Key Takeaways
- DSP creates demand, Sponsored Ads capture it. Amazon DSP buys display, video, streaming TV and audio ads on and off Amazon using Amazon's audience signals, reaching people before they search. Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands reach people who are already searching.
- AMC is where you prove it worked. Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) is Amazon's clean room. It joins your Sponsored Ads and DSP data so you can see paths to purchase, overlap and new-to-brand customers, and build audiences you can target again.
- Two ways in to DSP. Self-service, run by your team or an agency, or Amazon's managed service, which Amazon says typically requires a minimum spend of $50,000.
- AMC has no fee for eligible advertisers. Brands running Sponsored Ads can open AMC through self-service; DSP advertisers request access through their Amazon Ads account team.
- Both amplify what already works. Brands with profitable Sponsored Ads, strong listings and real video get the most from DSP and AMC. Brands without those should fix the basics first.
Amazon DSP (demand-side platform) is Amazon's programmatic advertising system for buying display, video, streaming TV and audio ads on Amazon, on Amazon-owned media like Prime Video, Fire TV and Twitch, and across third-party sites and apps. Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) is Amazon's clean room for analyzing those ads alongside Sponsored Ads and building custom audiences. Both pay off once your Sponsored Ads are profitable.
We run Amazon DSP and Amazon Marketing Cloud work alongside Sponsored Ads for product brands at Marknology. We have also told plenty of founders to wait. This guide covers how DSP and AMC work, who they are for, how to roll them out, what they cost and how to measure them honestly.
One naming note: Amazon also uses "DSP" for Delivery Service Partners, the companies that deliver Amazon packages. This guide is about the advertising platform.
What is Amazon DSP and how does it work?
Amazon describes DSP as a tool that automates and centralizes media buying from multiple sources. What makes Amazon's version different is the audience data behind it: signals from what people browse, buy and stream on Amazon.
- Define audiences from Amazon's first-party signals, your own customer data, or third-party audiences.
- Build creative: standard display sizes, Amazon's ecommerce creatives that pull your product image and details from the product page, video and audio.
- Amazon serves the ads programmatically across Amazon.com, Amazon-owned media and third-party publishers, through real-time bidding or private deals.
- You pay for impressions (cost per thousand impressions, or CPM), not clicks.
- Amazon reports the path from impression to detail page view to purchase, including shoppers who never clicked.
Amazon DSP is available to brands that sell on Amazon and to brands that do not. A manufacturer can use it to drive traffic to its own website or to retail partners, not only to Amazon listings.
What ads can you buy on Amazon DSP, and where do they run?
| Format | Where it can run | Typical job |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Amazon.com, Amazon apps and devices such as Fire TV and Kindle, and third-party sites and apps | Retargeting and consideration |
| Online video | Amazon-owned properties such as Twitch and third-party publishers | Telling the product story |
| Streaming TV | Prime Video, including Amazon Originals and live sports such as Thursday Night Football, Fire TV and other streaming inventory | Reach, with TV-style creative |
| Audio | Ad-supported audio, including Alexa-enabled devices | Reach and frequency |
| Physical store advertising | Screens such as Amazon Fresh kiosks | In-store awareness |
Amazon groups DSP audiences into three kinds: Amazon audiences from first-party buying, browsing and streaming signals; advertiser audiences, such as remarketing and your own customer lists; and third-party audiences from outside data providers.
How is Amazon DSP different from Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands?
Sponsored Ads capture demand that already exists. DSP creates demand that did not exist yet. Most brands that use DSP well run both, with Sponsored Ads as the everyday engine and DSP layered on top.
| Feature | Sponsored Products | Sponsored Brands | Amazon DSP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ad format | Product ads in search and on detail pages | Headline banners and video in search | Display, video, streaming TV, audio and in-store screens |
| Where ads run | Amazon only | Amazon only | Amazon, Amazon-owned media and third-party sites and apps |
| Targeting | Keywords and products | Keywords, products and categories | Audiences |
| Funnel stage | Bottom: shoppers already searching | Bottom to middle | Every stage, from awareness to retargeting |
| Pricing | Cost per click (CPC) | Cost per click, or CPM for some formats | Cost per thousand impressions (CPM) |
| Access | Self-service in the Amazon Ads console | Self-service, requires Amazon Brand Registry for sellers | Self-service DSP account, Amazon's managed service or an agency |
For more on the self-service ad types, see our guide to Sponsored Products vs Sponsored Brands vs Sponsored Display, and for the budget question, Amazon PPC vs DSP: when to use each.
Think of Sponsored Ads like fishing with a line. You catch one fish at a time. DSP is casting a net: you reach people who did not know they needed your product yet. Andrew Morgans, Marknology
What is Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC)?
Amazon Marketing Cloud is a secure, privacy-safe, cloud-based clean room built on AWS Clean Rooms. Inside it, advertisers can run analytics and build audiences across pseudonymized signals from Amazon Ads, their own first-party data, and onboarded third-party providers. You only ever see aggregated, anonymous outputs, and Amazon cannot export or access the signals you bring in.
