How to Use Amazon Marketing Cloud to Create Smarter Amazon Ads

Steven Pope
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Ever heard of the Amazon Marketing Cloud? If you’re not using it yet, you should be, since it gives deep insights into how your ads actually influence sales on Amazon.

Ads are a critical part of selling on Amazon if you want more customers to notice your products. With over 600 million products on the platform, having a great product alone is not enough to drive consistent sales.

One of Amazon’s most advanced tools for understanding campaign impact is the Amazon Marketing Cloud. Since it involves data analysis and query-building, many sellers aren’t taking full advantage, leaving untapped opportunities to improve ad efficiency and ROI.

In this guide, we’ll break down how AMC allows sellers to evaluate ad performance, refine campaigns, and gain a clear view of the entire customer journey. Our Amazon agency will also highlight actionable strategies for beauty and medical supply brands to increase conversions and drive long-term growth.

Table of Contents

Target High-Value Audiences Efficiently

Use AMC to identify top shoppers and reduce wasted ad spend.

What Is the Amazon Marketing Cloud

Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) is a secure, cloud-based analytics platform that provides brands with in-depth insights into how their ads perform across Amazon. It combines advertising data with your own datasets in a privacy-compliant environment to help make smarter marketing decisions.

AMC is used to analyze which ads drive conversions, how different campaigns work together, and where ad spend delivers the most value. By providing these insights, it allows sellers to make smarter marketing decisions, optimize campaigns across multiple channels, and better understand the customer journey from first touch to purchase.

How Does the Amazon Marketing Cloud Work

AMC lets advertisers run customized queries in a secure cloud environment to analyze campaign effectiveness. By combining Amazon ad data with your own first-party information, you can track engagement, conversion paths, and the overall impact of campaigns across multiple ad types.

Using AMC, advertisers can write simple SQL queries to uncover insights about how shoppers move from ad impressions to conversions. All data is aggregated and anonymized, so you see trends and results without ever accessing personal customer information, keeping privacy intact.

AMC also allows brands to upload their own first-party data, like customer lists or website activity, and safely match it with Amazon’s ad signals. This helps sellers understand audience behavior, optimize ad strategies, and measure how different campaigns work together across the funnel.

What Are the Benefits of Using the Amazon Marketing Cloud

Using the Amazon Marketing Cloud provides many benefits for sellers, which is why it’s recommended to use it whenever possible. AMC gives brands a clear picture of ad performance, audience behavior, and campaign impact across multiple channels.

  • Identify which ad types and placements generate the most engagement and sales.
  • Build precise audience groups based on behavior, preferences, and interactions.
  • Track the full path from first ad exposure to final purchase.
  • See if different campaigns reach new customers or overlap with the same audience.
  • Measure how long it takes shoppers to convert after ad exposure.
  • Assign proper credit to each touchpoint for a clear view of campaign impact.
  • Focus spending on high-performing campaigns and reduce waste on underperforming ones.
  • Re-engage shoppers who abandoned carts or showed interest but didn’t buy.
  • Discover how to promote additional products to engaged audiences.
  • Access aggregated, anonymized data that protects customer information.

Eligibility Requirements for Using Amazon Marketing Cloud

Before, the Amazon Marketing Cloud had stricter requirements and was mostly invite-only, reserved for large brands with DSP access. That has changed, but there are still key requirements sellers need to meet before they can access AMC, and knowing these ahead of time helps you plan effectively.

  • Amazon Advertising Account
    You must actively run campaigns via Amazon DSP, Sponsored Products, or Sponsored Brands.

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) Account
    AMC operates on AWS, so you’ll need an active AWS account to access it.

  • Technical Expertise
    Some familiarity with SQL is required to run queries, or you can work with a data analyst for support.

  • Campaign History
    Your campaigns should be live or have run in the last 28 days to provide sufficient data for analysis.

  • Marketplace Availability
    AMC access is limited to select marketplaces: US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, UK, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Australia, India, Japan, and Singapore.

  • Partner or Account Manager Support
    Access is often granted through an Amazon Ads account manager or an approved Amazon Ads Partner Network partner.

  • Sufficient Data Volume
    AMC works best for brands with enough ad spend and campaign data to generate meaningful insights.

Maximize Amazon Ad Performance Today

Get insights from AMC to optimize your campaigns and boost conversions.

How to Use the Amazon Marketing Cloud

No matter how powerful the Amazon Marketing Cloud is, if it’s not used correctly, it’s just a tool collecting data without delivering value. This is why it’s important to understand how to navigate AMC and apply its insights to make smarter ad decisions that drive results.

Best Practices for Using Amazon Marketing Cloud

There are best practices that all sellers can follow, and by applying them, you can turn AMC’s data into actionable insights that drive better campaign performance. Following these strategies ensures your advertising efforts are smarter, more targeted, and cost-efficient.

1. Start with Clear Goals

Before running any queries, define exactly what you want to learn, like new-to-brand percentage or optimal ad frequency. Having clear objectives ensures your AMC analysis produces actionable insights rather than overwhelming data.

2. Use No-Code or Pre-Built Queries

If you aren’t familiar with SQL, take advantage of AMC’s instructional queries and no-code templates. These tools let you generate audiences and reports quickly without technical expertise.

