Amazon DSP is the part of Amazon advertising most sellers know about and few use. It buys display, video and audio ads programmatically, on Amazon and across the web and apps, using Amazon's shopping data to choose who sees them. It can do things Sponsored Products cannot. It can also burn a test budget without producing a clear answer.
This playbook is for a seller or brand running its first DSP campaigns. It covers how to tell whether you are ready, how access works, the first two campaigns to run, and how to measure them. If you need the basics first, what is Amazon DSP explains the platform.
Are you ready for DSP
DSP builds on search advertising, it does not replace it. Before starting, the core should be in place: profitable Sponsored Products campaigns, Sponsored Brands on your brand and main category terms, and detail pages that convert. DSP sends shoppers to those pages, so weak pages make DSP look bad.
You also need enough budget to learn something. DSP campaigns reach audiences rather than individual searches, and they need volume before their results mean anything. If your total ad budget is small and Sponsored Products is not yet spending its full allocation profitably, more search spend is usually a better use of the money. DSP for smaller sellers covers where the line tends to fall.
How access works
There are two main routes. Self-service DSP lets you or an agency build and manage campaigns directly. Managed service has Amazon's team run campaigns on your behalf. Each route has its own requirements, and minimum spend has historically applied to managed service in particular. These terms change and vary by marketplace, so confirm current requirements before planning a budget.
Many sellers start through an agency that already has self-service access and DSP experience. That avoids learning the interface on your own money, though it adds a fee. What Amazon DSP costs covers the cost components in more detail.
First campaign: retargeting
The best first DSP campaign for most sellers is retargeting shoppers who viewed your product detail pages in the last few weeks and did not buy. These people already showed interest. The campaign reminds them, on and off Amazon, and sends them back to the page.
Set it up with a clear audience (viewers of your products, excluding recent purchasers), a frequency cap so the same person does not see the ad too many times a day, and creative that shows the product they viewed. Dynamic creative that pulls in product images, price and reviews is a sensible default.
Retargeting is the easiest DSP tactic to measure because the audience is defined by your own products. DSP retargeting covers lookback windows and audience sizes.
Second campaign: in-market prospecting
Once retargeting is running, add one prospecting campaign aimed at shoppers Amazon identifies as in-market for your category: people who have recently browsed or bought related products. This reaches people who have not seen your brand yet.
Prospecting is harder to judge than retargeting. It usually shows a lower immediate ROAS and a higher share of new-to-brand customers. Measure it on those terms, not against retargeting. DSP audiences covers the audience types and how to choose between them.
Settings that matter most
Frequency caps. Without them, a small audience sees the same ad over and over, which wastes impressions and annoys shoppers.
Supply. Choose whether ads run on Amazon-owned sites, third-party sites and apps, or both. Starting with Amazon-owned inventory keeps the test closer to the shopping moment.
Creative. Dynamic product ads are the simplest start because Amazon builds them from your listing. Custom creative is worth adding once you know which audiences respond, so you are not producing assets for campaigns that will be paused.
Budget pacing. Spread budget evenly across the flight so the campaign does not spend most of it in the first days.
Measuring the test
Decide the measure before you start. For retargeting, ROAS and conversion rate of the exposed audience. For prospecting, new-to-brand sales, detail page views and branded search lift, alongside ROAS.
Give the test four to six weeks. Attribution for display and video exposure runs longer than for search clicks, and audiences take time to build. Compare total sales for the advertised products during the test against the weeks before, not only DSP-attributed sales. For deeper analysis, Amazon Marketing Cloud can show how DSP and sponsored ads overlap on the path to purchase; the AMC guide covers the basics.
What to do after the test
If retargeting returns well and prospecting brings new customers at an acceptable cost, scale them slowly while watching frequency and ROAS. If retargeting works and prospecting does not, keep retargeting and revisit prospecting with a different audience. If neither works, look at the detail pages before blaming DSP.
Keep a simple record of each test: the audience, the budget, the dates, the creative and the result. DSP results are easy to misremember, and a record makes the next test better than the first. It also makes it easier to explain the spend to anyone who asks why the ad budget went up.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get access to Amazon DSP?
There are two routes. Self-service, where you or an agency operate DSP directly through the advertising console, and a managed service run by Amazon's team. Requirements and minimums differ by route and marketplace, and Amazon changes them from time to time, so check current terms with Amazon or a DSP-experienced agency.
What should my first Amazon DSP campaign be?
For most sellers, retargeting shoppers who viewed your products but did not buy. It reaches people already interested in what you sell, it is the easiest DSP tactic to measure, and it shows quickly whether DSP traffic converts for your products.
How long should I test Amazon DSP before deciding?
Plan for at least four to six weeks. DSP campaigns need time to reach enough shoppers, and attribution for display and video exposure often runs longer than for search clicks. Judge on new-to-brand sales and total sales lift as well as ROAS.
Off Hours keeps your search campaigns on dayparting, budget and performance rules with free spend alerts, so the core stays steady while you test DSP. Start a free 14-day trial.