Amazon advertising business: how big it is, what it sells, and how to use it
The Amazon advertising business is a large and growing part of Amazon, and the ad platform every seller competes on. This guide covers its size from Amazon's own filings, what Amazon Ads sells, how a business gets started, and how to reach business buyers on Amazon Business.
Key takeaways
- Amazon reported $68.6 billion of advertising services revenue for 2025, from its quarterly results; the fourth quarter alone was $21.3 billion.
- Advertising services include sponsored ads, display and video advertising sold to sellers, vendors, publishers, authors and others.
- For sellers, the entry point is sponsored ads: Sponsored Products first, then Sponsored Brands and display ads.
- Almost all products on Amazon are automatically listed on Amazon Business, and ad campaigns running on Amazon also appear there.
- Amazon Business offers B2B features: bid adjustments for business shoppers, business only campaigns, and 60+ B2B audiences for display ads.
What the Amazon advertising business is
People search for the Amazon advertising business for three different reasons. Some want to know how large Amazon's ad business has become. Some want to advertise their own business on Amazon. And some mean Amazon Business, Amazon's store for business buyers, and how to advertise to it. This guide takes them in that order.
Amazon sells advertising through Amazon Ads. In its financial results, Amazon reports the revenue as advertising services, which it defines as sales of advertising services to sellers, vendors, publishers, authors and others, through programs such as sponsored ads, display and video advertising.
For a seller, the same business is simply where products are promoted: the sponsored results in search, the ads on product pages, and display ads across Amazon and beyond. Our Amazon PPC guide explains how those ads work, click by click.
- 2025 revenue
- $68.6BAdvertising services, sum of Amazon's four 2025 quarters
- Q4 2025
- $21.3BUp 23% year over year, 22% excluding currency effects
- Includes
- 3 kindsSponsored ads, display and video advertising
- Sold to
- EveryoneSellers, vendors, publishers, authors and others
How big Amazon's advertising business is
Amazon's fourth quarter 2025 earnings release, filed with the SEC, reports advertising services revenue for each quarter. In 2025 it was $13.9 billion in the first quarter, $15.7 billion in the second, $17.7 billion in the third and $21.3 billion in the fourth. Together that is about $68.6 billion for the year.
The fourth quarter figure was up 23% on the fourth quarter of 2024, or 22% excluding foreign exchange. Amazon's release reports year over year growth, excluding currency, between 18% and 22% in each of the six quarters it shows, from the third quarter of 2024 on.
Why this matters to a seller: more money chasing the same shoppers means more competition in every auction. It is one reason click costs depend so heavily on the keyword and the placement, and why a campaign that wastes spend on unconverting searches gets more expensive over time, not less.
What Amazon Ads sells
| Product | What it is | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsored Products | Cost per click ads for individual listings, in shopping results and on product pages | Every seller; Amazon's recommended start |
| Sponsored Brands | Cost per click ads with a brand logo, headline, several products or video | Brands in Brand Registry |
| Display ads | Ads to audiences across Amazon properties and the open internet; formerly Sponsored Display | Brands reaching shoppers beyond search |
| Brand Stores | A free, multipage brand destination on Amazon | Brands in Brand Registry |
| Amazon Live | Interactive, shoppable livestreams | Products that sell when seen in use |
| Streaming TV, video and audio | Ads on streaming services, devices and audio | Larger brands building awareness |
Amazon Ads' products page also lists out of home ads, such as on package ads and locker locations, and device ads on Fire tablets, Echo Show, Fire TV and Prime Video. Sponsored Display is now part of display ads, which Amazon says sits in a single platform alongside Amazon DSP workflows; existing Sponsored Display campaigns keep running.
Custom creative and Brand Innovation Lab campaigns are covered in our guide to Amazon custom advertising products.
For most sellers, the useful part of this catalog is the first three rows. Sponsored ads are self service, priced per click, and send shoppers straight to a product or a brand. The rest suits brands with budgets built for awareness. Our guide to Amazon product ads compares the sponsored formats.
