What is Amazon Sponsored Display, and how does it work?
Amazon Sponsored Display, now called Display, shows your products to shoppers on and off Amazon by interest or product page, paid per click or per view.
Amazon Sponsored Display, now simply called "Display", is a self-service ad type that shows your products to shoppers based on what they browse and buy, not on what they search. The ads appear on Amazon product and search pages, and off Amazon on IMDb, Twitch and other sites and apps. You pay per click or per 1,000 viewable impressions, depending on the goal you choose.
For brand-registered sellers, vendors and authors. Checked against Amazon's help pages in October 2026.
The answer in one table
| Sponsored Display | |
|---|---|
| What it targets | Audiences, or product pages and categories; never keywords |
| Where | Amazon product and search pages, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, IMDb, Twitch, other sites and apps |
| The ad | Built by Amazon from your product, or your own headline, logo, image or video |
| A click goes to | Your product page (or your website, if you do not sell on Amazon) |
| How you pay | Per click, or per 1,000 viewable impressions |
| Who can run it | Brand-registered sellers, vendors, authors, and brands that do not sell on Amazon |
How a campaign works
- Budget and dates: a daily budget, averaged over the month, like Sponsored Products.
- Format: image (several products, or a Store) or video (one product).
- Products: Amazon advises at least 10 that already sell well.
- Optimization strategy: it decides what Amazon optimizes for, and how you pay (below).
- Targeting: product pages and categories, audiences, or let Amazon choose. How targeting works.
- Creative: Amazon builds the ad from your product page, or you add your own. The ad specs.
Without a custom creative, the campaign goes live in 1 to 2 hours; with one, it is reviewed first, usually within 24 hours.
The four optimization strategies
| Strategy | You pay | For |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | Per 1,000 views | Being seen |
| Page visits | Per click | Product page visits |
| Conversions | Per click | Sales |
| Leads | Per click | Lead forms |
Amazon suggests conversions for a first campaign; leads is for brands that do not sell on Amazon. A "view" here is a viewable impression: half the ad on screen for 1 second (2 seconds of play for a video). Amazon can raise your bid by up to 300% ($1 becomes $4) when your goal looks likely, and lower it otherwise. The strategy cannot be changed once the campaign is live.
Who can run Display
- Sellers enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry, and vendors.
- Authors: Amazon's Display reports list them among Display advertisers. On a KDP author account we checked in October 2026, Display was offered on Amazon.com only, not on the 10 other marketplaces.
- Brands that do not sell on Amazon, with their own flow: their own landing page, logo, headline and image, and Amazon audiences only.
- Not allowed: audiobooks. And, as for every sponsored ad, the product must hold the Featured Offer (the Buy Box), or the ad gets 0 impressions.
One rule Amazon asks you to follow
Do not create several campaigns for the same product. Run one campaign that targets product pages and one that targets audiences, for images and for video: at most four Display campaigns per product.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sponsored Display the same as Amazon DSP?
No. Display is self-service and built for products sold on Amazon. Amazon DSP, whose campaigns Amazon now calls "Display, Video, and Audio campaigns", also buys video, Streaming TV and audio. Sponsored Display vs Amazon DSP.
How is it different from Sponsored Products?
Sponsored Products shows your listing for the keywords people search; Display follows shoppers by what they view and buy. Sponsored Products vs Sponsored Display.
Sources
- Understand Display, Amazon Ads
- Create a Display campaign, Amazon Ads
- Optimization strategies for Display, Amazon Ads
- Display set-up, Amazon Ads
- Targeting report for Display (who can use it), Amazon Ads
- Understand Featured Offer eligibility, 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.