Non-Endemic Amazon DSP: How Brands Not Selling on Amazon Can Use Its Ad Platform

You don't need to sell a single product on Amazon to advertise on its platform. This is one of the most underused opportunities in digital advertising, and most brands have never considered it.

Amazon DSP (Demand-Side Platform) gives any brand access to Amazon's purchase-intent audience data. Amazon knows what 200 million+ US Prime members browse, search for, and buy. That behavioral data, the richest consumer purchase-intent dataset on the internet, is available to advertisers regardless of whether they sell on Amazon. Insurance companies, SaaS brands, auto dealers, universities, financial services firms, and travel companies are already using it.

Amazon advertising revenue crossed $56.2 billion in 2024, growing 20% year-over-year according to Amazon's Q4 2024 earnings. A growing share of that comes from non-endemic advertisers, brands that advertise on Amazon without selling products there. Industry estimates put non-endemic DSP spending growth at approximately 25% year-over-year in 2024 to 2025. The opportunity is real, documented, and growing faster than the endemic advertising market.

This guide explains what Amazon DSP is for non-endemic brands, who it's best suited for, how the targeting works, what it costs, and how to measure results.

What Amazon DSP Is (For Brands That Don't Sell on Amazon)

Amazon DSP is a programmatic advertising platform that lets you buy display, video, and audio ads across Amazon-owned properties and thousands of third-party websites and apps.

For brands that sell on Amazon, DSP is typically used for upper-funnel awareness and retargeting. For non-endemic brands, the value proposition is different: you're buying access to Amazon's audience data to reach high-intent consumers wherever they are on the web, not just on Amazon.

When you run a non-endemic Amazon DSP campaign, your ads can appear on:

• Amazon.com: Display ads on product detail pages, search results, and the homepage
• Fire TV: Streaming video ads on Amazon's connected TV platform (50+ million active users)
• Twitch: Display and video ads on the live streaming platform
• IMDb: Display ads on the movie/TV information site
• Third-party sites: Ads on thousands of websites and apps through Amazon's exchange
• Amazon Publisher Services: Premium publisher inventory accessed through Amazon's SSP

The ads drive to your website, landing page, or app — not to an Amazon product listing. You control the destination entirely, which means you own the full conversion funnel from click onward.

Amazon DSP vs Google Display vs Meta: Why Amazon Wins on Intent

The core advantage of Amazon DSP for non-endemic advertisers is audience quality. Amazon's audiences are built on purchase behavior, not just browsing behavior or demographic profiles.

Dimension	Amazon DSP	Google Display Network	Meta (Facebook/Instagram)
Audience signal	Purchase history, search history, browsing behavior on Amazon	Search intent, website visits, YouTube viewing	Social behavior, interests, demographic data
Intent quality	High (based on actual purchases and product research)	Medium-high (search intent is strong, display intent is weaker)	Medium (interest-based, not purchase-based)
Reach	300M+ unique monthly visitors across Amazon properties + third-party	90%+ of internet users via Google's network	3B+ monthly active users across Meta platforms
Targeting precision	Very high for purchase-intent audiences	High for search; medium for display	High for demographics; medium for purchase intent
Attribution	View-through + click-through, cross-device	Click-through focused, view-through available	Click-through + view-through, limited by iOS privacy changes
Creative formats	Display, video, OTT/CTV, audio	Display, video, YouTube	Image, video, carousel, Stories, Reels
Minimum spend	$10K to $35K/mo (managed service); lower for self-serve	No minimum	No minimum
CPM range	$3 to $12 (display), $15 to $35 (video/CTV)	$1 to $5 (display), $10 to $25 (video)	$5 to $15 (feed), $8 to $20 (Stories/Reels)

The audience quality difference is significant. Amazon knows that a specific user bought running shoes last month, researched protein supplements this week, and has been browsing baby gear for the last three weeks. That purchase-intent data creates audience segments with 2 to 3x higher purchase intent than comparable Google or Meta segments, according to industry benchmarks.

The trade-off: Amazon DSP has higher minimum spend requirements and less granular self-serve controls than Google or Meta. It's a premium channel, not a budget channel. But the audience quality usually justifies the premium. Non-endemic advertisers consistently report 2-3x higher conversion rates from Amazon DSP audiences compared to Google Display audiences targeting similar demographics.

Here's the context that matters: the global retail media market hit $125 billion in 2024 according to GroupM, with Amazon accounting for the largest share. US retail media spending alone reached $62 billion (eMarketer 2025). Non-endemic advertising is the fastest-growing segment of this market because brands outside retail are discovering what retailers have known for years — Amazon's purchase data is the most accurate consumer intent signal available anywhere.

