Advertising · chapter 03 / 06
Sponsored Display and retargeting on Amazon
Daniel Pawłowski · Amazonway · 10 min czytania
Sponsored Display is the most underrated Amazon Ads format — and the only one that reaches beyond search results, and even beyond Amazon itself. It is display advertising based not on keywords but on customers' behavior and interests, with the strongest weapon in the whole ecosystem: retargeting. In this chapter of the Amazon advertising guide we show how Sponsored Display works and how to use it for reach and for winning customers back.
What is Sponsored Display
Sponsored Display is a display (banner) format billed on a PPC or per-impression basis. Unlike Sponsored Products, it does not target keywords but products, categories and audiences. That lets it reach the customer at different stages — from building awareness to reminding someone who viewed your product but did not buy.
Most Sponsored Display options require Amazon Brand Registry, like Sponsored Brands.
Sponsored Display targeting options
Sponsored Display has two main targeting modes, each opening a different strategy.
| Mode | Who it targets | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Product targeting | Specific products and categories | Poaching customers from competitor listings, defending your pages |
| Audiences | Groups by interests and behavior | Reaching new, potential customers (top of funnel) |
| Views remarketing | People who viewed your product | Retargeting — winning back the undecided |
Retargeting — Sponsored Display's strongest weapon
Statistically, most people do not buy on first contact with a product. Views remarketing lets you remind exactly those who viewed your product page but left without buying — even once they are off Amazon, on other sites and apps. It is the cheapest way to recover "warm" traffic that would otherwise be lost, and one of the best returns on spend in all of Amazon Ads.
Where Sponsored Display appears
Sponsored Display appears in many places on Amazon — on product pages, in results and on the home page — but also off Amazon, across a partner network of sites and apps. It is the only Amazon Ads format that genuinely leaves the platform, which lets you build reach wider than search.
When to use Sponsored Display
- For retargeting — to win back people who viewed a product without buying.
- To defend a listing — advertising your own products on your own pages blocks the space from competitors.
- To attack — targeting weaker competitors' products captures their traffic.
- To build reach — once Sponsored Products and Brands run, to reach new audiences.
Set Sponsored Display on your own product pages to occupy the ad sections before a competitor does (defense). In parallel, target competitors' products that are higher priced or have weaker reviews — you show your offer exactly where the customer compares. This pair of moves can take sales from rivals at a low cost.
Audiences in detail
The audiences mode is the most "marketing" part of Sponsored Display and the main way to reach new customers. Amazon lets you target, among others:
- Interests — people who regularly browse products in a given category.
- Audiences similar to your customers — profiles close to those who already bought.
- Retargeting viewers and buyers — people who saw your product or bought (great for cross-sell and repeat-purchase products).
This is reach you cannot build from search alone — which is why Sponsored Display complements, rather than replaces, Sponsored Products.
Billing models: CPC and vCPM
Sponsored Display bills in two models, and the choice depends on the campaign goal. In the CPC (cost per click) model you pay as in classic PPC — good when you want sales and retargeting. In the vCPM (cost per thousand viewable impressions) model you pay for exposure — useful when the goal is reach and awareness at the top of the funnel. In practice, sales-focused campaigns usually use CPC, and brand campaigns use vCPM.
How to set up Sponsored Display
- Verify Brand Registry — required for most Sponsored Display options.
- Choose a goal — retargeting (views remarketing), listing defense, attacking competitors or reach via audiences.
- Pick targeting to match the goal: products and categories, or audiences.
- Set the billing model — CPC for sales, vCPM for reach.
- Prepare creative — Amazon generates it from the listing, or upload your own with a logo.
- Measure and optimize once data is in, watching assisted sales and impact on TACoS.
When to use which: Display, Products or Brands
The three Amazon Ads formats do not compete — they answer different goals. A simple rule of thumb:
- Sponsored Products — when you want to close a sale on a specific term; always the foundation and first choice.
- Sponsored Brands — when you build the brand, have several products and a Brand Store, and Sponsored Products already work.
- Sponsored Display — when you want to retarget the undecided, defend your pages, attack competitors or reach new audiences off search.
In practice a mature account uses all three at once, in a division of roles along the purchase funnel — Display at the top and in retargeting, Brands in the middle, Products at the bottom.
Creative and optimization
Because Sponsored Display is visual, creative matters more than in text ads. A few rules that improve results:
- A clear main image and logo — the ad must be recognizable as your brand in a fraction of a second.
- A headline with one benefit — do not try to fit everything; one strong argument works better.
- Test custom vs automatic creative — Amazon generates creative from the listing, but a custom one often converts better.
- Optimize on assisted sales — Display often drives later purchases, so judge it through TACoS, not just direct ACoS.
FAQ — Sponsored Display
Does Sponsored Display require Brand Registry?
Most options do. Sponsored Display is primarily a tool for brands with Amazon Brand Registry; without it, mainly Sponsored Products remain.
How does Sponsored Display differ from Sponsored Products?
Sponsored Products target keywords in search results, while Sponsored Display targets products and audiences — including off search and off Amazon. Display excels at retargeting, which Sponsored Products do not offer.
What is views remarketing?
It is retargeting people who viewed your product but did not buy. Sponsored Display reminds them of the offer on and off Amazon, increasing the chance they return and buy.
Where should I start with Sponsored Display?
Usually with retargeting (views remarketing) and defending your own listings. These are the safest, well-converting uses before you move to broad reach.