Amazon DSP agency built around AMC audiences.
Sequence Commerce is an Amazon DSP agency. We buy programmatic display, online video, Streaming TV, and audio inventory for marketplace brands. We manage $500M+ in revenue across 100+ brands, including Heinz, Nestlé, Catelli, Joe Boxer, VASANTI, and ANS Performance. Every DSP campaign is built on first-party audiences modeled inside Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC).
What is Amazon DSP?
A direct answer for brand managers comparing Amazon DSP to Sponsored Ads.
Amazon DSP (Demand-Side Platform) is Amazon's programmatic advertising platform that lets brands buy display, online video, Streaming TV, and audio ads, on and off Amazon, using Amazon's first-party shopper data. Unlike Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands, which appear in Amazon search results and on product pages, DSP reaches customers across Amazon-owned properties (Prime Video, Fire TV, Twitch, IMDb, Amazon Music) and across the open web through Amazon's exchange.
Sequence Commerce operates Amazon DSP as a fully managed service. Every campaign is built on first-party audiences modeled inside Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC), not generic lookalikes. We report against return on ad spend (ROAS), new-to-brand percentage, and Halo lift: the impact DSP has on Sponsored Ads, organic rank, and Subscribe & Save.
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AMC custom audiences as standardFirst-party audience modeling on every retainer.
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Full inventory accessWe buy display, online video (OLV), Streaming TV on Prime Video, Fire TV, and Twitch, and streaming audio.
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Halo lift attributionWe report DSP's impact on Sponsored Ads, organic rank, and Subscribe & Save.
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You own the dataYour AMC instance, your audiences, your reporting. Always.
Four ad surfaces, one strategy.
Amazon DSP gives brands access to inventory across four formats. Sequence runs all four under a single coordinated audience strategy, so spend compounds instead of fragmenting.
Programmatic Display
Banner and rich-media placements run across Amazon-owned properties and the open web. We target them with Amazon first-party shopper data and segment by purchase intent, lifestyle, and lookback window.
Online Video (OLV)
We run OLV for awareness, consideration, and competitor conquest. In-stream and out-stream video placements across Amazon properties and the open web. Creative briefs and production stay in-house.
Streaming TV (STV / CTV)
Premium connected-TV inventory across Prime Video (including ad tier), Fire TV, Twitch, and Amazon's NFL Thursday Night Football. Streaming TV CPMs still price below equivalent linear TV inventory.
Streaming Audio
Amazon Music ad tier inventory, plus adjacent placements. Ideal for high-recall brand-building campaigns where attention is captive and CPM runs 30 to 40% below Streaming TV.
Every DSP campaign starts inside Amazon Marketing Cloud.
Pre-built Amazon audiences are available to anyone. Custom AMC audiences are not. Sequence builds custom audiences inside Amazon Marketing Cloud using your first-party Amazon data. That's where the real ROAS lift comes from.
Customers who purchased 60+ days ago and haven't returned. Retarget with a new product or Subscribe & Save.
Top decile by order frequency. Suppress from acquisition spend, target with new SKUs.
Subscribers who canceled in the last 90 days. Typically the highest-ROAS audience we run.
Bottom-funnel intent. Suppress from upper-funnel DSP spend to protect efficiency.
Shoppers viewing competitor ASINs in your category. Target with comparison creative.
Built from your best buyers, not Amazon's in-market lookalikes. Better fit, better ROAS.
Why does an operator-led DSP agency deliver better ROAS?
Plenty of DSP shops resell platform access. We operate the platform every day for brands in your category.
DSP run by people who've built brands on it.
Sequence operators run Amazon programs for brands including Heinz, Nestlé, Catelli, and Joe Boxer. We know what numbers you'll be defending to leadership next quarter, because we manage those programs every day.
First-party audiences. Built every time.
Amazon Marketing Cloud surfaces data that pre-built Amazon audiences can't reach. AMC surfaces purchase frequency by SKU, Subscribe & Save churn windows, branded vs. non-branded search converters, and competitor conquest pools. We model audiences specific to your catalog and your goal, then push them straight into DSP.
Creative that ships when the audience is ready.
