamics between web and apps, with increasing attention moving to app sessions in general.
Translation for sellers: your listing Sessions can fall even if Amazon’s total visits look healthy, because your listing’s exposure and entry points changed.
The 3 Real Reasons Amazon Sales Drop (And How This Fits)
Almost every Amazon sales decline is one of these:
1) Less Traffic (Sessions Down)
This is the scenario we’re discussing:
- Sessions down
- orders down
- conversion rate may be stable
2) Lower Conversion (CVR Down)
Traffic is there, but you’re not closing:
- pricing changed
- competitors improved
- reviews shifted
- listing quality isn’t matching shopper intent
3) Both Down
This is the “storm” scenario:
- reduced Sessions + reduced conversion
- often caused by competitive pressure, seasonality, and offer weakness all at once
The goal is to figure out which one you’re in quickly—because the fix is different.
How to Diagnose the Root Cause in 30 Minutes
Open Seller Central and run these checks:
Step 1: Confirm it’s Sessions
Go to:
Business Reports → Detail Page Sales & Traffic
Compare the last 7–14 days vs the prior period:
- Sessions
- Unit Session Percentage (your conversion rate proxy)
- Orders
If Sessions are down ~13% but Unit Session % is flat:
✅ It’s a traffic problem.
If Sessions are flat but Unit Session % is down:
✅ It’s a conversion problem.
If both are down:
✅ You need a blended fix.
Step 2: Segment by Traffic Source Proxies
Amazon doesn’t always give perfect “source” clarity, but you can infer a lot by pairing:
- Business Reports
- Search Query Performance / Brand Analytics (if available)
- Ads Console placement reports
Look for:
- Top of Search changes
- Product Pages changes
- competitor ASIN targeting efficiency changes
Step 3: Check whether demand shifted or your ranking slipped
If you lost organic rank for your top keywords, Sessions can fall fast.
Quick checks:
- keyword rank tracking tool (if you have one)
- Brand Analytics search volume trend vs your share
- impressions trend in Sponsored Products
If category volume is stable but your rank dropped:
✅ You have a relevance/competition problem.
Why Sellers Feel This More in 2026: The “Traffic Mix” Era
In 2026, sellers are dealing with traffic shifts from multiple angles:
A) Less Offsite Discovery (Google Shopping pullback)
Fewer external entry points can reduce Sessions for certain listings/categories.
B) More Competition in the Same Shelf Space
When traffic tightens, competition intensifies:
- higher CPC pressure on core terms
- more aggressive promotions
- more copycat listings
C) Shifts in how people discover products online
Consumer attention keeps shifting across apps, platforms, and AI-powered experiences, which changes how much “free” discovery any marketplace receives over time.
You can’t control macro shifts—but you can control how efficiently you convert and how defensible your traffic becomes.
The Recovery Playbook: How to Replace Lost Sessions
If your Sessions are down and you want the fastest path back, focus on three levers:
Lever 1: Rank Defense (Protect the keywords that pay your bills)
Pick your top 5–10 keywords that actually drive profit.
Do not try to “fix everything.”
Actions:
- allocate budget to those exact terms (exact match)
- separate them into a defense campaign
- keep bids stable enough to maintain position
- monitor Top of Search impression share
When traffic tightens, the sellers who defend rank keep volume.
Lever 2: Conquest Smart (Target competitors without wasting spend)
If organic traffic dips, conquesting can replace Sessions quickly.
But do it with discipline:
- target only the competitor ASINs where you have a clear advantage (price, reviews, value)
- isolate product targeting campaigns
- cap bids until you confirm conversion
Lever 3: Conversion Upgrades (Raise Unit Session %)
When Sessions are down, conversion efficiency becomes your profit engine.
Fix the highest-impact conversion drivers first:
- main image clarity (the “stop scrolling” test)
- price positioning vs top 3 competitors
- coupon/prime promo strategy
- review velocity and rating
- A+ content focusing on objections, not fluff
Even a small lift in conversion can fully offset a 10–13% traffic decline.
Example math:
- If Sessions drop 13%
- but conversion increases 15–20%
You can stabilize orders while you rebuild traffic.
The 7-Day “Traffic Stabilization” Checklist
Here’s a realistic plan sellers can execute immediately:
Day 1: Identify the drop
- confirm Sessions delta by ASIN
- isolate which products were hit the hardest
Day 2: Determine traffic vs conversion
- Unit Session % and Orders trend
- prioritize the top 20% of ASINs that drive 80% of revenue
Day 3: Fix PPC structure
- defense campaign for hero keywords
- scale campaign for growth terms
- conquest campaign for competitor ASINs
- add negatives to stop waste
Day 4: Improve offer competitiveness
- align pricing with the conversion you need
- test coupon vs price drop
- ensure inventory health (stockouts kill rank)
Day 5: Upgrade your main image
- clearer value, cleaner presentation
- strong readability on mobile
- remove clutter
Day 6: Expand placements strategically
- Sponsored Brands (if applicable)
- Sponsored Display retargeting
- product page placement where it converts
Day 7: Monitor and lock in
- daily check of Sessions + Unit Session %
- weekly check of placement performance
- reduce spend on anything that doesn’t convert profitably
Final Takeaway
“Amazon traffic down 13%” is a headline that creates panic.
But in most cases, it’s a signal, not a death sentence.
The most likely explanation is a traffic mix shift—especially reduced offsite contribution after Amazon’s pullback from Google Shopping ads—combined with category-specific differences.
Your move as a seller is simple:
- diagnose traffic vs conversion
- replace lost Sessions with structured PPC
- raise conversion to protect revenue
- defend rank where it matters
