Sponsored ads close the sale. Amazon DSP finds the buyer first. We run both.
Shaazford is the Amazon DSP agency for brands doing $100K+ a month that want to reach $1M. We plan and run Amazon DSP ads (programmatic display, video, audio and streaming TV) on and off Amazon, wired into your Sponsored ads and measured in Amazon Marketing Cloud, for one flat fee that never takes a cut of your media spend.
What is Amazon DSP, and when is it worth it?
Amazon DSP is Amazon's demand-side platform for programmatic display, video, audio and streaming TV ads that reach shoppers on and off Amazon, billed on impressions rather than clicks. It is for scaling, not starting: it pays off for brands doing $100K+ a month that want to reach shoppers before they search and retarget past visitors. As an Amazon DSP agency we build the audiences and creative and measure results in Amazon Marketing Cloud, as part of Full Account Management at a flat $1,600 a month plus your media spend, never a percentage of it.
Answered by John Will, Founder & CEO · Updated
Why do Amazon brands stop growing on Sponsored ads alone?
Sponsored ads only reach shoppers who are already searching, so past $100K a month more bids mostly buy the same buyers at a higher price. Brands then hit four problems: search demand runs out, DSP is run as a mystery line item, three campaigns fight over one dollar, and results are judged on vanity metrics.
Sponsored ads only reach shoppers who are already searching. Past $100K a month, more bids mostly buy the same buyers at a higher price. Four patterns show up when brands reach for DSP:
Search demand runs out
Sponsored ads close demand that already exists. Growth past this stage means reaching shoppers before they search, which is what Amazon's DSP is built for.
DSP run as a mystery line item
Most brands underuse DSP because it is complex, so spend goes out on impressions with no clear read on what it returned.
Three campaigns fighting over one dollar
Prospecting, retargeting and brand defense run apart from Sponsored ads, so your own campaigns compete for the same shopper.
Judged on vanity metrics
Impressions and view-through numbers look good in a deck. Without Amazon Marketing Cloud, nobody knows what was incremental.
What does our Amazon DSP management include?
Full-service DSP under one roof, run by one senior expert from audiences to creative to measurement. We connect DSP ads to your Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands so prospecting, retargeting and brand defense work together, and we run your ad budget as if it were our own money.
Audience architecture
In-market, lifestyle, custom and lookalike audiences built around your real customer cohorts and high-intent shopper signals, plus first-party data activation and overlap analysis.
Creative production, included
Display banners, responsive ads, video and streaming-TV spots from our own designers and editors, tailored per placement, at no extra charge.
Campaign builds across the funnel
DSP display, video and audio plus Sponsored Display, across Amazon, Amazon-owned sites and devices such as IMDb, Twitch and Fire TV, and the open web.
Retargeting layers
Cart abandoners, detail-page viewers and lapsed buyers re-engaged across the web, winning back sales Sponsored ads alone would miss.
Audience expansion
Lookalikes and Amazon in-market segments to scale beyond your core buyers.
Measurement to margin
Amazon Marketing Cloud, new-to-brand tracking, cross-channel attribution and incrementality, tuned to the profit that matters to your P&L.
Management and reporting
Budget pacing and bidding, funnel sequencing with Sponsored ads, weekly reporting and a monthly strategy call with a senior expert.
How does working with our Amazon DSP agency start?
It starts with an audit of your account and Sponsored ads, then your 3 biggest leaks and a 90-day plan within 48 hours, including whether DSP fits your stage. We map audiences, creative and budget to prospecting, retargeting and brand defense, launch alongside your Sponsored ads, and use Amazon Marketing Cloud to measure what was incremental.
Audit, within 48 hours
A 30-minute call where we look at your account and Sponsored ads live, then your 3 biggest leaks and a 90-day plan in writing within 48 hours, including whether DSP fits your stage.
Plan the funnel
Audiences, creative and budget mapped to prospecting, retargeting and brand defense, at the spend level where DSP becomes worthwhile for your goals.
Launch and pace
Campaigns go live alongside your Sponsored ads, with budgets paced and bids tuned every week.
Measure and scale
Amazon Marketing Cloud shows what was incremental, and budget moves to the audiences that return new-to-brand sales at a profit.
