Unlock your Prime Day potential! Month-by-month strategies inside.
Download the complete calendar and playbook for free
Free Download
Are you prepared for 2024 fees? Download our free Amazon Fee
Stack White Paper
for 2024 to protect your business.
Carbon 6
NEW! Download the free Amazon
Fee Stack White Paper
for 2024.
Free Download
Free Download
Take your Seller Central operations off your to-do listHire us for around-the-clock Amazon account management!
Learn More
ManageByStats is now FREE! Get this ultimate, all-in-one tool suite to boost your profit on Amazon.
Learn More
We double our reimbursements efforts
to get you 20% more back from Amazon!
Learn More
Urgent: Amazon sellers take action now!
Amazon reduced the reimbursement window by a staggering 88.89%, from 18 months to 60 days starting October 23, 2024.
Start Your Free Audit
7
MINUTE READ TIME
Published
January 2, 2023
|
Ian Smith

|
For Your Business

The 3 Biggest AMC Changes That Will Help Amazon Sellers Win Big in 2023

The 3 Biggest AMC Changes That Will Help Amazon Sellers Win Big in 2023
Loading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player...

Table of Contents

At its unBoxed event in 2022, Amazon Ads announced a new Amazon Web Services (AWS) solution by way of subtle, yet impactful changes to the Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC). These changes include Sponsored Display signals, the ability to reach new and existing audiences with DSP – Amazon’s demand-side platform –  and certified partnerships.

RELATED: How Amazon FBA Works: A Seller's Guide

Already, the number of active AMC customers has quadrupled in the past year, a number that is a rightful result of the platform’s valuable offerings. 

Sounds great, right? But what do these AMC upgrades really mean for Amazon sellers?

Urgent: Amazon sellers take action now!
Amazon reduced the reimbursement window by 88.89%, from 18 months to 60 days starting October 23, 2024.
Start Your Free Audit
Take Seller Central operations off your to-do list
Trust our team of experts with 24/7 account management!
Learn More
NEW! Download the free Amazon Fee Stack White Paper for 2024.
Free Download
Unlock your Prime Day potential!
Download the complete playbook for free
Free Download
ManageByStats is now FREE!
Get the complete data suite to boost your profits.
Learn More
We double our reimbursements efforts to get you 20% more back
Learn More
NEW! Free Q4 Playbook to boost your Amazon sales! Your guide to peak-season success with key priorities and timelines.
Download Now

The Benefits of Amazon’s AWS for Marketing Solutions

Maybe the biggest change to AMC, which will undoubtedly benefit advertisers in 2023, is the direct feedback sellers can get from their customers. That type of communication is, of course, always of high value in the marketing world, particularly as brands increasingly try to find new and better ways to connect with audiences.

But how exactly does it work for Amazon’s AMC? Adam Hutchinson, director of marketing at Pacvue explained this update in a blog by Amazon Ads, saying:

“AMC helps advertisers gain a clearer picture of the customer journey by answering meaningful and important questions around performance. Because AMC allows endless insight discovery, the Pacvue AMC Dashboard is a valuable starting point for the analytics that advertisers need to get a more robust picture of what is going on through the customer journey.”

Amazon’s Marketing Cloud also helps marketers by accurately measuring campaign performance. Increasingly more brands and agencies use AMC to obtain first-party data and build creative new ad tech capabilities unique to their business. We’ve seen that much in the quadrupling of AMC customers.

Tim Barnes, director of worldwide solutions for advertising and marketing technology at AWS, elaborated on AMC’s growth potential, saying, “Advertisers and agencies can use the solution to analyze datasets on advertising channels such as video, audio, display, and sponsored ads to gain a holistic and in-depth understanding of the customer journey.”

Amazon furthered the point about what AMC can be used for, and exactly how it helps sellers grow, noting that advertisers can use AMC insights on AWS to “run queries and monitor ongoing campaign performance across metrics such as reach and frequency, and dimensions including geographic area, audience segment, and device.”

RELATED: Amazon DSP: A Seller’s Guide to Expanding Reach, Optimizing Campaigns, and Boosting Sales On and Off Amazon

For example, an advertiser could combine AMC API results from multiple brand campaigns through AWS, plus, “surface consumer segments that have a high propensity to purchase products, and prioritize high-performing segments for increased ad spending while reducing wasteful ad spending,” as explained on the AWS blog.

