Most days I log on to my Amazon analytics to see what, if any, purchases Supersize LIFE readers have made. I do this as I keep a running list of items purchased in order to share them at the bottom of every post. You may have noticed.

As we came to the end of 2020, I discovered a filter option I hadn’t previously paid attention to. It allowed me to see the entire year in one graph. The graph told me all of the items purchased through my suggested links, items purchased that had nothing to do with my posts or suggestions as well as all the clicks on the links I provided regardless of whether or not a purchase followed.

It got me thinking that a look at these Amazon analytics might make for a fun post. I mean, I decided for myself to take the time to see what sparked readers’ interest enough to click on the link and thought you’d enjoy coming along for the ride.

Closeup of a pad of paper with someone writing on it, creating a list.

My Predictions

So, as I write this, I haven’t yet taken that deeper dive into those Amazon analytics. But I thought it would be fun to see if my sense of what’s been popular has actually been popular. As I said, I look at these daily so my sense about a year’s worth of clicks and purchases is just a guess based on a cumulative idea that has stayed with me.

I am going to predict the top three purchases. First, microfiber towels. Second, carpet for the RV steps. Third, cover for the electric jack.

I’m excited to see if I’m right. Or wrong. Let’s see.

Amazon Analytics: The Top 11 Purchased Items

  1. Perfect Pantry Polypropylene Handy Basket
  2. Wrights Single Fold Satin Blanket Binding
  3. Prest-O-Fit Ruggids RV Step Rug
  4. Maxware Stainless Steel Sink Strainer
  5. Maruchan Instant Lunch Chicken Flavor
  6. PackTowl Personal Quick Dry Microfiber Towel
  7. BougeRV 600D Polyester Electric Tongue Jack Cover
  8. Sealproof 1-Gang Duplex Horizontal Weatherproof Outlet Cover
  9. Wise Owl Outfitters Camping Travel Towel (microfiber)
  10. 3M Marine Adhesive Sealant 
  11. Kijaro Dual Lock Portable Camping and Sports Chair

Thoughts on Items Purchased

One thing I quickly realized is that this may not be as informative as I expected. While it gives the literal ranking of the top 11 items purchased, it doesn’t tell the whole story. For example, I’m certain that the first item on the list was one person who purchased eight pantry baskets making it the top purchased item. But if only one person bought it, is it really the most popular item?

The same is true for the second and fifth most purchased items. I suspect, it may be true also for eighth, tenth and eleventh items as well.

And, while the PackTowl was number six on the list and Wise Owl towel was number nine, if I clump all the microfiber towels together, they easily become the number one purchased item, blowing the pantry baskets out of the water with more than 40 microfiber bath towels purchased from 11 different brands. As astonishing as that number is, it’s even more so when you consider the number doesn’t even include microfiber kitchen towels. I only counted the bath towels. I’ve talk about microfiber towels in several posts and I’m not necessarily loyal to the PackTowl brand. It’s simply the one I happened to purchase.

Similarly, electric jack covers purchased would have tied with the pantry baskets if I included all jack covers. Eight were purchased from four different companies. And this makes sense when you consider the many brands of trailers on the market, meaning jack cover needs are different for everyone.

Photo by Denny Müller on Unsplash. Three towels and two wash clothes (all green) folded and sitting on a stool in the corner.

Amazon Analytics: Links Clicked 20 Times or More

The list in descending order from 183 clicks down to 20 clicks:

  1. Thermacell Insect Mosquito Repeller Bundle with Refill Packs (183)
  2. Perfect Pantry Polypropylene Handy Basket (102)
  3. Coleman Canopy Tent (87)
  4. STRONGBACK Folding Outdoor Camp Chair with Lumbar Support (47)
  5. PackTowl Personal Quick Dry Microfiber Towel (41)
  6. Camco Screen Door Cross Bar Handle (41)
  7. Amazon Basics Foldable Clothes Drying Laundry Rack (41)
  8. Prest-O-Fit Ruggids RV Step Rug (37)
  9. BougeRV Polyester Electric Tongue Jack Cover (30)
  10. Coin Tissues, Compressed Towels, Toilet Paper Tablets (29)
  11. Salt and Pepper Shakers Moisture Proof Set of 2 Large (24)
  12. MG Coffee Stainless Steel Reusable Nespresso Coffee Pod Holder (23)
  13. Betron Noise Isolating Earbuds (22)

Limitations of the Tool

I intended this as a fun light-hearted post. Still, I found myself a little frustrated I couldn’t do the level of analysis I hoped. I love numbers, math and analyzing data and there are definitely limits to what the Amazon analytic tool offers. I found myself wishing I could download the data into an Excel document so I could sort the items. For example, I would’ve loved to separate RV-related items or organization-related items so. The list is too long, over several “next” pages, to make it reasonably possible to do manually.

