What’s the difference between seller and vendor advertising on Amazon?
Though similar in ways, there are a few things to consider when deciding which platform to advertise on.
If you sell your product on Amazon, you have probably stumbled across something about advertising on the platform. We’ve put out a few posts on this topic already in the past few weeks, mainly focusing on how to use advertising to level the playing field and crush your Amazon goals. But the topic is endless given the nuances and rapidly changing nature of the platform.
In particular, what about the differences between advertising on Seller Central (SC) versus advertising through Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) as a vendor? Some of our clients at Booyah Advertising are both a seller and vendor so how do we decide on the best advertising platform? To help shed some light on the issue, I’ve compiled an infographic that gets to the core differences between the two platforms.
Generally speaking, the platforms are becoming more similar than different. In recent months, we have seen a move toward convergence with the underlying targeting and data reporting starting to look eerily similar. However, the user interface and management capabilities still vary significantly.
As you review the infographic, you’ll notice that I’m a bit harder on AMS for reasons explained in the breakdown. We have had more success with our clients on the Seller Central platform but believe that AMS functionality and data transparency will continue to improve, only constrained by Amazon’s self-imposed limitations that protect its nascent programmatic advertising offering (Amazon Advertising Platform).
Hopefully this helps clarify some questions about the differences between the two Amazon advertising platforms. However, if we know one thing, it’s that Amazon will keep us guessing as it continues to iterate brand offerings, so please reach out with any questions and stay tuned for more tips and tricks on Amazon advertising.
Sam Hager is a marketplace strategist and Amazon advertising expert at Booyah Advertising, a full-service digital agency.
Hager and colleague Andy Thompson break it down further in our BrandCamp webinar, Navigating Amazon—A How-to for Sales and Marketing, now available on-demand.
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