By: MarketingToolsGuide | Read Time: 5 Min
If you’ve been selling on Amazon for more than a few years, you’ve probably felt it.
The old tricks aren’t working like they used to.
Back in 2019, when I started my FBA journey, the formula was simple: Stuff keywords into your title + Run aggressive PPC = Profit.
But in 2025? You can have the perfect keyword density, the highest bid, and still lose the Buy Box to a listing with fewer reviews.
Why? Because Amazon has fundamentally changed how it “thinks.”
We are moving from the era of A9 (Keywords) to the era of COSMO (Intent).
In this first post of MarketingToolsGuide, I want to break down exactly what this shift means for your business, and how you can use AI to adapt before your competitors do.
The Death of “Keyword Stuffing”
For a decade, the A9 algorithm worked like a simple matching machine.
- Customer types: “Water bottle.”
- A9 looks for: Listings with “Water bottle” repeated in the Title, Bullets, and Backend.
It was a robot looking for text strings. Context didn’t matter.
Enter COSMO (COmmon Sense MOdel).
Amazon’s new AI-driven system doesn’t just match words; it tries to understand human intent and common sense. It analyzes user behavior to understand why someone is buying.
The Difference:
- Old A9: Shows a cheap plastic cup because it has the keyword “Water Bottle.”
- New COSMO: Realizes the user also searched for “hiking boots” earlier. It infers the user wants a “durable, leak-proof, insulated bottle” and ranks those products higher—even if they don’t have the exact keyword match in the exact order.
What This Means for You (The 5-Year Veteran Perspective)
I’ve analyzed thousands of listings over the last 5 years. The biggest mistake I see sellers making today is writing for robots, not humans.
If your bullet points look like a dictionary of keywords, COSMO will ignore you.
To win in 2025, your listing needs to do three things:
- Contextualize: Don’t just say “32oz capacity.” Say “Holds enough water for a 4-hour hike.”
- Predict Needs: Answer the customer’s question before they ask it. (e.g., “Will this fit in my car cup holder?”)
- Engage: Keep the user on the page. Dwell time is a massive ranking factor now.
How to Adapt Using AI (Without Hiring a Copywriter)
This is where my “Efficiency Architect” approach comes in. You don’t need to spend 10 hours rewriting your listings. You just need the right AI workflow.
I use ChatGPT and Claude to reverse-engineer user intent.
Here is a simple prompt you can try today:
“Act as an Amazon algorithm expert. Analyze the following 10 negative reviews from my competitors. Identify the specific ‘Usage Context’ (where were they using the product?) and ‘Unmet Needs’ (what went wrong?). Then, rewrite my Bullet Point #1 to specifically address these needs using emotional language.”
By doing this, you are feeding COSMO exactly what it wants: Relevance.
The System for Growth
Success on Amazon is no longer about luck. It’s about Data + AI + Systems.
If you are tired of guessing why your ranking is dropping, it’s time to upgrade your toolkit.
- Audit your numbers: Use my Free FBA Profit Calculator to ensure your margins can support the new ad landscape.
- Upgrade your copy: I’ve packaged my exact AI workflow into the “Velocity” AI Prompt Library. It includes the specific prompts I use to align listings with the COSMO algorithm.
The game has changed. Don’t play by the old rules.