Altogether, these updates will guide advertisers and sellers, and help them to lead with data-based decision-making. The knowledge this solution provides will enable brands to decide which steps to take to achieve their marketing goals, and where to invest their marketing dollars, using highly specific first-party data from customizable queries.

With that overview of AMC, let’s get into more specifics of its updates, beginning with the much-touted Signal Coverage, and what is really means for advertisers.

1. Sponsored Display Changes Signal Coverage for Amazon Sellers

White desk with a tea pot and pencil and an apple computer with an amazon cloud logo
The Amazon Marketing Cloud will be a game-changer for advertisers.

The new Sponsored Display addition within Amazon Web Services gives advertisers a chance for higher visibility inside the total and incremental impact of different Amazon Ads formats.

In simpler terms, you get a lot more data regarding which ads work for your brand, and which ads don’t. This information is visible to you on a granular scale, as well as in the form of an overall "big picture."

So, you can see the impact your ads have on your day-to-day, and on your business as a whole. Sponsored Display will also provide more comprehensive cross-media attribution and a deeper understanding of the customer journey.

RELATED: Amazon PPC Strategy: A Beginner’s Guide to Weekly PPC Optimization

According to Amazon Ads, “Through an integration with Sizmek Ad Suite (beta), advertisers can build queries to analyze bidding efficacy, cross-publisher attribution, and total reach. Sponsored Brands signals will be added in early 2023." This change effectively allows advertisers to refine their investment strategy to optimize for the most profitable media mix.

If you’re a registered Amazon Marketing Cloud advertiser and you’re currently running Sponsored Display campaigns, you can begin to uncover a wide range of insights that could be what you need to reach your marketing goals.

But that’s not the end of the possibilities of AMC.

2. Amazon Sellers Can Optimize AMC with DSP

The second change brands will experience with AWS digital marketing is gaining the ability to create and manage Amazon DSP audiences. Now, Amazon Marketing Cloud can provide data on the performance of cross-channel media and complement Amazon DSP-reporting abilities. AMC includes Amazon Ads signals, as well as a seller’s own input, for a more holistic view across video, audio, display, and search campaign measurement, audience analysis, media optimization, and more. 

This change “enables audience creation via an SQL statement, allowing for increased customization based on campaign goals and the ease of pushing these audiences directly into Amazon DSP for campaign activation,” according to Amazon Ads.

Here’s the best part: thanks to Amazon Web Services, sellers will now have more insight into what to tweak, and what to hone in on with digital marketing practices. This provides even more actionable and accurate insights for marketers, which alone makes the update quite a game-changer.

Perpetua ran a test case with apparel brand and client “Into the AM,” which found audiences were 16 times more likely to convert when they were reached by both Sponsored Products and Amazon DSP ads. In the end, Perpetua used that knowledge from AMC to create highly-specific campaigns for the growing brand.

Those new campaigns helped drive a 200% new-to-brand sales increase and a 49% increase in branded searches in the Amazon store. (Perpetua provided performance data, 2022, US).

3. The Power of AMC Certifications on Amazon’s Ads Partner Network

Person in a white collared shirt types on laptop computer
Amazon's Partner Network offers more opportunities to help sellers optimize their businesses.

“Certified partners are part of the Amazon Ads Partner Network and included in the partner directory, which makes it easy for advertisers to find potential partners based on their business needs,” according to this Amazon Ads blog.

Like those who are part of this network, agencies, software providers, system integrators, and tool providers will now have more opportunities to partner with brands and advertisers to help them optimize their business. This gives marketers the opportunity to validate proficiency in Amazon Ads products and solutions, boosts their resume, and increases business opportunities overall.

RELATED: The Most Important Amazon Metrics You Need to Turn Data Into Profit

As an example, Essentia used analysis from AMC insights to double its on-Amazon customer base, driving a 69% increase in return on advertising spend in less than one year (OneStone provided performance data, 2022, US).  

How Can Amazon Sellers Truly Utilize AMC?