I’d hoped to offer more than what’s above but, as the saying goes, it is what it is.

I don’t know if this is a limitation of the tool, or a glitch, or if this is actually correct but one thing seemed odd to me. As you saw above the Thermacell Instant Repeller Bundle was the top item clicked on, according to Amazon analytics. With 183 clicks, I found the number incredibly high when you consider: 1) it was on the bottom of a post highlighting a reader purchase, not highlighted in a post, and 2) the next item, the pantry baskets, was the second most clicked on item and was featured in a post (maybe two) and still only had half the number of clicks at 103. It left me scratching my head.

Then again, bugs suck so I understand the appeal of clicking to view the item. Additionally, the third most clicked on item was another one at the bottom of a post and not featured in a post. The pop-up canopy had 87 clicks but, again, I understand the interest an RVer might have in the item. Finally, the last three items also were only featured at the bottom of a post and not in an article.

It’s All Relative

In total, readers used my links to get to Amazon 3,600 times in 2020. It’s hard to give a good figure for how many of those clicks resulted in a purchase though I estimate somewhere between five and eight percent. I know the total number of items purchased (429) but I cannot assume each transaction was a single purchase. In fact, I’d say that single item purchases are the minority based on my own buying habits.

I saw a noticeable jump in clicks and sales in 2020. I can’t say precisely how many because another limitation of the tool is that I can only look at the previous year and not farther so I cannot compare the jump to 2019 figures.

In 2020, for the first time since starting the website, the money I earned ($321) covered the costs of my website’s nightly backups as well as some specific work I hired out for the site (because I don’t have enough technical knowledge or skill to do it myself). So, while it doesn’t yet cover all the costs associated with keeping a website, in 2020 it covered about one-third of the costs which I think is pretty great.

I was pleased to discover the 3,600 clicks but it’s all relative. Another blogger might expect to see that number on a monthly basis while another might be happy to see that number for several years combined. The jump in clicks and sales in 2020, I cannot help but wonder if they are tied to COVID. No doubt, many of us turned to online shopping as a way to avoid going out in public. Even so, I’m hopeful I will see the number of clicks and purchases increase in 2021.

The truth is that the money isn’t what is important to me though it all helps. I use Amazon as a tool to judge the level of readers’ engagement and to get an idea of how many people are reading the blog posts. So, I look at an increase in clicks and purchase as an increase in readership. And that is very happy news.

My Predictions Revisited

I need to circle back to my predictions. Well, I did okay. The carpet was further down than expected. Here’s where my general impressions went wrong. As I said, they are general and I think my mind didn’t distinguish the end of one year and beginning of another. If I were able to add 2019 and 2018 to the mix, the story might be different. The original article how to add carpet to RV steps and why you should was written in 2018 though I did revisit the post in 2020.

I expected the electric jacks cover to do better but, again, the article about jacks was written in 2019 so with that in mind, maybe I should be thinking it did extraordinarily well in 2020.

The microfiber towels I totally nailed. I did pretty good if I consider just the PackTowl but totally blew it out of the water if you look at all microfiber bath towels.

Two RV steps covered in blue carpet. Two pieces of new brown carpet still in its packaging.
Preparing to replace the old carpet on the RV steps with new.

Future Amazon Analytics

As I have been compiling and writing this article, it hasn’t escaped my attention that, presumably, the article itself will result in clicks and possibly purchases which, in turn, will affect my 2021 Amazon analytics. And that alone, one could make the case, might make a future comparison unfair. I don’t know. It may not even matter as, honestly, I feel a little ambivalent about whether this article will become an annual one.

On the one hand, I got a kick out of looking at how different items did for the year. It was interesting and somewhat informative. But, on the other hand, I didn’t walk away learning as much as I’d hoped. It didn’t, for example, give me an insight into what posts are most liked and used by readers.

Would love to know your thoughts. Did you enjoy this post enough that you think it should become an annual one? Did you draw any conclusions from the items clicked and purchased?

Big Thanks

I cannot write a post about the items purchased from Amazon using my links without saying a HUGE heart-felt thank you to everyone who supports the website this way. I am truly grateful and appreciative of the support.

Links to Related Posts

To see products recently purchased by readers or to browse and shop at Amazon, follow either of these links. Huge thanks for your support.

Affiliate Link Disclosure. As a result of being an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

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