Who Should Use Non-Endemic Amazon DSP

Non-endemic Amazon DSP works best for brands whose target customers shop on Amazon, even if the brand's own products aren't sold there. And since Amazon has over 200 million US Prime members, the odds are high that your customers are on the platform regardless of your industry.

Industry	Why Amazon DSP Works	Example Targeting	Typical ROAS Range
Insurance	Target by life events (new baby, new home, new car) inferred from purchases	Users buying car seats, home security, baby monitors	3x to 6x (measured by policy acquisition cost)
Financial Services	Reach high earners based on premium purchase patterns	Users buying luxury goods, investment books, premium electronics	4x to 8x (measured by account opens)
SaaS/B2B	Target business buyers based on office and professional purchases	Users buying office supplies, business books, professional development	2x to 5x (measured by demo requests)
Automotive	Reach auto buyers based on car care purchases and research patterns	Users buying car accessories, maintenance products, car seats	5x to 10x (measured by test drive bookings)
Travel	Target travelers based on luggage, travel gear, and guidebook purchases	Users buying travel accessories, language books, camping gear	3x to 7x (measured by bookings)
Education	Reach prospective students and parents based on educational purchases	Users buying test prep materials, school supplies, educational toys	2x to 4x (measured by applications)
Legal Services	Target by life events that trigger legal needs	Users buying business formation books, divorce-related purchases, estate planning	5x to 15x (measured by consultations)

The common thread: Amazon purchase data reveals life stages and intent signals that no other platform can match. When someone buys a car seat on Amazon, they're signaling a life event that matters to insurance companies, pediatricians, financial planners, and real estate agents. Amazon DSP lets you reach that person at the moment of highest relevance.

The brands that tend to see the best results are those with high customer lifetime value and consideration-heavy purchase journeys. If your average customer is worth $2,000+ over their lifetime (insurance, financial services, legal, education), the $15-25 CPM for Amazon DSP inventory is a rounding error compared to the conversion value. If your average transaction is $20 and one-time (impulse e-commerce), the math is much harder to make work.

How Amazon DSP Targeting Works for Non-Endemic Brands

Amazon offers several audience types to non-endemic advertisers, all built from its first-party purchase and browsing data.

Audience Type	How It Works	Non-Endemic Example
In-Market	Users actively researching or purchasing in a specific product category	A car insurance company targeting users in-market for automotive products
Lifestyle	Users whose long-term purchase patterns indicate specific lifestyles or interests	A luxury travel brand targeting "frequent luxury shoppers"
Custom Audiences	Built from specific ASINs, categories, or purchase behaviors you define	A SaaS company targeting buyers of specific business software books
Lookalike	Users who resemble your best customers (requires first-party seed data)	A financial advisor targeting users similar to existing high-value clients
Contextual	Ads shown alongside relevant Amazon content or product pages	A meal kit service showing ads on recipe book and kitchen appliance pages
Remarketing	Retarget users who visited your website (requires Amazon pixel)	Any non-endemic brand retargeting site visitors across Amazon properties

In-market and custom audiences are typically the highest performers for non-endemic brands. They capture users at moments of demonstrated purchase intent. Lookalike audiences work well once you have enough conversion data to build a quality seed audience (typically 500+ conversions).

A key advantage over other platforms: Amazon's audiences are deterministic, not probabilistic. When Amazon says a user "purchased baby products in the last 30 days," that's a verified fact from a credit card transaction. When Google or Meta says a user is "interested in baby products," that's an inference from browsing behavior. The difference in signal quality is significant for non-endemic brands where targeting precision directly determines campaign ROI.

Building Custom Audiences

The most powerful non-endemic targeting comes from custom audience builds. You specify which product categories, brands, or even specific ASINs indicate your target customer. For example, a pet insurance company could build an audience of users who purchased premium pet food, pet supplements, and veterinary care products in the last 90 days. That audience has demonstrably high pet care spending, which directly correlates with pet insurance purchase likelihood.

First-Party Data Integration

If you have your own customer data (email lists, CRM data), Amazon can match it against their user base to create custom segments. Upload your customer list, Amazon matches it to Amazon users (match rates typically run 40 to 60%), and you can then build lookalike audiences based on the Amazon purchase behaviors of your existing customers. This is where non-endemic targeting gets extremely precise.

