Amazon has fast become one of the most important advertising platforms in the world. Offering a wealth of data on millions of transactions, buyers and brands around the globe, it should come as no surprise that this impressive part of the digital landscape continues to develop. Yet as Amazon DSP has continued to grow, Google’s own DSP continues to fall from grace.
According to new research from the DSP Report from Advertiser Perceptions, Amazon is the #1 choice for advertisers while Google has now landed in third place. The study, which focuses on advertiser perceptions, was unveiled in December 2019.
What did the research find?
The findings stated that Amazon is significantly further ahead of the competition, with 41% of advertisers making use of the Amazon Advertising Platform. This elevates Amazon DSP above the competition, in terms of both volume of usage and also perceptions of the platform.
Both of these factors are of course crucial in determining how useful those who have influence really find each DSP in the study. During the research, Amazon DSP was assessed alongside some of the other DSPs which are frequently used, including DoubleClick Bid Manager and The Trade Desk.
Other key findings
It seems that advertisers are willing to change their DSP if it doesn’t suit their needs. This is shown in the discovery that on average, advertisers have used 2.8 DSPs in the last year alone, albeit sometimes using different DSPs for different reasons. Amazon is primarily a managed service, while some others are primarily self-service. However, despite some variation in usage, all of those surveyed stated that if they had to select only one DSP for a campaign, their DSP of choice would always be Amazon.
This suggests that even with infinite choice at their fingertips, advertisers trust Amazon more than any other DSP to get the job done in an efficient and effective way.
What do advertisers look for?
When selecting a DSP, advertisers stated that they overwhelmingly were looking for a few key things. These were defined as:
- Efficiency
Efficiency is one of the most important areas for advertisers, which makes perfect sense from a programmatic advertising perspective. This also makes sense from the perspective of Amazon DSP, which can demonstrably be seen to be an efficient platform.
- Control
Control proves to be another area which advertisers value strongly. This again makes perfect sense for the usage of programmatic advertising, as this is one of the reasons why the option is chosen in the first instance.
- Targeting
The ability to target the right audience is another area where advertisers stated a clear preference. Comprehensive targeting options and capabilities were valued strongly, according to the survey.
- Reach
Campaigns which had impressive reach were also considered to be highly preferable to more basic options. The ability to reach audiences is one of the major reasons why so many advertisers choose Amazon over competing DSPs.
- Savings
Finally, the ability to achieve all of these goals without overspending is considered key amongst advertisers who took part in the survey. These savings are likely to become increasingly important for those with stricter budgetary constraints. . As all businesses want to ensure there are no unexpected charges, the transparency of pricing was also considered hugely important.
What does this mean for Amazon DSP?
These findings are good news for Amazon DSP, as they suggest that advertisers are looking for a DSP they can really trust. Whilst they are willing to experiment, reliability is of utmost importance – and will be valued across the board.
Who can use Amazon DSP?
Amazon DSP can be used by any advertiser who wants to buy programmatic video or display advertising. It offers the capacity to handle even large tasks efficiently, and gives users the ability to extend their reach beyond what they may consider to be the existing limitations.
Furthermore, Amazon DSP is usable not only for those who sell on Amazon, but for advertisers working with clients off-Amazon. In addition to the aspects which are outlined above, there are reasons why Amazon DSP is surpassing Google in reputation, and these reasons include both the sense of trustworthiness which Amazon instils and the practical abilities which using this platform unlocks for the end user.
How are Amazon DSP ads managed?
There are options for how Amazon DSP is used. Ads can be self-managed by an agency, or they can be managed via Amazon itself. It should be stated that individual brands must work with an agency in order to access the self-service model.
How Amazon DSP can help
Amazon DSP can be used for a variety of different goals and outcomes, including generating greater awareness for customers and improving overall visibility. Secondly, these ads can be used to encourage consideration during the customer journey, targeting a specific demographic and showing the ads which appeal to them.
Lastly, Amazon DSP can be used to help prompt a purchase, giving brands a chance to reconnect with customers who didn’t buy, yet expressed prior interest. Overall, these abilities help demonstrate why the platform is so well regarded.