In plain terms: the Amazon Ads console tells you what each campaign did on its own. AMC tells you what happened across all of them together, for the same shoppers, over time.
What can brands do with AMC?
- See paths to purchase. Which combinations of Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, video and DSP exposure show up before a sale.
- Measure overlap. Whether DSP reaches new people or the same shoppers your search ads already reach.
- Find new-to-brand buyers and how long they take to convert.
- Build custom audiences from engagement and conversion events, then activate them in sponsored ads, video ads and display ads. For example, shoppers who watched a video ad and viewed a product but did not buy.
- Measure beyond Amazon, including impact on advertiser-owned sites, when you bring in your own signals.
- Look back further. Amazon now keeps 25 months of ad traffic signals in AMC, so you can study long purchase cycles and seasonality.
Do you need SQL to use AMC?
Not anymore for most work. AMC now has templates for common analyses and audiences, and Amazon has added an AI assistant, Ads Agent, in beta, that answers questions in plain language. Custom analysis still benefits from someone who knows SQL and knows what question to ask.
Who can use AMC, and what does it cost?
Amazon says AMC is available at no cost to eligible advertisers, through a web interface and an API. Advertisers registered for sponsored ads can access it through self-service. Amazon DSP advertisers request access through their Amazon Ads account team. Brands can also use AMC through agencies in the Amazon Ads Partner Network. Amazon also offers optional paid features, in beta, that add data from Amazon and third-party providers.
AMC audiences are not only for DSP: Amazon lets you activate them in sponsored ads too. See how AMC changes day-to-day search advertising in how AMC changes PPC attribution.
Who should use Amazon DSP and AMC, and who should wait?
DSP amplifies success. It does not create it from scratch. The brands that win with DSP are already winning with Sponsored Products.
You are likely ready if
- Your Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands campaigns are profitable and you are running out of efficient keyword room to grow.
- You have enough traffic to retarget and enough sales history to learn from.
- You have budget for DSP on top of your current ad spend, for at least a full quarter.
- You have real creative: lifestyle images, and ideally video.
- You compete in a crowded category where awareness drives the choice.
- You sell a repeat-purchase or subscription product, so a first purchase is worth more than its margin.
- You drive traffic from social, TV, creators or retail and want to reach those shoppers again on Amazon.
You should wait if
- Your Sponsored Products campaigns are not profitable yet.
- Your listings are weak: thin copy, stock photos, few reviews. DSP traffic will land on a page that does not convert.
- Your average order value is low, which makes impression-based math hard.
- You sell in a small, high-intent niche where shoppers already find you through search.
- You need results in 30 days.
- You are trying to save a product that is failing for product reasons.
AMC is different: any brand with meaningful Sponsored Ads spend can learn something from it, even before DSP. More than once, a founder has asked us about DSP and we told them to spend that money on better photography, listing optimization and Sponsored Products first, and to open AMC to understand what their search ads were already doing.
How do you roll out Amazon DSP with AMC?
We run DSP in phases, moving from the clearest payback to the broadest reach, with AMC checking each step.
- Baseline in AMC. Before spending on DSP, look at your Sponsored Ads paths to purchase, new-to-brand share and time to conversion, so you have something to compare against.
- Retargeting first. Reach shoppers who viewed your product page and did not buy. Attribution is clearest here, and it builds confidence and budget for colder audiences.
- In-market audiences. Expand to category shoppers who have not found your brand yet. Intent is high, and cost per sale is higher than retargeting.
- Lifestyle and lookalike audiences. The top of the funnel. Expect weaker direct return; judge it on branded search lift, new-to-brand customers and total sales.
- Competitor conquesting. Target shoppers loyal to a rival. It only works if your creative answers "why should I switch?" with a real advantage.
- AMC audiences. Once you know which exposure paths convert, build those audiences in AMC and target them in DSP and sponsored ads.
Campaign structure rules we follow
- Separate campaigns by funnel stage, because awareness and retargeting have different goals and measures.
- Match creative to the audience. A retargeting ad and a prospecting ad should not say the same thing.
- Set frequency caps. Showing one person the same ad over and over is waste, not persistence.
- Look at device and placement separately. Mobile, desktop and streaming TV behave very differently.
Is your brand ready for DSP, or would that budget work harder somewhere else? Our Growth Diagnostic is a full audit across Amazon, your own site, TikTok Shop and other marketplaces, plus a 90-day roadmap. If you go on to work with us, it is credited to your first month.
How much does Amazon DSP cost?
DSP cost has three parts:
- Media. You pay CPM. Retargeting display is usually the least expensive inventory; prospecting display, online video and streaming TV cost progressively more. Your real CPM depends on audience, format, season and competition.
- Platform fees. Amazon's DSP fee is built into what you pay rather than billed as a separate line for most advertisers.
- Management. Your team's time, or an agency's fee. Market pricing models include a percentage of spend, a flat retainer or a mix. For how we price, see our pricing page.
