Amazon has fast become one of the world’s biggest and best online advertising platforms. In particular, its programmatic advertising capabilities, found through Amazon DSP, are hugely popular with a wide variety of different advertisers, who have recognised the unique strengths which Amazon DSP can bring to the table.
In this blog, we’ll explore the Amazon DSP Audience Builder, showing you how to get even more value from your advertising activities.
What is Amazon DSP?
Amazon DSP is an abbreviation of Amazon Demand Side Platform. This aspect of Amazon advertising allows users to develop audiences and form strong targeting activities, which are based on the interests and behaviours of Amazon shoppers.
With a vast wealth of data to sift through, Amazon is the perfect partner in targeting and retargeting activities, helping brands to keep at the forefront of shoppers’ minds. Amazon DSP ads can be placed both on and off Amazon, adding even greater control and scope to online activities.
What is Audience Builder?
The Amazon DSP Audience Builder is a method for getting even more in-depth insights into shoppers needs, interactions and searches. It uses data from the brand interactions which have taken place as well as all of their activity on the platform, which can then be transformed into sparkling insights and effective campaigns.
ASIN Retargeting
Audience Builder creates ASIN retargeting audiences, which can be based on the following criteria:
- Product searches – defined as the products which a user has searched for previously using the Amazon platform. This helps to unlock insights into whether a particular user has been looking for products like the ones the brand is selling.
- Similar products – products which are similar to the ones being sold by the advertising brand, though not necessarily identical. This data helps to give information as to which products may be considered supplementary to the brand, and which could serve as replacements or competition.
- Viewed products – these products are defined as those which a user has looked at previously. This data helps to build a clearer picture of the user’s preferences and their interests.
- Purchased products – this criteria demonstrates the products which a specific user has not only viewed or considered, but purchased. It can provide handy insights into what precisely a user wants from the products they are willing to spend money on.
How to use The Audience Builder
Getting started with Audience Builder is quick and easy.
1. Firstly, you will have to have a pre-established Amazon Advertising account. Now, find ‘Audiences’ in the navigation bar of your Amazon DSP.
2. Next, you will need to select ‘New Audience’. This allows you to choose the audience you want to begin the selection process for
3. Click on ‘Products’ and begin to build your audience, using their shopping activity as your guide. After you have clicked on this, select ‘Next’.
4. Now you need to choose the ASINs which you will use for creating this new audience. There is a restriction here, but you can add up to 1000 of them, leaving plenty of scope.
This stage is the most complex of the bunch, as it is where you decide what to do with the ASINs and the audience.
Firstly, select the Amazon marketplace where you are selling your products.
5. You will be asked to click ‘Add’. Afterwards, be sure to mark the box next to each shopping interaction (selecting from the options listed above) as your guide for how you want to build this new audience. Every box you check will create a new audience.
6. Next, you need to name the audiences. It is important to be consistent here, using names which you will not be confused by a little later down the line. It is vital to retain some clarity, particularly when you are handling such a large number of ASINs or potentially carrying out so many different actions on the platform.
7. Lastly, click ‘Create’ to complete your audience selections.
Now you need to wait for a short while. It could take up to 24 hours for you to discover whether your audience has been processed effectively, which will show as either ‘Active’ or ‘Failed’. It is only with an audience which is ‘Active’ that this action will be applied to your account.
Negative targeting
It is also possible to negatively target buyers using Amazon DSP Audience Builders. But what do we mean by this? Using this tactic, you will be able to stop wasted ads by blocking certain audiences from seeing your advertisements. This is an incredibly useful tool for anyone who is eager to be successful via the platform and doesn’t want to waste their ad spend.
To negatively target, look for the segment which includes a purchase you wish to affect, and click ‘Not’ (located next to each applicable segment).
Benefits of competitor targeting
There are many ways that this tactic can be effective in building your Amazon strategy. First and foremost, it makes the best possible use of all the data which the platform has access to, and allows you to use it to your own best advantage.
Amazon has information on everything from shopper activities to preferences and buying behaviour, each of which can help ensure you reach the audience which is truly suited to your needs. Getting this granular with your strategy also helps to ensure you know precisely what your targeting is based on, rather than remaining in the dark about the strategies and tactics which are being deployed.
It is also a handy way to ensure your products remain at top of mind, even when buyers are shopping for products which are not yours. This will help to boost the sales of your own products and can help ensure that you grab some of the market share from competing brands on Amazon.
Despite these benefits, we recommend using this tactic as a part of your strategy, rather than its sum total. This will ensure a well-rounded approach.