The numbers we manage to.
Ad spend managed to profit
On one Amazon account we manage, $101,741 in ad spend returned $538,706 in sales: a 5.3x lifetime ROAS across 26,233 orders. That is Sponsored ads; the same profit-first discipline runs our DSP.
Case study: a 5.3x lifetime ROAS, with spend held to profit
Figures reflect results managed by our founder and team. Client names kept private unless shown.
What does an Amazon DSP agency cost with Shaazford?
Amazon DSP is part of Full Account Management at $1,600 a month, run alongside your Sponsored ads, listings and creative, with your account manager, designers, video editors and developers included. Your media spend is paid to Amazon directly. Our fee is flat: never a percentage of ad spend or sales.
Full Account Management, $1,600 a month
DSP, Sponsored ads, listings, A+, creative and account health under one strategy. Built for brands doing $100K+ a month.
Omnichannel Growth, $3,200 a month
Amazon, DSP included, plus Walmart, TikTok Shop, Shopify, Google and Meta ads, and email under one strategy.
Essentials, $500 a month
A dedicated Amazon specialist about 2 hours a day on Sponsored ads and listing upkeep. DSP runs on the full plan. Move up any time.
Month to month, cancel at least 10 days before your next billing date, no setup fee. We recommend at least $10,000 a month in DSP media, paid to Amazon directly.
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Amazon DSP questions, answered.
What is Amazon DSP?
Amazon DSP is Amazon's demand-side platform. It buys display, video, audio and streaming-TV ads programmatically, using Amazon's shopping data to reach the people most likely to buy, on Amazon, on Amazon-owned sites and devices, and across the open web. It is billed on impressions rather than clicks.
What does an Amazon DSP agency do?
It plans and runs programmatic display, video, audio and streaming-TV ads using Amazon's demand-side platform and first-party data. Shaazford builds the audiences, creative and full-funnel strategy for brands doing $100K+ a month and measures it through Amazon Marketing Cloud.
When does Amazon DSP make sense?
DSP is for scaling, not starting. It fits when you are doing $100K+ a month on Amazon and ready to scale, want to capture demand earlier in the funnel, sell in a category where buying decisions take research, and are willing to invest in awareness alongside performance. Selling first-party? We run DSP for vendors too, as part of Vendor Central management.
What is the minimum spend for Amazon DSP?
DSP suits brands with meaningful budgets. Through us you can access it without Amazon's high managed-service minimum. We recommend at least $10,000 a month in media, and on the audit call we tell you the spend level where it becomes worthwhile for your goals.
How is Amazon DSP different from Sponsored Products?
Sponsored ads are pay-per-click on Amazon search results. DSP is programmatic and reaches shoppers across and beyond Amazon, billed on impressions. We run both so they reinforce each other.
How much does Amazon DSP management cost?
DSP is part of Full Account Management at $1,600 a month, flat, plus your media spend, which you pay to Amazon. We never take a percentage of ad spend or sales. Plans are month to month with no setup fee: cancel at least 10 days before your next billing date and you are not charged again.
Is there a smaller plan than $1,600 a month?
Yes. Essentials is $500 a month: a dedicated Amazon specialist for about 2 hours a day on a set task list: PPC management, listing and catalog upkeep, account health monitoring and a weekly report. DSP needs audience, creative and measurement work every week, so it runs on Full Account Management at $1,600 a month, the plan built for brands doing $100K+ a month. You can move up at any time.
Do you provide Amazon Marketing Cloud reporting?
Yes. We use Amazon Marketing Cloud to measure cross-channel attribution and new-to-brand impact, so DSP spend is judged on real incremental sales, not vanity metrics.
Can DSP help me retarget shoppers who did not buy?
Yes. Retargeting is one of DSP's strongest uses. We re-engage viewers and cart abandoners across the web to win back sales that Sponsored ads alone would miss.
Find the buyers before they search. Then win them.
Get my DSP audit, at no cost ↗A 30-minute call on Google Meet at no cost, then your 3 biggest leaks and a 90-day plan in writing within 48 hours, including whether DSP is right for your stage and what we would launch first. No contract, no setup fee, no pressure.