Eva Answers / PPC and advertising
Is Amazon Ads a DSP or an SSP?
Answered by Hai Mag, Founder & CEO, Eva Commerce, with 20+ years in eCommerce transformation, marketplace optimization, and AI-driven automation.
Last reviewed: November 10, 2026
Short answer: Amazon Ads is on the demand side. Amazon DSP, now part of Amazon Ads Agent as Display, Video and Audio (DVA+) campaigns, is the demand-side platform advertisers use to buy display, video, audio and streaming TV ads programmatically. The supply side is a separate business, Amazon Publisher Services, whose tools such as Transparent Ad Marketplace help websites and apps sell their ad space. Brands buy through Amazon Ads Agent.
DSP and SSP in plain terms
Amazon defines a demand-side platform as technology that lets advertisers buy digital ad placements programmatically, reaching specific audiences across websites, apps and streaming services in real time (Amazon DSP page). A supply-side platform does the opposite job: it helps publishers sell their ad space to those buyers. Amazon has products on both sides, but they serve different customers.
| Amazon product | Side | Who uses it | What Amazon says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon DSP, now DVA+ in Amazon Ads Agent | Demand side (buying) | Advertisers and agencies, whether or not they sell on Amazon | Programmatic display, video, audio and streaming TV across Amazon properties such as Prime Video, Twitch, Amazon.com and Fire TV, plus thousands of third-party sites and apps |
| Sponsored ads | Not programmatic | Sellers, vendors and brands | Cost per click with no minimum spend, bought in the same Amazon Ads Agent platform |
| Transparent Ad Marketplace (Amazon Publisher Services) | Supply side (selling) | Web and app publishers | Server-to-server header bidding marketplace; 2.5% service fee charged to bidders; auction-level reporting |
| Amazon Publisher Cloud | Bridge between both | Publishers create deals; advertisers activate them | Publisher signals combined with Amazon Ads insights into deals that advertisers find in inventory hub in Amazon Ads Agent |
What this means for a brand
- Buy on the DSP side. As an advertiser you work in Amazon Ads Agent. Sponsored ads cover search intent; DVA+ covers programmatic reach on and off Amazon (can Amazon sponsored ads reach shoppers outside Amazon?).
- Pick self-service or managed service. Amazon says both options continue within DVA+ with the same pricing structure. Ask your Amazon Ads contact about any managed-service terms.
- Use deals for premium publishers. Amazon Publisher Cloud deals appear in inventory hub; Amazon says to search or filter by “APC”, pick multi-publisher or one-to-one deals and apply them to line items. Amazon also suggests testing programmatic guaranteed and private auction.
- Plan by funnel stage. Decide what programmatic should do that sponsored ads cannot, such as streaming TV reach or off-Amazon consideration, before setting budget.
- Measure incrementality, not only ROAS. Use Amazon Marketing Cloud to see which buyers DSP reached that search would not have. See what an Amazon DSP agency should handle.
Exceptions
- Naming has changed. Amazon now says Amazon DSP has evolved into Amazon Ads Agent, so older guides and job posts still use the DSP name. Amazon says existing DSP certification remains valid.
- If you are a publisher. A brand that also runs a content site or app and wants to sell ad space would look at Amazon Publisher Services, not Amazon Ads Agent.
- Delivery driver searches. “Amazon DSP” also means the Delivery Service Partner Program in Amazon logistics, which has nothing to do with advertising.
- Minimums. Amazon says sponsored ads have no minimum spend. Programmatic pricing follows your self-service or managed-service terms, and Amazon may set product-specific recommendations such as for streaming TV.
Eva Commerce is an Amazon Ads Advanced Partner that plans and manages DSP campaigns for brands. On its Amazon DSP page, Eva says it operates its own Amazon DSP seat, with direct access, no managed-service markup and no Amazon reseller minimums, though Amazon may still publish product-specific recommended or managed-service minimums, for example for streaming TV. Eva builds audiences from Amazon Marketing Cloud data, excludes shoppers already captured by PPC or organic search, runs monthly AMC holdout tests and treats new-to-brand customers as the main success metric.
Follow-up questions
Is Amazon DSP still available?
Yes, under a new name. Amazon says Amazon DSP has evolved into Amazon Ads Agent and that its programmatic capabilities are available in Display, Video and Audio (DVA+) campaigns with advanced settings. Existing campaigns, audiences, creatives and reporting carry forward with no action required.
Can a brand use Amazon DSP if it does not sell on Amazon?
Yes. Amazon says Amazon DSP was available both to advertisers who sell on Amazon and to those who do not, with self-service and managed-service options, and that the pricing structure carries forward into DVA+.
Who uses Amazon Publisher Services?
Publishers. Amazon Publisher Services describes its solutions as built for web publishers, mobile app developers, streaming TV publishers and audio publishers who want to sell ad inventory. Its Transparent Ad Marketplace lists a 2.5% service fee charged to bidders. Brands buying ads work in Amazon Ads Agent instead.