2023

Amazon Advertising Report

This annual report examines paid campaign data to explore how brands and sellers are advertising on Amazon. It also reveals which strategies and products result in the greatest return on ad spend (RoAS).

See key findings here and download the free full report for more insights.

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Key Insights

Total spending on Amazon ads increased in 2022 but at a fraction of the growth rate seen in recent years.

While some brands and sellers are seeing lower returns on advertising spend, those selling in certain product categories are experiencing far greater RoAS.

Investment in video and DSP advertising continues to accelerate, though spending on these offerings remains lower than other Amazon ad products.


Amazon’s Ad Sales Slow as Sellers Diversify

Amazon’s advertising revenues reached $37.7B in 2022, a much smaller yearly growth than the channel has seen historically. From 2021 to 2022, Amazon’s ad sales grew just over 20% – notably lower than the 58% growth in 2021 and 147% jump in 2020. This coincides with YoY increases in ad spending on social media and paid search, suggesting that brands and sellers are diversifying their ad investments.

Amazon’s annual advertising services* revenue

Source: Amazon.com Inc. fourth-quarter 2022 earnings release

*Includes sales of advertising services to sellers, vendors, publishers, authors, and others, through programs such as sponsored ads, display, and video advertising.

Revenue from Amazon’s advertising services business segment represented 7.3% of Amazon’s total net sales in 2022, up from 6.6% in 2021.

Where Amazon brands and sellers invest their ad dollars

Source: Jungle Scout’s 2023 State of the Amazon Seller Report

Returns on Amazon Advertising Spend

Some brands and sellers are seeing lower returns on their advertising spend, with the most significant declines in Sponsored Brands campaigns. Others, particularly in specific product categories, are experiencing far greater returns on their investments.

Return on ad spend (RoAS) by ad product

Among ad campaign types, Amazon Sponsored Products continues to represent the largest share (78%) of advertising dollars.

Top 10 product categories by return on ad spend (RoAS)*

  1. Musical Instruments
  2. Appliances
  3. Office Products
  4. Video Games
  5. Arts, Crafts & Sewing
  6. Cell Phones & Accessories
  7. Electronics
  8. Books
  9. Patio, Lawn & Garden
  10. Industrial & Scientific

*Download the full 2023 Amazon Advertising Report to see RoAS for all product categories.

Video Ad Spend Accelerates

Interest and attention around video and Demand Side Platform (DSP) advertising continue to grow, but spending on these Amazon offerings still lags behind that of legacy ad products like Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Products. Just 4% of total advertising dollars went toward display ads (Sponsored Display and DSP) in 2022.

Amazon ad usage among brands and sellers by ad type

55% of Amazon sellers are focused on trying new marketing tactics in 2023

80% of Amazon brands and sellers invest in advertising for their products

Download the full report

In this report, you’ll find:
  • Which product categories are seeing the highest returns on advertising spend
  • Side-by-side comparisons of the most popular Amazon ad products
  • Amazon advertising trends, strategies, opportunities, challenges, and more

About the report

Methodology

Findings in this report are based on Jungle Scout Cobalt data collected over a five-year time frame from January 2018  through March 2023, and certain other data reflective of the first three months of 2023, across 20 global marketplaces. It includes 5,000+ distinct brands and 950,000+ unique Amazon advertising campaigns across all key ad media and primarily represents large ecommerce enterprises.

Using the data

We encourage you to explore Jungle Scout’s 2023 Amazon Advertising Report and to share, reference, and publish the findings with attribution to “Jungle Scout Cobalt” and a link to this page.

For more information, specific data requests, media assets, or to reach the report’s authors, please contact us at [email protected].

About JS

Jungle Scout is the leading all-in-one platform for selling on Amazon, with the mission of providing powerful data and insights to help entrepreneurs and brands grow successful ecommerce businesses. For more information, specific data requests or media assets, or to reach the report’s authors, please contact us at [email protected].

About Jungle Scout Cobalt

Building on Jungle Scout’s rich data and history of innovation, Jungle Scout Cobalt empowers brands and retailers with a powerful suite of ecommerce tools designed to help them drive growth, maximize sales, and optimize their digital shelf performance on Amazon. Cobalt’s comprehensive data analytics, built-in advertising automation, and intuitive visualizations provide straightforward answers to critical ecommerce questions, turning insights into action. Leading brands and retailers worldwide trust Cobalt to take the guesswork out of achieving ecommerce success.

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