Is there a minimum spend?
It depends on how you buy. Amazon says its managed-service option, where Amazon's team provides consultative service, typically requires a minimum spend of $50,000, and the minimum can vary by country. Amazon's DSP page lists no minimum for self-service, where your team or an agency runs the account. Self-service still needs enough budget per audience to learn. Spreading a small budget across many audiences produces noise, not answers.
Sources, checked September 25, 2026: Amazon Ads, Amazon DSP and Amazon Marketing Cloud.
How do you measure Amazon DSP success?
The brands that win with DSP stop measuring it like PPC. If you only look at last-click return, you will cut the campaigns that are building your brand. Amazon's own DSP reporting includes detail page view rate (DPVR), add-to-list counts and new-to-brand metrics alongside reach, frequency and viewability.
| Metric | What it tells you | Where it matters most |
|---|---|---|
| Attributed return on ad spend (ROAS) | Sales Amazon credits to DSP within the attribution window, divided by spend | Retargeting |
| Detail page view rate | How often an impression leads to a product page visit | All stages |
| New-to-brand share | Share of DSP sales from first-time buyers of your brand | In-market, lifestyle, conquesting |
| Branded search lift | Whether searches for your brand grow during the campaign, from Brand Analytics | Awareness |
| Overlap and paths to purchase | Whether DSP reaches new shoppers or the same ones as search ads, from AMC | The whole program |
| Total sales lift | Whether total Amazon revenue grew, adjusted for seasonality | The whole program |
| Subscribe and Save sign-ups | Whether new customers are becoming repeat customers | CPG and consumables |
The hard question is incrementality: did DSP create sales, or take credit for sales that would have happened anyway? AMC is the best tool Amazon offers for that question, because it joins DSP and search ad exposure for the same shoppers, so you can see what else they saw before they bought and whether DSP reached people your search ads never did.
What should CPG brands, vendors and manufacturers know about DSP and AMC?
- CPG and consumables are among the best fits: repeat purchase means retargeting lapsed buyers and driving Subscribe and Save can pay back beyond the first order, and AMC shows how long the repeat cycle really is.
- Vendor Central brands (first-party, or 1P, sellers to Amazon) can run DSP and AMC just like Seller Central (third-party, or 3P) brands, and DSP is often part of vendor advertising plans.
- Retail-first brands and manufacturers can use DSP beyond Amazon listings. Amazon DSP works for advertisers who do not sell on Amazon, so it can send traffic to your own website or support retail sell-through.
- Brands with strong off-Amazon traffic from TikTok Shop, creators or TV can use DSP to catch those shoppers again when they come to Amazon to buy.
What are the most common Amazon DSP and AMC mistakes?
- Launching awareness before retargeting. You skip the clearest payback and burn budget before you know anything.
- Judging awareness on last-click ROAS. Top-of-funnel campaigns will always look weak on that metric.
- Generic creative. One banner for every audience wastes the targeting you are paying for.
- No frequency caps. Overexposure annoys shoppers and wastes impressions.
- Weak listings. DSP sends people to your product page. If the page does not convert, nothing else matters.
- Opening AMC without a question. AMC answers specific questions well. "Show me everything" produces reports nobody acts on.
- Quitting too early. Prospecting audiences need time and data before they can be judged.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Amazon DSP?
Amazon DSP (demand-side platform) is Amazon's programmatic advertising platform. It lets brands buy display, video, streaming TV and audio ads on Amazon, on Amazon-owned media like Prime Video and Twitch, and across third-party sites and apps, targeted with Amazon's audience signals. Brands do not need to sell on Amazon to use it.
What is Amazon Marketing Cloud?
Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) is Amazon's clean room, built on AWS Clean Rooms. Advertisers use it to analyze Sponsored Ads and DSP exposure together, study paths to purchase, measure new-to-brand customers and build custom audiences, while only seeing aggregated, anonymous outputs.
How much does Amazon DSP cost?
DSP runs on CPM pricing, with retargeting display usually cheapest and streaming TV most expensive. Amazon says its managed-service option typically requires a minimum spend of $50,000, which can vary by country, while self-service DSP lists no minimum but needs enough budget per audience to learn.
Is Amazon Marketing Cloud free?
Amazon says AMC is available at no cost to eligible advertisers. Brands running sponsored ads can access it through self-service, and DSP advertisers request access through their Amazon Ads account team. Optional paid features that add extra data are also available in beta.
What is the difference between Amazon DSP and Sponsored Ads?
Sponsored Ads are self-service, keyword and product targeted, pay-per-click ads that run on Amazon and capture existing demand. DSP is audience-targeted, pay-per-impression advertising that runs on and off Amazon and creates new demand.
How long does Amazon DSP take to work?
Retargeting can show results within a few weeks. In-market and awareness audiences need more time and data before they can be judged, so plan a test of at least a full quarter and use AMC to check whether DSP reached new shoppers.