By now, you might be eager to get AMC and find out how this tool can start working for you. Well, according to AWS, it couldn’t be easier. Amazon Ads customers just need an API key and an AWS account, and can begin using the AWS Management Console or the AWS Solution Library all but immediately.

There are also zero licensing costs or fees to deploy the tools. 

One thing to consider, however, is that, according to Amazon, “Advertisers need to have an executed Amazon DSP Master Service Agreement (MSA), planned campaigns or campaigns live in the last 28 days at Amazon DSP, and a technical resource familiar with SQL. For AMC API users, advertisers should also have an Amazon Web Services (AWS) account.” 

RELATED: Amazon Live: Can the Livestream Shopping Platform Really Help FBA Sellers Drive Sales on and off Amazon?
Urgent: Amazon sellers take action now!
Amazon reduced the reimbursement window by 88.89%, from 18 months to 60 days starting October 23, 2024.
Start Your Free Audit
NEW! Free Q4 Playbook to boost your Amazon sales for peak-season success.
Download Now
Unlock your Prime Day potential!

Download the playbook for free
Free Download
Take Seller Central operations off your to-do list
Trust our team of experts with 24/7 account management!
Learn More

The Amazon Marketing Cloud updates highlighted here will influence the way businesses use AWS for digital marketing in many ways, especially going into 2023.

For one, it will provide them with more partnering opportunities to connect with experts who can help them scale. It will also allow marketers validate Amazon Ads proficiency so they can increase business opportunities with Amazon brands that are ready to grow.

Overall, these AMC digital marketing changes will help Amazon Sellers analyze their business and marketing strategies on a much deeper level. Amazon Web Services will continue to empower brands and agencies alike by allowing them to leverage AMC’s functionality to guide decision-making and to help them achieve their marketing goals into 2023, and hopefully, for many years to come.

Carbon6 can help you make the most of Amazon’s AMC, and become a more efficient and profitable seller! Click here to learn about its comprehensive tool suite for Amazon sellers and marketers.

Recent Newsletters

Insights: Acquisition alert, the latest in AI, and more
Carbon6 Team
Sep 11, 2024
News & Announcements
Insights: Acquisition alert, the latest in AI, and more
With only one month left until Q4, plans and preparations are happening in earnest across ecommerce for this bumper selling season. Make sure you’re ready with the checklists in our latest free resource, the Q4 Amazon Playbook.
See Article
Insights: Amazon’s 90% reduction, new partnerships, and more
Carbon6 Team
Aug 1, 2024
News & Announcements
Insights: Amazon’s 90% reduction, new partnerships, and more
August 2024 With Prime Day behind us, thoughts are already turning towards Q4 planning, but don’t forget to finish up your post-Prime Day tasks!
See Article
Insights: Amazon reversals, Prime Day 2024 & upcoming events
Carbon6 Team
Jul 2, 2024
News & Announcements
Insights: Amazon reversals, Prime Day 2024 & upcoming events
Prime Day is officially on the calendar and the countdown has begun. Run through your final checks ahead of July 16 and 17 with our Prime Day Prep Playbook for any last minute optimizations to maximize your Prime 2024 results.
See Article

Recent Posts

Amazon Seller Updates: Deforestation Rules, Return Insights, and Account Changes
Chelsea Cohen
Oct 4, 2024
News & Announcements
Amazon Seller Updates: Deforestation Rules, Return Insights, and Account Changes
Explore key Amazon seller updates to EU deforestation regulations, return insights, account security changes, 3D product modeling, and social commerce fulfillment.
See Article
Building Trust: A Guide to Leveraging Amazon Badges for Success
Shannon Curley
Oct 3, 2024
For Your Business
Building Trust: A Guide to Leveraging Amazon Badges for Success
Boost your visibility with Amazon badges like Best Seller and Climate Pledge Friendly. Learn how these certifications can enhance trust and drive sales in our guide.
See Article
How Dynamic Repricing Boosts Profitability for Amazon Private Labels
Marissa Incitti
Oct 1, 2024
Partner Spotlight
How Dynamic Repricing Boosts Profitability for Amazon Private Labels
Learn how private labels are maintaining profitability in a competitive marketplace despite owning the buy box.
See Article