Outsourced creative is the norm in DSP. That kills speed and breaks the feedback loop between audience signal and creative iteration. Sequence handles Display banners, OLV cuts, Streaming TV spots, and Audio ads under one roof. When AMC tells us an audience is responding to a specific message, we ship new creative within a week, not a month.
Brands that scaled on Amazon DSP with Sequence.
Sequence managed DSP, Amazon DSP self-service, or a generalist agency?
Three ways to run Amazon DSP. Here's the honest read on where each model wins and where it breaks.
| Capability | Sequence Managed DSP (operator-led + AMC-native) |
Amazon DSP Self-Service | Generalist DSP Agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMC custom audiences | Standard on every retainer | Self-managed. Requires SQL skills | Rarely |
| Time to first impression | 30 days from kickoff | 60 to 90 days to learn the platform | 45 to 60 days typical |
| Halo lift attribution | Standard reporting | Manual via AMC queries | Rarely |
| Creative production (OLV / STV) | In-house | Not provided | Usually outsourced |
| Senior strategist on account | Always | You are the strategist | Often junior |
| Reporting cadence | Weekly reporting plus a monthly business review | Self-service dashboards | Typically monthly |
| Best fit for | Brands with $1M+ in annual Amazon revenue that are ready to scale beyond Sponsored Ads | In-house teams with DSP-certified specialists already on staff | Brands running Amazon as one channel among many |
From audit to live campaign.
Typical DSP launches take 60 to 90 days. Sequence runs the full setup in 30 days: audit and strategy, AMC audience modeling, creative production, and reporting.
Audit & Strategy
Days 1 to 7
- Full DSP and AMC account audit
- Audience strategy mapped to goals
- Inventory mix and budget allocation
- KPI tree defined: ROAS, new-to-brand, and Halo lift
AMC Setup
Days 8 to 14
- AMC instance configured
- First-party audiences modeled
- Lookback windows and lookalikes built
- Suppression lists locked in
Creative & Setup
Days 15 to 21
- Display banners (multiple sizes)
- OLV / STV creative briefed
- Audio spots produced if in scope
- Campaigns built in DSP
Launch & Optimize
Days 22 to 30
- Campaigns go live
- Daily monitoring and bid tuning
- First Halo lift report delivered
- 30-day review with the team
Built for categories where DSP changes the math.
Amazon DSP is not for every brand. It works best in categories with repeat purchase, high average order value (AOV), or long consideration cycles. These are the ones where the math actually pays back.
Amazon DSP pricing, explained plainly.
Most agencies bury DSP cost in fine print. We don't. Here's exactly what's required from Amazon and what's required from Sequence.
$35,000 / month
Amazon DSP minimum monthly ad spend
This is Amazon's floor, not Sequence's. Brands running below $35,000 per month in DSP spend typically can't access the platform without a managed-service partner, and even then, it rarely makes economic sense at smaller volumes.
The Sequence retainer is scoped after a free audit, based on inventory mix, AMC complexity, and creative scope. Request a quote.
- Managed end-to-end. Strategy, AMC audiences, creative production, daily optimization, weekly reporting.
- No spend markups. What you pay Amazon is what you pay Amazon. Sequence retainer is separate and transparent.
- You own everything. Your DSP seat, your AMC instance, your audiences, your data. Always.
- Month-to-month engagement. No 12-month lock-ins. We earn the relationship every month.
Amazon DSP, answered honestly.
Twelve answers we give every prospect on a DSP discovery call.
What is Amazon DSP?
Amazon DSP (Demand-Side Platform) is Amazon's programmatic advertising platform that lets brands buy display, online video, Streaming TV, and audio ads across Amazon-owned properties and the open web. Unlike Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands, which appear inside Amazon search results, DSP reaches customers on Prime Video, Fire TV, Twitch, IMDb, Amazon Music, and third-party sites, using Amazon's first-party shopper data for targeting.
Amazon DSP vs. Sponsored Ads: which one do I need?
Sponsored Ads capture demand. DSP creates demand. Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands convert shoppers who are already searching for your product on Amazon. DSP reaches customers who don't know your brand yet, across Prime Video, Fire TV, IMDb, Twitch, and the open web, and retargets shoppers who viewed your products but didn't buy. Mature Amazon brands run both. New brands start with Sponsored Ads and graduate to DSP once Sponsored Ads spend efficiency plateaus.