The first-party data integration opens up a powerful feedback loop. Once Amazon matches your customer list, you can analyze what Amazon products your existing customers buy. A financial advisory firm discovered that their best clients disproportionately purchased premium kitchen equipment, wine, and high-end audio gear on Amazon. That purchase profile became their custom audience definition, and the resulting campaigns converted at 4x the rate of their standard in-market targeting. Your own customer data is the best audience blueprint — Amazon just lets you find more people who match it.

Cost Structure and Budget Minimums

Amazon DSP operates on a CPM (cost per thousand impressions) model, not CPC (cost per click) like Google Search Ads. This means you're paying for eyeballs, not clicks, which requires a different mindset around budgeting and ROI measurement. Costs vary significantly by audience type, placement, and creative format.

Pricing Overview

• Display ads: $3 to $12 CPM (Amazon properties tend toward higher end, third-party sites lower)
• Video ads: $15 to $35 CPM (pre-roll and mid-roll on streaming content)
• Connected TV (Fire TV): $25 to $45 CPM (premium but high engagement)
• Audio ads: $10 to $20 CPM (Amazon Music, podcasts)

Minimum Spend Requirements

Amazon DSP is available through two primary access models, each with different commitment levels:

• Managed Service: Amazon's team manages your campaigns. Minimum spend typically $35,000 per month. Best for brands new to DSP who want Amazon's expertise.
• Self-Service: You (or your agency) manage campaigns directly. Minimum spend as low as $10,000 per month, sometimes lower through agency agreements. More control, requires DSP expertise.
• Agency Access: Work with an Amazon Ads Partner agency that has self-serve access. Often the best option for non-endemic brands: you get expert management with lower minimums than going direct.

Budget Allocation Recommendation

For a non-endemic brand testing Amazon DSP for the first time, we recommend starting with $15,000 to $25,000 per month for a minimum of 3 months. This gives the algorithms enough data to optimize targeting and gives you statistically significant results. Allocate 60% to your strongest audience segments (in-market and custom audiences built around purchase behaviors that correlate with your product), 30% to testing new segments that you hypothesize will work but haven't validated yet, and 10% to remarketing website visitors via the Amazon pixel.

One cost advantage non-endemic advertisers have: less competition for their specific audiences. Endemic Amazon advertisers (brands that sell on Amazon) are all bidding on product-related audiences. Non-endemic advertisers targeting those same audiences for off-Amazon conversion often pay lower CPMs because they're not competing in the same auction dynamic. A pet insurance company bidding on "premium pet food buyers" typically faces less auction competition than the pet food brands themselves.

Measuring Cross-Platform Attribution

Non-endemic Amazon DSP campaigns drive conversions on your website, not on Amazon. This creates an attribution challenge that requires careful setup. The good news: Amazon's attribution tools are better than most advertisers expect. The bad news: you need to set them up before you launch, not after you wonder why your results look worse than they actually are.

Amazon's Attribution Tools

Amazon provides view-through and click-through attribution for DSP campaigns. The Amazon pixel (placed on your website) tracks when a user who saw or clicked your Amazon ad later converts on your site. Default attribution windows: 14-day click-through, 14-day view-through. You can customize these windows, and for high-consideration purchases (insurance, financial services, education) I'd recommend extending to 28-day or even 30-day click-through windows to capture the longer decision cycles.

The Multi-Touch Challenge

A typical non-endemic conversion path might look like: user sees your Amazon DSP ad on Monday, clicks a Google search ad on Wednesday, visits your site directly on Friday, and converts. Which channel gets credit? Multi-touch attribution models distribute credit across touchpoints.

For non-endemic DSP specifically, we recommend:

• Set up Amazon Attribution pixel on all conversion pages
• Use UTM parameters on your DSP click-through URLs for Google Analytics tracking
• Compare incrementality: Run geo-split tests (show DSP ads in some markets, not others) to measure true incremental lift
• Track leading indicators: branded search volume, direct site traffic, and lead quality from DSP-exposed audiences

What "Good" Attribution Looks Like

Non-endemic DSP campaigns often show modest direct-click ROAS (1.5 to 3x) but strong view-through and incrementality results (3 to 8x when you factor in assisted conversions). Don't judge DSP performance on last-click attribution alone. It's an upper-to-mid-funnel channel that influences conversions attributed to other touchpoints.

The brands that abandon Amazon DSP after 30 days because "ROAS is only 1.8x" are almost always measuring with last-click attribution only. When they look at the full picture — including branded search lift, direct traffic increase, and view-through conversions — the true ROAS typically jumps to 4-6x. Set your measurement framework before you launch so you're not making a premature kill decision based on incomplete data.

