Amazon’s programmatic DSP with exclusive first-party shopping data and premium streaming inventory
Amazon DSP gives advertisers programmatic access to Amazon’s owned properties—including Prime Video, Twitch, Thursday Night Football, Freevee, Kindle, and Alexa devices—alongside thousands of third-party publishers. Its core differentiator is Amazon’s first-party shopping, browsing, and streaming data, which powers audience targeting without dependence on third-party cookies. The platform supports both self-service and managed-service operations, with managed service requiring a minimum spend.
Key Features
Amazon-Exclusive Inventory
- Prime Video, Freevee, Twitch, and Thursday Night Football placements
- Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods in-store digital options
- Fire TV, Kindle, and Alexa-connected device placements
- Streaming TV and connected TV (CTV) at scale
- Thousands of premium third-party sites and apps via open exchange
First-Party Audience Signals
- Amazon’s proprietary shopping, browsing, and streaming behavioral data
- Deterministic and modeled audiences without third-party cookie dependency
- Cross-device identity resolution
- Behavioral, lifestyle, in-market, and contextual targeting
- Custom audience uploads, lookalike modeling, and retargeting
AI-Powered Optimization
- Performance+ uses machine learning for automated bid and audience optimization
- Predictive targeting based on purchase intent signals
- Automated cross-channel budget allocation
- Real-time bidding with Amazon’s proprietary auction system
Full-Funnel Ad Formats
- Streaming TV and CTV video
- Display advertising across web and app
- Online video and audio (Audible integration)
- Sponsored content formats
- In-store digital advertising
Business Impact
- Data advantage: Shopping and intent data from Amazon’s retail ecosystem is not available through any other DSP
- Premium inventory: Direct access to Amazon-owned streaming properties without going through intermediaries
- Privacy-ready: Cookieless targeting solutions reduce dependence on deprecated identifiers
- Scale: Reach across Amazon’s massive customer base plus extended third-party network
Pricing
Amazon DSP does not publish standard pricing. It operates on a CPM-based model with the following structure:
- Self-service: No management fees; advertisers pay media cost plus a technology fee (percentage of media spend). No minimum spend requirement.
- Managed service: Minimum spend of $50,000 USD per month. Amazon provides campaign management, strategy, and optimization support.
Specific CPM rates vary by inventory type, targeting, and competition. Custom pricing is negotiated based on campaign scale and objectives.
Perfect For
- Brand Advertisers: Companies seeking unique Amazon audience data and premium streaming inventory
- Media Agencies: Agencies managing programmatic campaigns with retail and e-commerce clients
- Enterprise Brands: Large advertisers requiring sophisticated audience targeting and full-funnel measurement
- Performance Marketers: Teams focused on measurable outcomes tied to Amazon’s purchase data
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Amazon DSP free to use? No. Self-service has no management fee but requires paying media costs and a technology fee. Managed service requires a minimum of $50,000/month in media spend.
What is the minimum spend for Amazon DSP? Self-service has no formal minimum. Managed-service campaigns require a $50,000 USD monthly minimum spend.
How is Amazon DSP different from Amazon Sponsored Ads? Amazon Sponsored Ads (Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands) run on Amazon.com search results pages and are keyword-triggered. Amazon DSP is a programmatic platform for display, video, and audio advertising across Amazon-owned properties and third-party sites, using audience targeting rather than keywords.
How does Amazon DSP compare to The Trade Desk? The Trade Desk is an independent DSP with broad inventory access and strong data partnerships. Amazon DSP’s primary advantage is exclusive access to Amazon’s first-party shopping data and owned inventory (Prime Video, Twitch). The Trade Desk offers more flexibility and transparency across the open web. Many larger advertisers run both simultaneously.
How does Amazon DSP compare to Google DV360? Google DV360 is Google’s enterprise DSP with deep integration into Google’s ecosystem (YouTube, Google Display Network). Amazon DSP offers unique access to Amazon’s retail data and streaming inventory. The choice typically comes down to where your audience is and which first-party data source is more relevant to your business.
What is Amazon Marketing Cloud? Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) is a clean room environment that allows advertisers to run analytics on Amazon signal data without accessing raw user data. It complements Amazon DSP by providing deeper measurement and attribution capabilities.
Does Amazon DSP support CTV advertising? Yes. Amazon DSP provides access to streaming TV and CTV inventory through Prime Video, Freevee, and Fire TV, as well as partnerships with Spotify, Netflix, Disney, Roku, SiriusXM, and Microsoft (expanded in 2025).
User Reviews & Social Proof
Amazon DSP has 18 reviews on G2. User feedback reflects both the platform’s data and inventory strengths and the learning curve associated with managed-service dependency:
“Rich insights and reporting, retargeting capabilities, seamless integration with Amazon ecosystem.” — G2 reviewer
“After a year… Amazon DSP finally created a retargeting campaign that worked for us with +20 ROAS.” — Capterra reviewer
“Limited transparency, less flexibility in creative formats, support dependency.” — G2 reviewer
G2 does not display a public aggregate rating for Amazon DSP based on available review data.
Amazon DSP vs Alternatives
Amazon DSP vs The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk is the leading independent DSP, valued for its transparency, breadth of data partnerships, and open web access. Amazon DSP wins on access to Amazon’s retail intent data and owned streaming inventory (Prime Video, Twitch). Advertisers targeting Amazon shoppers or running retail media campaigns often use Amazon DSP specifically for that data advantage, sometimes alongside The Trade Desk for broader reach.
Amazon DSP vs Google DV360
Google DV360 integrates deeply with Google’s ecosystem—YouTube, Gmail, and the Google Display Network. Amazon DSP provides access to Amazon’s retail data and streaming properties. For campaigns where YouTube reach or Google search intent alignment matters, DV360 is stronger; for retail and shopping-intent targeting, Amazon DSP leads.
Amazon DSP vs Criteo
Criteo specializes in retargeting and retail media using commerce data. Amazon DSP similarly leverages shopping intent data but adds exclusive inventory access. Both are strong for retail advertisers; the choice often depends on whether Amazon inventory and first-party data alignment is a priority.
Amazon DSP vs The Trade Desk (Retail Media)
For retail media specifically, Amazon DSP’s first-party data from Amazon.com is hard to replicate. The Trade Desk’s Retail Media+ partnerships offer similar targeting in retailer environments but without Amazon’s scale in e-commerce intent data.
Recent Updates (2025–2026)
- 2025: Unified Campaign Manager launched at Amazon’s unBoxed 2025 event, simplifying campaign management across Amazon advertising products.
- 2025: Expanded streaming partnerships announced with Spotify, Netflix, Disney, Roku, SiriusXM, and Microsoft, broadening premium CTV and audio inventory.
- 2025: Performance+ AI enhancements introduced, improving automated optimization for campaign efficiency.
- 2025–2026: Continued expansion of Amazon Marketing Cloud capabilities for deeper measurement and analytics integration.
Explore More Media Planning Tools
- The Trade Desk — Independent DSP with broad open-web inventory and data partnerships
- Google DV360 — Google’s enterprise DSP for YouTube and display advertising
- Criteo — Performance marketing and retargeting platform with commerce data
- Quantcast — AI-powered audience intelligence and programmatic platform
- Meta Business Manager — Facebook and Instagram advertising management
- TikTok Ads Manager — TikTok’s self-serve advertising platform
- Halliard — Media planning tool built for modern agency workflows