Weekly Call — Inventory & Performance Marketing (2026-02-25)

Attendees: Gilbert Barrongo, Sebastian Gant, Karly Oykhman, Mark Hope
Source: Fathom recording

Overview

Weekly ops call covering three main areas: Amazon FBA inventory stockouts and the new tracking system built to prevent recurrence; a strategic shift in Google Ads from PMAX to Search campaigns for ^[1]; and new marketing initiatives for ^[2] and Reddit. The primary theme across all topics was that inventory instability is the root cause of current performance dips, and that once resolved, ad performance is expected to rebound.

Key Decisions

Action Items

• [ ] Karly — Share bag inventory spreadsheet with Gilbert; Gilbert to add bag/box columns to the Shipment Info tracker
• [ ] Karly — Request E-Town Cold Storage platform login to monitor raw bean inventory
• [ ] Karly — Research Reddit ads for bean-related subreddits; propose a test to Mark
• [ ] Gilbert — Build new Google Search campaigns for popcorn, black beans, and cornmeal; pause corresponding PMAX campaigns
• [ ] Gilbert — Apply Google's recommended CPA target ($16.23) to Dudla Farms PMAX; monitor for one week and review
• [ ] Gilbert — Analyze Shopping Ads performance; recommend a small-budget test to Mark
• [ ] Gilbert — Launch Old World PMAX campaign once Merchant Center feed is live
• [ ] Gilbert — Monitor Quora Stone remarketing campaign for two weeks after recent settings change; report to Karly
• [ ] Gilbert — Review new Cordwainer ad creative
• [ ] Mark — Create Google Merchant Center feed for the Old World domain

Topic Notes

Inventory & Sales Performance

Inventory stockouts — particularly kidney beans (25lb) — are the primary driver of recent sales declines. Incoming stock for black beans, yellow cornmeal, and popcorn is in transit.

Shipment Info worksheet (built by Gilbert) now provides full visibility into all Amazon FBA shipments from creation through closing, updated daily. Status stages: Working → For Pickup → In Transit → Closed. Shipments in "Working," "Closed," "Canceled," or "Deleted" states are excluded from active tracking to reduce noise.

Inventory target: Maintain a minimum 6-month supply for all products at all times.

Remaining gap — raw materials: The tracker covers finished goods but not upstream inputs (raw beans, bags, boxes). Next step is to integrate Lucy's bag inventory spreadsheet and gain access to E-Town Cold Storage (Edgerton, WI — temperature-controlled bean storage) to monitor raw bean levels.

"We need to watch it like a hawk." — Mark Hope

Amazon Ads Performance

• 30-day ROAS: 3.34 (down from 3.40 last week)
• Top performers: Old World, popcorn, black beans
• Low performer: "Category campaign" — ROAS 0.93, but spend is only ~$32/month; impact is negligible. Performance was previously suppressed by black bean inventory issues; expected to recover with stable stock.
• Decision: No structural changes to Amazon ad strategy. Performance expected to rebound once inventory stabilizes.

Google Ads — Dudla Farms

Website sales context:
- February: ~$8,600 (flat vs. January when adjusted for fewer days; +90% YoY)
- Overall trend since July: +79% vs. prior period, but growth pace is slow

Current campaign structure: Three PMAX campaigns + one 90-day display remarketing campaign.

Conversion trends (January): 59 conversions; impressions declining, clicks increasing, conversion rate flat, cost-per-conversion stabilizing. Direction is positive but growth is slow.

Strategic Shift: PMAX → Search

PMAX campaigns are useful for initial data gathering but introduce waste once audience and keyword patterns are established. The team agreed to begin migrating key products to Search campaigns.

• First wave: Popcorn, black beans, cornmeal
• Remarketing: Leave in place — cheap impressions, low conversion volume is acceptable

CPA Target A/B Test

Campaigns are flagged "Limited by Target" because the set CPA ($12.98) is below the actual CPA (~$14.80). Google recommends $16.23.

• Test: Apply $16.23 for one week; evaluate whether conversion volume increases
• Hypothesis: A more realistic target unlocks more auction participation
• Black Beans exception: Current target $16.98; Google recommends $21. Rejected — $21 is close to the product's retail price, making ad spend unprofitable after COGS and shipping

New Marketing Initiatives

Old World Google Ads

Old World has no active Google Ads. A Google Merchant Center feed must be created for the Old World domain (separate from Dudla Farms) before any campaigns can launch.

• Plan: Mark creates the feed → Gilbert launches a low-budget PMAX campaign
• Rationale: Old World is already a top Amazon performer; extending to Google Shopping is a logical next step

Reddit Ads

Reddit offers subreddit-level targeting, which could be highly relevant for niche food products (e.g., bean-focused communities). Reported to be relatively low-cost.

• Next step: Karly researches viability and relevant subreddits; proposes a test budget to Mark

Other Client Updates

Key Metrics Snapshot