How Amazon Ads Work and Why They Matter for Sellers

published on 20 November 2025

Every eCommerce seller knows the frustration: youโ€™ve got a great product, but itโ€™s buried on page five of Amazon search results. With millions of listings competing for attention, standing out is tougher than ever. Thatโ€™s where Amazon advertising steps inโ€”giving sellers the power to boost visibility, drive sales, and outpace the competition.

In 2024, Amazonโ€™s advertising revenue soared to 56.21 billion U.S. dollars, marking a growth of over 20% from the previous year. This explosive rise shows just how critical Amazon Ads have become for brands aiming to win on the worldโ€™s largest marketplace. If youโ€™re not leveraging Amazon PPC and a smart Amazon advertising strategy, youโ€™re leaving moneyโ€”and market shareโ€”on the table.

How Amazon Advertising Works: The Basics Explained

Amazon advertising operates on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, meaning you only pay when someone clicks your ad. Sellers can launch campaigns for Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display in just a few minutes. The platform offers both automatic and manual targeting, allowing you to reach shoppers based on keywords, products, or interests.

Key metrics like impressions, clicks, spend, sales, ACoS, and ROAS help you measure and optimize your campaigns. With the right Amazon advertising strategy, sellers can boost product visibility, increase conversion rate, and maximize ROI. Learn more about the basics of Amazon PPC in this comprehensive guide.

Exploring Amazon Ad Types: Choosing the Best Options for Your Business

Sponsored Products: The Foundation of Amazon PPC

Sponsored Products are the backbone of Amazon PPC, giving sellers a direct way to boost product visibility in search results and on competitor listings. These ads are available to all sellers, making them the most accessible and widely used Amazon ad type.

In 2024, Amazonโ€™s advertising revenue jumped by over 20%, reaching 56.21 billion U.S. dollars, with Sponsored Products driving a significant share of this growth. Sellers using Sponsored Products can expect higher conversion rates and improved sales velocity, especially when campaigns are optimized with the right Amazon keyword strategy and regular performance reviews.

For a deeper dive into campaign setup and optimization, check out our Amazon PPC Management Agency service.

Sponsored Brands: Enhance Brand Awareness and Conversion

Sponsored Brands help sellers showcase their brand with custom headlines, logos, and a selection of products at the top of search results. These ads are perfect for building brand recognition and driving shoppers to your Amazon Store or a curated product page.

While Sponsored Products focus on individual listings, Sponsored Brands elevate your entire portfolio, making them ideal for sellers looking to scale. With Amazonโ€™s ad revenue now accounting for 11% of total digital ad spending worldwide, investing in Sponsored Brands is a smart move for those aiming to boost both awareness and conversion rate.

Want to maximize your brandโ€™s impact? Explore our Amazon Marketing Agency solutions.

Sponsored Display & Advanced Retargeting Strategies

Sponsored Display ads let sellers retarget shoppers both on and off Amazon, reaching customers who viewed your products or similar items. This ad type is powerful for re-engaging high-intent audiences and driving incremental sales, especially when combined with a robust Amazon campaign optimization plan.

Sponsored Display is unique because it extends your reach beyond Amazonโ€™s marketplace, helping you capture shoppers wherever they browse. For sellers looking to boost their conversion rate and maximize ad budget efficiency, Sponsored Display is a must-have in your Amazon advertising strategy.

Curious about optimizing your listings for better ad performance? Check out our Amazon Listing Optimization service.

Other Amazon Advertising Solutions: Streaming TV & Brand Stores

Amazon also offers Streaming TV ads and Brand Stores for sellers aiming to build deeper connections with shoppers. Streaming TV ads engage audiences on Fire TV and Prime Video, while Brand Stores provide a customizable, multi-page destination to showcase your full product lineup and brand story.

These solutions are ideal for sellers looking to expand their digital advertising reach and create immersive brand experiences. For best results, combine these with Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display to maximize your Amazon advertising strategy.

Planning Your Amazon PPC Campaign: Budget, Bidding & Goals

Setting Measurable Campaign Goals for Success

Setting clear, measurable goals is the foundation of any successful Amazon PPC campaign. Whether youโ€™re aiming to increase sales, improve your conversion rate, or lower your ACoS, defining your objectives upfront helps guide your bidding strategy and budget allocation.

Successful sellers regularly review their ad performance metrics and adjust their campaigns to stay aligned with business goals. For a step-by-step approach to campaign planning, see our Ultimate Amazon Advertising Strategy Guide.

Keyword Strategy: Research, Match Types & Competitor Insights

A winning Amazon keyword strategy is all about targeting the right search terms. Incorporating long-tail keywords into your product listings can improve organic search rankings by an average of 20โ€“35%. These keywords have lower competition and cost-per-click, helping you stretch your ad budget and attract high-intent buyers.

