Amazon Advertising Glossary — Ad Type
What is Sponsored Display?
Sponsored Display is Amazon's self-service display advertising format. It runs CPC-billed display banners across Amazon (search results, product pages, customer reviews) and on third-party sites and apps via Amazon's ad network. Sponsored Display sits between Sponsored Products (keyword-targeted, in-funnel) and Amazon DSP (full programmatic, audience-driven). It requires Amazon Brand Registry and is best known for retargeting shoppers who viewed but did not buy your products.
Sponsored Display targeting types
Product targeting
In-funnel
Bid on specific competitor ASINs or category nodes. Ad shows on those product detail pages. Best for conquesting + complementary-product placements.
Audience: Views remarketing
Retargeting
Retarget shoppers who viewed your product (or competitors) in the last 7/14/30 days. The single highest-ROI Sponsored Display tactic for most brands.
Audience: Purchase remarketing
Retention
Retarget past purchasers — typically used for repeat-purchase categories (consumables, refills) or cross-sell to complementary products.
Audience: In-market & lifestyle
Prospecting
Reach Amazon-curated audiences (e.g. "in-market for running gear," "fitness enthusiasts"). Higher ACoS but useful for upper-funnel awareness on new launches.
Sponsored Display Views Remarketing typically delivers the lowest ACoS within Sponsored Display because it reaches shoppers with proven product interest. Many brands allocate 60–80% of their Sponsored Display budget to remarketing.
When to use Sponsored Display
1. Fill the gap between Sponsored Products and DSP
Sponsored Products excel at in-search, intent-driven traffic. DSP excels at full-programmatic upper-funnel awareness with $50K+ minimums. Sponsored Display covers the middle: retargeting and in-market audiences without DSP's minimum spend or complexity.
2. Conquesting via Product Targeting
Bid on competitor ASINs to show your ad on their product pages. Most effective when you can offer a clear differentiator (lower price, more reviews, key feature) that wins the comparison shopper.
3. Off-Amazon retargeting
Sponsored Display retargets your viewers across Amazon-owned sites (Twitch, IMDb) and third-party publishers. This off-Amazon footprint is unique to Sponsored Display and DSP among Amazon ad formats — Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands are Amazon-only.
4. Watch the impression vs view-through window
Sponsored Display attribution uses a 14-day window for clicks but also reports view-through conversions (impressions that did not click but resulted in a sale). The view-through component is large; reported ACoS often understates true incrementality. Use AMC to validate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can use Amazon Sponsored Display?
Sponsored Display requires Amazon Brand Registry, which requires a registered trademark. Both vendors and Brand-Registered sellers can run Sponsored Display. Unlike Amazon DSP, there is no minimum spend and the platform is fully self-service inside the Amazon Advertising Console.
What is the difference between Sponsored Display and Amazon DSP?
Sponsored Display is self-service, CPC-billed, no minimum spend, and accessible to anyone with Brand Registry. Amazon DSP is managed-service or self-service with a $50K+ typical minimum, CPM-billed, and gives access to the full programmatic ad network including premium video inventory. Sponsored Display covers ~80% of the use cases of DSP at a tenth of the complexity.
Is Sponsored Display worth it for small brands?
For brands with Brand Registry, yes — particularly Views Remarketing. Retargeting shoppers who viewed your product but did not buy is one of the highest-ROI tactics in Amazon advertising and only requires a few hundred dollars per month to run. Many brands see 4–6x ROAS on Views Remarketing campaigns.
What is a good ACoS for Sponsored Display?
Views Remarketing typically clears 15–25% ACoS — among the lowest of any Amazon ad format because it reaches in-funnel shoppers. Product targeting on competitor ASINs runs 30–50%. Lifestyle / in-market audiences run 50%+ and are best treated as upper-funnel awareness rather than direct response.
Where do Sponsored Display ads appear?
Sponsored Display ads appear in three locations: (1) Amazon search results and product detail pages, (2) Amazon-owned properties (Twitch, IMDb, Freevee), and (3) the Amazon Display Network of third-party publishers off-Amazon. Coverage is broader than Sponsored Products or Sponsored Brands, which are Amazon-only.
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