Read more about cross-platform measurement in our attribution modeling overview.

Should You Use Amazon DSP? Decision Framework

Not every non-endemic brand should run Amazon DSP. Use this decision framework to evaluate whether it makes sense for your business before committing budget.

Criteria	Yes	No
Your target customers shop on Amazon	Most consumer-facing brands	Extremely niche B2B with no consumer touchpoints
You can invest $15K+/mo for 3+ months	Budget available for testing	Can't commit minimum spend for meaningful test
You have conversion tracking set up	Website pixels, CRM integration, lead tracking	No way to measure downstream conversions
Google/Meta display is working but plateauing	Need new audience sources	Still have untapped potential in current channels
Purchase behavior signals match your ICP	Amazon purchase data reveals your target customer	Your ICP isn't defined by consumer purchase patterns
You have creative assets ready	Display banners, video, or willingness to create them	No creative and no budget to produce it

If you checked "Yes" on four or more criteria, Amazon DSP deserves a test. If you're at two or fewer, focus on optimizing your current channels first.

One additional factor worth considering: privacy. As third-party cookies deprecate and Meta's tracking capabilities continue to erode post-iOS 14.5, Amazon's first-party data becomes more valuable every quarter. Amazon doesn't rely on cookies for its audience targeting — it's all first-party purchase data. This gives non-endemic advertisers a hedge against the privacy-driven degradation of targeting quality on other platforms. That strategic value goes beyond any single campaign's ROAS.

Getting Started: Managed Service vs Agency vs Self-Serve

Three access paths to Amazon DSP for non-endemic brands, each with different trade-offs in cost, control, and expertise requirements. Choose based on your budget, internal capabilities, and how much control you want over campaign management.

Amazon Managed Service

Amazon's team manages your campaigns end-to-end. You provide budget, targeting objectives, and creative. They handle setup, optimization, and reporting. Best for brands with $35K+/month budgets who want Amazon's proprietary expertise. The downside: less control, typically slower optimization cycles (weekly rather than daily), and your campaigns compete for attention with every other brand in their portfolio. Your account manager might be handling 15-20 other advertisers simultaneously.

Agency Partner (Recommended for Most Non-Endemic Brands)

Work with an Amazon Ads Partner agency that has self-serve DSP access. Benefits: expert management from people who run DSP daily, lower minimum spend than managed service, faster optimization, and integration with your broader media strategy. This is typically the best path for non-endemic brands new to Amazon DSP. The agency absorbs the learning curve, which in a self-serve environment can cost $5,000-$10,000 in wasted spend while you figure out targeting and bidding. A good agency pays for itself in avoided mistakes during the first 90 days.

Self-Serve

You manage campaigns directly through Amazon's DSP console. Requires DSP expertise on your team — someone who has actually run programmatic campaigns before, not just someone who knows Google Ads. Provides maximum control and typically the lowest effective fees. But the learning curve is steep, and mistakes with audience targeting or bid management can burn budget quickly. Only go self-serve if you have a team member who already understands programmatic concepts like bid shading, supply path optimization, and audience overlap management.

Common Mistakes Non-Endemic Advertisers Make

Most non-endemic DSP failures come from applying Google or Meta advertising playbooks to a fundamentally different platform. Amazon DSP requires different expectations, different measurement approaches, and different optimization timelines.

1. Judging performance on last-click ROAS alone. DSP is an awareness and consideration channel. It influences conversions attributed to other touchpoints. Use view-through attribution and incrementality testing.
2. Targeting too broadly. Amazon has massive reach, but untargeted display ads waste budget. Start with narrow, high-intent custom audiences and expand based on performance data.
3. Running for less than 3 months. DSP algorithms need 4 to 6 weeks to optimize delivery. Brands that run a 30-day test and declare it "didn't work" never gave the platform enough data.
4. Reusing Google/Meta creative without adaptation. Amazon display placements have different size requirements and viewing contexts. Ads appearing on product detail pages need to compete with product imagery. Adapt your creative for the environment.
5. Ignoring frequency caps. Without proper frequency capping, you'll show the same user your ad 30+ times in a month. Set frequency caps at 3 to 5 impressions per user per week for display, 1 to 2 for video.
6. Not integrating with your broader media mix. Amazon DSP should complement your Google and Meta campaigns, not duplicate them. Coordinate targeting and messaging across platforms.
7. Using only standard audience segments. Amazon's pre-built "in-market" and "lifestyle" segments are a fine starting point, but custom audiences built from specific ASIN-level purchase behavior consistently outperform them by 2-3x on conversion rate. Invest the time upfront to build custom audiences that reflect your specific ICP's purchase patterns.