  • Use a mix of broad, phrase, and exact match types to balance reach and relevance.
  • Analyze competitor listings to uncover keyword gaps.
  • Regularly update your keyword list based on performance data.

For more on optimizing your listings, see our guide to Amazon SEO Best Practices.

Budgeting and Bidding: Best Practices to Maximize ROI

Smart budgeting and bidding are crucial for Amazon sellers aiming to maximize ROI. Automated tools now allow sellers to set a target ACoS or profit margin, then dynamically adjust bids and allocate budget to the best-performing campaigns. This approach helps sellers scale their ad spend while maintaining profitability and saves time on manual bid changes.

For a deeper dive into optimizing your ad budget, see our Advertising Benchmark resource. Explore how our team simplifies this for brands with full-stack Amazon campaign optimization.

Tracking Performance: Analytics, Optimization & Scaling

Understanding Key Metrics: ACoS, ROAS, TACoS & More

Tracking the right metrics is essential for Amazon sellers who want to optimize their ad spend and maximize profits. A smart bidding strategy can lower ACoS by 12% and increase ROAS by 26%, meaning every dollar spent on ads generates more revenue for your business. Monitoring ACoS, ROAS, and TACoS helps you understand the true impact of your Amazon advertising strategy and make data-driven decisions for campaign optimization.

For more on campaign metrics, see our Create An Amazon PPC Strategy guide.

Campaign Optimization: Ongoing Testing, Troubleshooting & Scaling

Campaign optimization is a continuous process. Sellers who regularly test ad creatives, adjust bids, and refine keyword targeting can see conversion rates improve by up to 127%. A/B testing, heatmaps, and user feedback are essential tools for identifying what works and scaling successful campaigns.

  • Monitor key ad performance metrics weekly.
  • Test new ad formats and placements.
  • Troubleshoot low-performing campaigns by analyzing click-through and conversion rates.

Want to scale faster? Book a 1:1 growth call with our account managers today!

Leveraging Advanced Tools: Amazon Marketing Cloud & Analytics

Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) offers advanced analytics for sellers ready to take their Amazon advertising strategy to the next level. AMC provides deep insights into customer journeys, ad performance, and cross-channel attribution, helping you make smarter decisions and maximize ROI.

For sellers serious about scaling, integrating AMC with your Amazon campaign optimization process is a game-changer. Discover how our proprietary AI dashboard and expert team can help you unlock the full power of AMC.

Industry-Specific & Emerging Strategies

Ad Strategies for High-Competition vs. Emerging Product Categories

High-competition categories like electronics and health require aggressive bidding, advanced keyword targeting, and frequent campaign optimization. Sellers in these spaces benefit from leveraging Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display to stand out.

Emerging categoriesโ€”such as sustainable products or smart home devicesโ€”offer lower competition and higher growth potential. Here, focusing on long-tail keywords and storytelling in ads can drive strong results. For both, inventory management and data-driven decisions are key to maintaining momentum.

For more on optimizing your listings, see our Amazon SEO Services.

When to Hire an Amazon Advertising Agency or Professional

If youโ€™re managing multiple products, scaling internationally, or spending over $5,000 a month on ads, itโ€™s time to consider expert help. Agencies like SalesDuo bring deep Amazon expertise, advanced tools, and a full-stack team to drive better results and free up your time for growth.

Explore how our Amazon Marketing Agency can help you scale smarter.

The Future of Amazon Advertising: AI, Video, and International Growth

AI-powered tools are transforming Amazon advertising, making it easier for brands to create high-quality video, audio, and image ads at scale. Amazonโ€™s AI creative studio now lets sellers generate campaign-ready videos in minutes, helping brands personalize content and reach new audiences faster than ever. As AI video ads become mainstream, sellers who embrace these innovations will lead the next wave of eCommerce growth.

International expansion and emerging ad formats like AR and Streaming TV will also shape the future, so staying agile and data-driven is key.

Conclusion

Key Takeaways and Action Steps

Amazon advertising is no longer optionalโ€”itโ€™s the engine behind marketplace growth and profitability. With ad revenue up over 20% in 2024, sellers who invest in Amazon PPC, optimize their Amazon ad types, and leverage advanced analytics are seeing the strongest returns.

As Amazon evolves, brands need more than just visibilityโ€”they need real performance. At SalesDuo, we fuse data, strategy, creativity, and cutting-edge AI technology to drive measurable growth. With 85% of our full-stack team made up of ex-Amazon professionals and a proprietary AI dashboard powering every move, we've helped 250+ global eCommerce brands turn Amazon into their top-performing sales channel. Ready to make it yours? Book your 1:1 growth call today!

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About the Author

Meet Nandita Nair, an Associate Content Writer at SalesDuo, passionate about creating impactful content that helps Amazon businesses grow and thrive. When sheโ€™s not writing, she finds joy in listening to music, exploring art, and getting lost in the world of novels.  

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