What are Amazon Sponsored Products ads and how do they work?
Amazon Sponsored Products are pay-per-click ads for one product, shown in search results and on product pages. Where they appear, cost, who can run them.
Amazon Sponsored Products are pay-per-click ads that promote one product. The ad looks like a normal listing marked "Sponsored", in Amazon search results and on product pages, and a click opens that product's page. You pay only when someone clicks, and you set your own bid and daily budget: in the US the minimums are $0.02 per click and $1 a day.
For sellers, vendors and KDP authors. Checked against Amazon's help pages in October 2026.
Where a Sponsored Products ad can appear: (1) top of search, the first row of results; (2) rest of search, lower down and on later pages; (3) product pages.
The answer in one table
| Sponsored Products | |
|---|---|
| What it promotes | One product, as a listing marked "Sponsored" |
| Where | Amazon search results and product pages, Amazon Business, and off Amazon by default in 14 countries |
| Where a click goes | The product's page |
| How you pay | Per click (CPC), never per view |
| Minimum | $0.02 per click and $1 a day (US) |
| Who can run it | Professional sellers, vendors and authors |
How a campaign works
- Products. You pick the products to advertise. Only active, in-stock products can be added.
- Targeting. Automatic (Amazon picks the searches and product pages from your listing) or manual (you choose keywords, or products and categories). Automatic vs manual targeting.
- Bid and strategy. The most you pay per click, and whether Amazon may lower or raise it. The three bidding strategies.
- Budget and dates. A daily budget, a start date and an optional end date.
Seller and vendor campaigns usually go live in 2 hours or less. Book ads are reviewed first: usually within 24 hours, up to 3 business days.
Where the ads appear
- Top of search: the first row of the first results page, up to 5 ads on a computer and 4 on a phone.
- Rest of search: lower in the results, and on page 2 and beyond.
- Product pages: on other products' pages, and pages like add-to-cart.
- Amazon Business: the same placements on Amazon's store for companies. A campaign can also run on Amazon Business only.
- Off Amazon: by default, on third-party sites, apps and creator content, with the same bid and budget. You can limit a campaign to Amazon. How off-Amazon ads work.
Who can run Sponsored Products
- Professional sellers, vendors and authors, with an account in good standing, a valid payment method, and the ability to ship to that country.
- Your product must be able to win the Featured Offer (the Buy Box). Without it, the ad gets 0 impressions, even when the campaign says "Delivering". For a book advertised from an author account, Amazon itself must hold the Featured Offer.
- Not allowed: suppressed listings, virtual bundles, the parent of a product with variations (only the variations can be advertised), and Amazon's prohibited products. Some categories have their own rules (alcohol, baby products, supplements and others).
How much they cost
You pay per click, and never more than the maximum bid you set, adjustments included. Your daily budget is an average over the month. Amazon notes that many advertisers start with $30 a day. How much Sponsored Products cost.
What Amazon has added recently
As of October 2026:
- Video: product feature videos inside a Sponsored Products ad, in the US, except for books.
- Prompts: AI-generated suggestions and questions shown to shoppers, added automatically to every US Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands campaign, and paid per click from the same budget.
- Global campaigns: one campaign launched in several countries, with settings you can adjust per country.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Brand Registry to run Sponsored Products?
No. Amazon requires Brand Registry for Sponsored Brands and Stores, not for Sponsored Products.
What is the difference between Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands?
Sponsored Products promotes one product and leads to its page. Sponsored Brands promotes your brand with a logo, a headline and several products. The full comparison.
Sources
- Understand Sponsored Products, Amazon Ads
- Sponsored Products eligibility requirements, Amazon Ads
- Create a Sponsored Products campaign, Amazon Ads
- Adjust Sponsored Products bids (placements), Amazon Ads
- Understand Featured Offer eligibility, Amazon Ads
- Sites selection for Sponsored Ads campaigns, Amazon Ads
- Get started with sponsored ads, Amazon Ads
- Limits (Amazon Ads API), Amazon Ads
Gloriads is an Amazon Ads automation platform that creates, monitors and optimizes Sponsored Products campaigns for sellers, brands, authors and agencies, by rules you control. See how it works.