Weekly Prompt: Amazon opens ad platform to other retailers, and other news

Amazon opens ad platform to other retailers

Amazon is expanding its advertising business by offering its technology to other retailers for use on their own e-commerce sites. Currently in beta, the new Amazon Retail Ad Service allows US retailers to integrate Amazon's ad targeting and measurement tools, enabling them to sell product ads and streamline purchases.

The service offers key features including contextual product ad placement within search results and product pages, customisable ad design and frequency, access to Amazon's measurement and reporting tools, and data management through separate AWS accounts. Early adopters include health and wellness retailer iHerb, Asian grocery retailer Weee!, and toy and party supplier Oriental Trading Co.

Using the same machine learning models that power Amazon's own platform, the service allows brands already advertising with Amazon to extend their product ad campaigns to participating retailers' websites if they choose. Retailers can manage inventory through the Amazon Ads console or build a private label interface via Amazon's API. Amazon shares a portion of the generated ad revenue and charges for the infrastructure used.

This expansion represents another step in Amazon's strategy to commercialise its internal technologies, following a similar path to AWS and Buy with Prime. By offering its advertising expertise to other retailers, Amazon aims to capture a larger share of the growing retail media market.

Sources: AdAge, MediaPost, The Verge, Search Engine Land

Additional Prompts

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