The biggest meta-mistake: treating Amazon DSP like a direct response channel. It's primarily a consideration and intent channel. Measure it like you'd measure a podcast sponsorship or CTV campaign — by its influence on downstream conversions, not by whether it generates immediate clicks that convert the same day.

Integrating Amazon DSP Into Your Media Stack

Amazon DSP works best as part of a programmatic advertising strategy, not in isolation. The brands getting the best results treat it as a component of a coordinated multi-channel approach where each platform plays a specific role.

Recommended Media Mix for Non-Endemic Brands

For brands already running Google and Meta campaigns, add Amazon DSP as an incremental awareness and consideration channel. A typical allocation for a non-endemic brand testing Amazon DSP:

• Google (Search + Display): 40 to 50% of budget (high-intent capture)
• Meta: 25 to 35% of budget (social proof and consideration)
• Amazon DSP: 15 to 25% of budget (purchase-intent audiences, incremental reach)

As you gather performance data, shift allocation toward the channels delivering the best incremental ROAS. Many non-endemic brands find that Amazon DSP audiences convert at higher rates than Google Display audiences because the targeting is built on purchase behavior rather than browsing behavior.

Cross-Channel Audience Strategy

The smartest non-endemic advertisers use Amazon DSP not as a standalone channel but as an audience enrichment source. Here's the play: use Amazon DSP to reach high-intent audiences based on purchase behavior, then retarget the users who engaged with your DSP ads through Google and Meta at lower cost. This creates a funnel where Amazon DSP handles top-of-funnel intent identification, and your existing Google/Meta campaigns handle retargeting and conversion. The combined approach typically outperforms any single channel because you're stacking Amazon's purchase intent data on top of your existing retargeting infrastructure.

You can also use Amazon DSP data to inform your targeting on other platforms. If your Amazon DSP campaign shows that users who bought premium kitchen appliances convert at 3x the rate of your general audience, build a similar interest-based audience on Meta and Google. Amazon gives you the insight; other platforms let you scale it.

For a broader perspective on building your advertising stack, see our AI Advertising Stack guide. For Amazon-specific automation, read our Amazon Ads Automation guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the minimum budget for Amazon DSP as a non-endemic advertiser?

Through Amazon's managed service, the minimum is typically $35,000 per month. Through an agency partner with self-serve access, you can start at $10,000 to $15,000 per month. We recommend a minimum 3-month commitment at $15,000 or more per month to generate enough data for meaningful optimization. Shorter tests or smaller budgets rarely produce statistically significant results.

Can I target people who bought specific products even though I don't sell on Amazon?

Yes. This is one of Amazon DSP's most powerful features for non-endemic brands. You can build custom audiences based on specific product categories, brands, or even individual ASINs (Amazon product identifiers). A pet insurance company can target users who purchased premium pet food brands in the last 90 days. A home security company can target users who bought smart home devices. The targeting is built on Amazon's first-party purchase data.

How does attribution work for non-endemic Amazon DSP campaigns?

Place the Amazon Attribution pixel on your website's conversion pages. Amazon tracks view-through conversions (user saw your ad, later converted on your site) and click-through conversions (user clicked your ad and converted). Default attribution windows are 14 days for both. For a complete picture, also use UTM parameters in your click-through URLs and run geo-based incrementality tests to measure true lift above baseline conversions.

Is Amazon DSP better than Google Display Network for non-endemic brands?

Amazon DSP typically delivers higher-quality audiences for consumer-facing brands because targeting is built on purchase behavior rather than browsing behavior. Industry benchmarks show Amazon audiences have 2 to 3x higher purchase intent than comparable Google Display segments. However, Google Display has broader reach, lower minimums, and easier setup. The best approach is running both: Google Display for broad awareness and Amazon DSP for high-intent audience segments.

Do I need a managed service or can I self-serve on Amazon DSP?

Self-serve access requires either direct approval from Amazon (typically for larger advertisers) or working through an agency that has self-serve access. For most non-endemic brands starting out, working with an Amazon Ads Partner agency is the best path: you get expert management, lower minimum spend than managed service, and faster optimization. Consider self-serve only if you have a team with programmatic DSP experience and plan to spend $50,000+ per month.