3. Map the Customer Journey

Track how different ad types, such as Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Display, and DSP, influence a purchase. Understanding the path to conversion helps you optimize campaigns and see which touchpoints actually drive results.

4. Build Custom Audiences for Retargeting

Create dynamic audience groups based on behavior, like shoppers who added items to their cart but didn’t buy. Export these audiences to your campaigns to increase conversions through precise retargeting.

5. Implement Strategic Bid Adjustments

Use AMC insights to adjust bids specifically for high-value segments, like new-to-brand customers or frequently exposed audiences. Targeted bidding ensures your budget is spent efficiently on audiences most likely to convert.

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Amazon Campaign Bidding Strategies

Strategies for Using the AMC For Beauty and Personal Care Brands

Ranking for the beauty and personal care category can be quite difficult because of how saturated it is, which is why many sellers implement data-driven strategies to stand out. The same applies when using AMC; understanding complex customer journeys and purchase patterns is essential to maximize results in this competitive space.

1. Optimize for Replenishment and Loyalty

Beauty products are often consumable, meaning repeat purchases drive long-term revenue. Use AMC to track purchase cycles and trigger timely ads, including targeting customers for subscriptions or replenishments before they run out.

2. Implement Full-Funnel Attribution

Stop relying solely on last-click metrics that undervalue upper-funnel efforts, like in Sponsored Brand videos. AMC enables analysis of all touchpoints, showing which ad types contribute most to new customer acquisition and repeat purchases.

3. Utilize No-Code Solutions and Pre-Built Queries

Not every team has SQL experts, so AMC’s no-code templates are a quick way to generate actionable insights. These templates let you analyze audience overlap, path-to-purchase, and media mix effectiveness without technical hurdles.

4. Drive Seasonal and Promotional Strategy

64% of beauty shoppers often browse weeks ahead of major events like Prime Day or holidays. AMC segments audiences by engagement or browsing behavior, helping brands target “researchers” with higher frequency caps to boost conversions before peak sales.

5. Use High-Value Audience Segmentation

Beauty shoppers are highly specific in their preferences, from skin type to hair concern. AMC lets you build tailored segments and retarget users who engaged with your brand but didn’t convert, boosting the likelihood of purchase.

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Structured Segmentation for Amazon Ads

Strategies for Using AMC for Medical Supply Brands

The medical supply category on Amazon has strict requirements because of how sensitive products are and the privacy regulations surrounding them. Sellers in this space must balance aggressive marketing with compliance, and using AMC can help by providing detailed, privacy-safe insights into long-term customer behavior when done correctly.

1. Compliance-First Audience Strategy

Low-sensitivity products (like braces or first aid kits) can use full audience targeting, while medium/high-sensitivity items (like incontinence or diabetes supplies) cannot. AMC lets you shift focus to measuring which top-funnel ads drive later branded searches safely.

2. Optimize for Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Health consumables have high repeat purchase rates, with customers often buying 3-5 times in 12 months. AMC helps identify these high-value buyers for Subscribe & Save and retention campaigns.

3. Target High-Intent and Professional Audiences

Amazon Business buyers often spend 3x more than consumers but shop during business hours. AMC helps adjust bids to peak times, increasing efficiency and avoiding wasted spend.

4. Multi-Touch Attribution for Complex Purchase Journeys

Durable medical equipment purchases often take 30+ days of research. AMC’s extended lookback shows which ads influence buyers early, not just the last click.

5. Use Product Bundling and Cross-Sell Insights

Complementary medical products are up to 50% more likely to be used and purchased together. AMC shows which bundles drive bigger basket sizes, like selling a blood pressure monitor with the right cuff.

FAQs About the Amazon Marketing Cloud

How much does it cost to use the Amazon Marketing Cloud?

AMC is free for qualifying advertisers, but the associated ad spend on DSP, Sponsored Products, or Sponsored Brands drives the data you’ll analyze.

Can every Amazon seller use the Amazon Marketing Cloud?

No. AMC is restricted to certain countries and typically requires active campaigns on Amazon’s DSP or Sponsored Ads. Smaller sellers or those outside supported marketplaces may not qualify.

How do I get access to the Amazon Marketing Cloud?

You need an active Amazon Advertising account and, for DSP users, a signed DSP Master Service Agreement. Contact your Amazon Ads account manager to request access through the web-based interface or API.

Supercharge Your Amazon Ads with Data-Driven Insights

Ads that perform well are one of the key drivers of success on Amazon, but understanding which campaigns truly move the needle requires more than guesswork. This is why sellers need to analyze customer behavior and full-funnel performance using the Amazon Marketing Cloud.

AMC gives brands the tools to measure, optimize, and retarget effectively, helping uncover insights that traditional reporting can’t provide. From audience segmentation to multi-touch attribution, it turns raw ad data into actionable strategies for better conversions and long-term growth.

Still struggling to make your Amazon campaigns truly profitable? Contact our full-service Amazon agency and let our experts analyze your data, optimize your ads, and build strategies that maximize your ROI.

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Steven Pope, Founder

Hi I’m Steven, founder of My Amazon Guy, a 500+ person Amazon Seller Central agency out of Atlanta, GA. We growth hack ecommerce and marketplaces through PPC, SEO, design, and catalog management.

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