Ask the Expert: What is Amazon Advertising Platform?

‘Ask the Expert’ is a blog series that breaks down the complicated tools, tech, and trends you’ve been hearing about in the trade pubs and around the office. We reach out to our in-house experts to ask the tough questions and turn them into bite-sized Q&As for your reading pleasure.

This month’s topic? Amazon Advertising Platform. We brought in Centro’s programmatic solutions director, Lindsey Freed, to give us the breakdown.

What is Amazon Advertising Platform?

The Amazon Advertising Platform (AAP) is self-serve software from Amazon that enables advertisers to programmatically reach Amazon’s and advertisers’ audiences via Amazon sites and apps, and across the web on sites and all devices.

How can AAP be used for campaigns?

Amazon’s ad buying customers, such as Centro for example, have access to exclusive (Amazon) first-party data to segment consumer behavior, past searches, and browsing and purchasing history. Through cross-device targeting, buyers are able to deliver relevant ads to the right consumer with targeting types including prospecting, lifestyle, in-market, contextual, look-a-like, remarketing, and demographics. Inventory is available across Amazon’s owned and operated sites, including the open exchange.

 How does Centro’s technology intersect with Amazon’s ad offerings?

Centro’s team has the ability and expertise to precisely target and reach billions of online shoppers (on behalf of our customer, through AAP) as they research, consider, and purchase products at any stage of the customer journey—whether they are on Amazon digital properties or not. Campaign data on Amazon is then uploaded back to Centro’s Basis software to unite it with analytics from other parts of a brand’s campaign (that isn’t happening through Amazon). This could be anything from buying on (a) other sites directly, (b) programmatic through the DSP within Basis, as well as (c) search and social.

 What are the stand-out features of AAP?

Advertisers can use Amazon search queries within AAP to retarget across the web. For Link-In campaigns, where the creative clicks through to Amazon’s site, AAP offers e-commerce ads that dynamically populate images and product ratings based on Amazon’s machine learning algorithm and a selected optimization goal (such as click-through rate, purchase rate, or detail page view rate).

 What are the performance metrics that I can track with AAP?

For Link-In campaigns advertisers can see in-depth metrics like return on ad spend (ROAS), cost per purchase, add-to-cart counts, detailed page-view rate, and more. For Link-Out campaigns, the conversion-based metrics are best tracked via third party ad server, but standard measurements like CTR, CPC, and CPA can be tracked within AAP.

Ok, I’m interested – how do I work with Centro and Amazon?

Centro’s technology platform, Basis, allows users to buy ads on Amazon properties directly, or manage Centro’s internal service team to run campaigns on AAP, on the users’ behalf.

Are you interested in other Centro resources that will help you understand Amazon Advertising Platform? We’re here for you! Reach out to info@centro.net.