--- title: Weekly Call w/ Gilbert — Campaign Performance & Inventory Overhaul (2026-01-21) type: article created: '2026-01-21' updated: '2026-04-05' source_docs: - raw/2026-01-21-weekly-call-w-gilbert-116008138.md tags: - meeting - amazon - inventory - fba - awd - campaigns - roas - advertising - operations - google-ads - ai-tooling - popcorn - black-beans - cornmeal - stockouts - supply-chain layer: 2 client_source: Doudlah Farms industry_context: food-beverage transferable: false --- # Weekly Call w/ Gilbert — Campaign Performance & Inventory Overhaul (2026-01-21) **Attendees:** Gilbert Barrongo, Mark Hope, Karly Oykhman (partial) **Client:** [[wiki/clients/current/doudlah-farms/index|Doudlah Farms]] **Recording:** [Fathom](https://fathom.video/calls/539025405) ## Overview Review of recovering Amazon campaign performance and a significant overhaul of the inventory management process. The session was prompted by a 1.5-month sales slump (Nov 25–Jan 18) caused by stockouts. The team aligned on a 60-day inventory buffer target, monthly standing orders for top sellers, and a plan to clear AWD inventory by March. --- ## Key Decisions | Decision | Detail | |---|---| | **60-day inventory buffer** | Raise the reorder trigger from 30 days to 60 days for all SKUs to absorb supply chain variability | | **Monthly standing orders for top sellers** | Ship 1,000 units each of Yellow Popcorn, White Popcorn, and Yellow Cornmeal, plus 500 units of Black Beans (5 lb) every month until further notice | | **AWD clearance by March** | Transfer all AWD units to FBA; target zero AWD inventory by March to eliminate expiration risk | | **Increase Old World bids** | Old World campaign ROAS is 4.89 — incrementally raise bids to capture more impressions | | **Blue Haven Kidney Beans order increase** | Raise next shipment from 134 to 200 units; sold 67 last month with zero ad spend | | **Coupons for slow-moving stock** | 20–25% coupons on aged inventory (6+ months → 20%; 12+ months → 25%) | --- ## Action Items - [ ] **Gilbert** — Add a "Shipped, not yet receiving" column to the inventory spreadsheet to track inbound units not yet visible in FBA/AWD reports - [ ] **Gilbert** — Fix the "Months of Inventory" formula (currently showing nonsense values, e.g., 150 months for Navy Beans, 480 months for Great Northern Beans) - [ ] **Gilbert** — Notify Karly when the updated spreadsheet is ready so she can finalize shipment quantities - [ ] **Gilbert** — Document the new Google Ads copy procedure (ChatGPT-assisted) in ClickUp - [ ] **Karly** — Email Jason to establish the monthly standing order: 1,000 Yellow Popcorn, 1,000 White Popcorn, 1,000 Yellow Cornmeal, 500 Black Beans (5 lb) - [ ] **Karly** — Use the updated inventory sheet to identify and create any additional shipment orders beyond the standing order - [ ] **Gilbert & Karly** — Coordinate transfer of all AWD inventory to FBA; clear AWD by March --- ## Campaign Performance ### Overall - ROAS improved from **3.2 → 3.34** (30-day window) following bid increases last week - Recovery is underway after the Nov 25–Jan 18 slump; last 3–4 days of sales have been strong ### Top Campaigns - **Defense Campaign** — #1 for sales; successfully defending brand keywords across the catalog - **Old World** — ROAS of **4.89**; plan to incrementally increase bids for more impressions and sales volume ### Keyword Rankings (spot-checked in incognito) | Keyword | Position | |---|---| | "Organic Popcorn Kernels" | #1 sponsored top-of-search (Yellow); #1 sponsored video; #8 organic (Yellow), #10 organic (White) | | "Dry Organic Black Beans" | #1 sponsored brands video; #2 sponsored top-of-search; #3 organic | > **Notable:** Black beans rank #2–3 despite being priced at ~$6/lb vs. the nearest competitor (Mayorga) at ~$3.40/lb. Strong brand value signal. --- ## Inventory Management Overhaul ### Root Cause of the Slump Sales dropped sharply on **November 25** and did not recover until **January 18** — a **~7-week slump driven entirely by stockouts**. Contributing factors included Amazon's own fulfillment delays and a reorder trigger that was too low (30 days). > *"The biggest calamity we've had in the last two years is that inventory… from November 30th until January 15th, that's a month and a half, we got our [sales] kicked, and it was all because of inventory."* — Mark Hope ### New Inventory Framework - **Target buffer:** 60 days of inventory on hand or inbound at all times - **Reorder logic:** Gilbert directs Karly on exact quantities based on the updated spreadsheet; Karly executes shipment orders - **New spreadsheet column:** "Shipped, not yet receiving" — captures units in transit that don't yet appear in FBA or AWD reports (previously invisible, causing underestimation of inbound stock) ### Why 60 Days? Supply chain variability is significant: freight pickup delays, carrier consolidation holds, Amazon receiving backlogs, and weather events can each add 1–2 weeks. Running tight on inventory is asymmetrically risky — overstocking by a month costs little; stocking out costs weeks of sales velocity and organic ranking. ### Monthly Standing Orders (Top Sellers) | SKU | Monthly Quantity | |---|---| | Yellow Popcorn | 1,000 units | | White Popcorn | 1,000 units | | Yellow Cornmeal | 1,000 units | | Black Beans (5 lb) | 500 units | These should ship on a fixed monthly schedule (e.g., the 15th of each month) without waiting for a reorder trigger. --- ## AWD Strategy - **Decision:** Stop using AWD; transfer all remaining AWD units to FBA - **Target:** AWD at zero by **March 2026** - **Rationale:** - AWD is not performing automated replenishment to FBA as intended - FBA inventory moves fast enough that expiration is not a risk there - AWD inventory sits idle and is at expiration risk - May revisit AWD later, but current experience has not been positive --- ## Product-Specific Notes ### Blue Haven Kidney Beans - Sold 67 units last month with **zero ad spend** — entirely organic - Stocked out; next order increased from 134 → **200 units** - High-margin, no advertising cost; worth scaling ### Slow-Moving / Problem Inventory - Running 20–25% coupons to clear aged stock; early results are positive - **Formula bug:** "Months of Inventory" column is broken — showing 150 months (Navy Beans), 480 months (Great Northern Beans). Gilbert to fix. - Slow movers include: Canary Beans, Great Northern Beans, Navy Beans, Whole Wheat Flour - Bids on slow movers are being held back deliberately to protect overall account ROAS --- ## Process & Tooling ### Google Ads Copy Procedure Gilbert is building a repeatable ChatGPT-assisted procedure for ad copy creation: - Identify dynamic keyword insertion opportunities - Define persona and psychological benefits - Pin primary keywords to headlines - Document the full procedure in ClickUp so it can be applied across all client accounts ### AI-Assisted Website Development Mark has implemented a workflow where AI accesses the website via API in a **dev environment** to make fixes directly — rather than generating instructions for a human to execute. Changes are validated in dev before being pushed to production. Faster, cheaper, and more scalable than the previous ClickUp task → contractor workflow. --- ## Related - [[wiki/clients/current/doudlah-farms/index|Doudlah Farms Client Index]] - [[wiki/knowledge/amazon/inventory-management|Amazon Inventory Management]] - [[wiki/knowledge/amazon/awd-vs-fba|AWD vs. FBA]] - [[wiki/knowledge/advertising/amazon-campaign-structure|Amazon Campaign Structure]]