Who can use Amazon DSP?
Amazon DSP is available to any brand or agency that meets the $35,000 minimum monthly spend and passes Amazon's onboarding requirements. Most brands access DSP through a managed-service agency. Self-service requires DSP certification, AMC SQL skills, and in-house creative production for display, OLV, and Streaming TV.
How much does Amazon DSP cost?
Amazon DSP requires a $35,000 minimum monthly ad spend. That's the platform floor set by Amazon, not by Sequence. On top of that, brands pay either an in-house team's salary to operate the platform or an agency retainer for managed service. The Sequence retainer is scoped per engagement after a free audit. Typical scope covers AMC audience modeling, creative production, daily optimization, and weekly reporting under one fixed fee with no spend markups. Request a quote for your exact number.
What is the Amazon DSP minimum spend?
The Amazon DSP minimum monthly spend is $35,000. This is a hard floor set by Amazon Advertising. Brands spending below this threshold cannot access the platform directly. Some agency partners offer pooled-budget structures below the minimum. Those come with less control over targeting and inventory.
Can I use Amazon DSP without an agency?
Yes, technically. Amazon offers a self-service DSP option for brands with DSP-certified in-house teams. In practice, most brands hire a managed-service agency because the platform requires DSP certification, ongoing AMC audience modeling (SQL-based), creative production for Display, OLV, and STV, and daily optimization that doesn't pause on weekends. The in-house cost typically exceeds an agency retainer until you're spending $1M+ per month.
What inventory does Amazon DSP buy?
Amazon DSP buys across four inventory types: Display (banners across Amazon-owned properties and the open web), Online Video (OLV) (in-stream and out-stream video), Streaming TV (STV) (Prime Video ad tier, Fire TV, Twitch, and Amazon's NFL Thursday Night Football), and Streaming Audio (Amazon Music ad tier and adjacent placements).
What is AMC and why does it matter for DSP?
Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) is Amazon's clean room: a data environment that lets brands query first-party shopper data (purchase history, frequency, lookback windows, Subscribe & Save behavior, branded search converters) without exposing personally identifiable information (PII). AMC is the difference between a generic DSP campaign and a high-ROAS one. Sequence builds custom audiences inside AMC on every engagement, then pushes them into DSP for activation. Most generalist agencies never open AMC.
How long until I see results from Amazon DSP?
Sequence launches new DSP programs within 30 days of kickoff. First Halo lift reporting lands in the first week post-launch. Meaningful ROAS optimization typically shows in weeks 4 to 8 as audience models tune and creative gets iterated. Strategic shifts like STV expansion or S&S churn-back campaigns compound across months two and three.
Amazon DSP vs. Google DV360: what's the difference?
Amazon DSP wins on shopper-data targeting. Google Display & Video 360 (DV360) wins on broader inventory access and audience scale. Amazon DSP's edge is first-party Amazon purchase data. You are targeting shoppers Amazon knows have bought, considered, or churned out of a category. For brands with the bulk of their revenue on Amazon, DSP is the priority. For multi-channel brands, both have a role.
Does Sequence offer self-service Amazon DSP?
No. Sequence Commerce operates Amazon DSP as a fully managed service. We don't offer seat rental, training, or platform reselling. Brands who want self-service DSP are better served working directly with Amazon Advertising or hiring a DSP-certified in-house lead.
How is Sequence different from other Amazon DSP agencies?
Three things. First, AMC custom audiences are standard on every retainer, not an upsell. Second, operators run the account, not junior media buyers. Every Sequence DSP strategist has run programmatic for a nine-figure Amazon brand. Third, creative production sits in-house, so audience insight from AMC turns into new Display, OLV, STV, and Audio creative within a week. Backed by 8 Clutch Awards and 100+ verified reviews across verified third-party platforms
Launch DSP with operators, not resellers.
Send your storefront and DSP goals. A senior Amazon DSP strategist sends back a free five-page audit within 24 hours, including AMC audience opportunities, inventory mix, and projected Halo lift.