How Amazon Sponsored Display Audiences Drive Category Expansion Through First-Party Behavioural Targeting

People often perceive Amazon Audiences as merely a means to expand their reach. However, they are actually a very controlled and smart way to influence demand even before a shopper searches for something. Their success is because these audiences are built using Amazon’s own shopping and streaming data. Consequently, brands can reach customers based on what they do, not just what they say they are looking for.

Brands can now appear earlier, rather than waiting for a customer to type in a keyword. Such an outcome is possible because the targeting is based on interests, current shopping habits, lifestyle, or major life events. Therefore, audience targeting moves from a secondary tactic to a core part of building visibility, relevance, and future demand on the platform.

At Market Rocket, we use Amazon Audiences as a precise layer within a larger performance strategy. These audiences prove beneficial when combined with search campaigns, improved product pages, and high conversion rates. As a result, brands see higher-quality traffic, become more efficient over time, and have more steady demand across their product range. This type of strategy is better than just short, sharp increases in visibility.

Where The Strategic Value Is Strongest

Amazon audiences work best for products that people buy repeatedly, like for replenishment or daily use. They are also very effective for products in categories that are visual, relate to a lifestyle, or link to a person’s identity.

Furthermore, these audiences are particularly useful when it’s difficult to see the difference between products in standard search results. In these cases, providing extra context can help reduce a customer’s hesitation when they first discover the product.

Crucially, this is true whether a brand sells directly on the marketplace or through a wholesale model. This is because, from the customer’s perspective, the shopping experience is the same. Therefore, we have a fantastic opportunity to make the product relevant much earlier in the customer’s journey.

How We Apply This In Practice

Every audience segment is selected with a defined strategic purpose rather than a volume objective. In-market audiences are used to reinforce category authority and capture high-intent behaviours. Lifestyle segments are selected to align with specific identities, values, and usage patterns. We use “interest audiences” to grow into new areas in a controlled way, based on data. Therefore, “life-event targeting” should on be used for very time-sensitive moments.

Brands shouldn’t only look at the last click to measure performance. Instead, it is advised to find more value in several areas. For example, we look at changes in demand for our brands, how much conversion quality improves, if customers repeat purchases more often, and the overall long-term efficiency of the account. Over time, this strategy helps us protect profit margins. It also reduces how much value we place on competing for keywords. Furthermore, it supports scaling business in a more sustainable way.

What This Signals From Amazon

The increasing sophistication of audience targeting reflects a broader shift towards contextual, behaviour-led discovery. Paid placements are no longer only about immediate intent. They are becoming part of how Amazon shapes relevance, perception, and decision-making through its ecosystem of data.

For brands operating in more competitive environments, aligning their content structure, messaging, and portfolio strategy with this shift is becoming increasingly important. Those who build clarity and consistency into their foundations are best positioned to benefit as these capabilities continue to evolve. Want to see your Amazon performance skyrocket?  Book a call with our team or email us at amazon@marketrocket.co.uk to take your brand to the next level.