How a business starts advertising on Amazon
Amazon Ads' getting started guide begins with registration. You choose your country, then whether you advertise products sold on Amazon or not. If you sell on Amazon, you pick the account type you already have, and the ads account connects to it.
| If you are | Register with | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| A seller on Amazon's marketplace | Seller Central | Sponsored Products with automatic targeting |
| A manufacturer selling wholesale to Amazon | Vendor Central | Sponsored Products, then Sponsored Brands |
| A self published author | Kindle Direct Publishing | Sponsored Products for books |
| An author or publisher with books on Amazon | Author Central | Sponsored Products for books |
| A business not selling on Amazon | The not sold on Amazon option | Display and video ads, per Amazon's instructions |
Amazon recommends new advertisers start with Sponsored Products and a daily budget of at least $10 in the US. The ads only appear when the product is in stock, and Amazon's best practices point to a ready listing first: the featured offer, a competitive price, several zoomable images and reviews. Our listing optimization guide covers that side.
Advertising on Amazon Business, Amazon's B2B store
Amazon Business is Amazon's store for verified business customers, from small businesses to large companies, schools, hospitals and government agencies. Amazon Ads says almost all products sold on Amazon are automatically listed on Amazon Business, and ad campaigns running on Amazon also appear there, so many sellers already reach business buyers without knowing it.
Amazon's B2B page gives the scale in its own figures: $60 billion in annualized gross sales in 2025, 484 of the Fortune 500 buying, and availability in 11 countries. It gives two counts of organizations, eight million shopping and over eleven million served globally; both are Amazon's figures.
| B2B feature | What Amazon Ads says it does | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Placement bid adjustment | Raises bids for business shoppers in existing consumer Sponsored Products campaigns | A product sells to both consumers and businesses |
| Amazon Business exclusive campaigns | Sponsored Products or Sponsored Brands shown only to business buyers | A product is built for business needs |
| B2B audiences for display ads | 60+ audiences by industry, company size or spending, depending on country | Reaching specific kinds of organizations |
Amazon's case for B2B rests on its own statistics: business customers order 70% more units per order and return 50% fewer orders than consumers, it says, and advertisers who created business only Sponsored Products campaigns saw Amazon Business sales on the same ASINs rise 120% against their existing campaigns. These are Amazon's aggregate figures, not a forecast for any product.
Anyone can buy Amazon Business ads, whether they sell on Amazon or not. You can check how much of your sales already come from Amazon Business in Seller Central before deciding how much to invest.
The Amazon Business ad calendar
Business buying follows budgets, not holidays alone. Amazon Business runs its own events timed to fiscal years and school calendars, alongside consumer events such as Prime Day where business buyers also shop. Amazon Ads lists the 2026 dates below, and notes that event dates can change without notice.
| Event | US dates in 2026, per Amazon Ads | What business buyers stock up on |
|---|---|---|
| Business Savings Event | December 23, 2025 to January 31, 2026 | Office supplies, maintenance items, computer accessories |
| End of School Year | April 6 to May 15 | Classroom supplies, education technology, furniture |
| Educator Deal Days | April 21 to 28, and August 11 to 18 | Classroom essentials and teaching materials, often in bulk |
| Back to School | July 7 to October 3 | School and office supplies, furniture, technology |
| Business Gift Guide | October 9 to December 23 | Gift sets, branded items, appreciation gifts |
| Black Friday and Cyber Monday | November 27 and November 30 | Year end supplies and equipment with remaining budgets |
Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days also matter for Business Prime members; Amazon lists their 2026 dates as to be announced, noting they have typically fallen in July and October. Plan bids and budgets for these windows the way you would for consumer peaks, as part of a wider Amazon advertising strategy.
Measuring advertising on Amazon
Part of what advertisers buy from Amazon is the data that comes back. Sponsored ads report impressions, clicks, spend, sales and cost per click, and Amazon Ads lists new to brand orders among the key measurements: attributed orders from customers buying from your brand for the first time on Amazon.
The reporting runs from the campaign down to the search. The search term report shows the words customers typed before clicking, the targeting and advertised product reports show which keywords and products earn their spend, and the placement report compares top of search with other positions. Brand Stores add their own Store Insights, with visits, sales and traffic sources.
| Question | Where Amazon answers it |
|---|---|
| Which searches bring customers? | Search term report, 65 days of data |
| Which products and targets pay? | Advertised product and targeting reports |
| Is the ad reaching new customers? | New to brand orders |
| How much of a search do I own? | Search term impression share, 90 day lookback |
| What does my Brand Store add? | Store Insights: visits, sales, sources |
The marketing value of that data is that it ties an ad to a purchase in the same store. It is also why ACOS, ad spend divided by ad sales, is the number most sellers manage to; our Amazon TACoS guide covers the wider view against total sales.
Which part of the Amazon ad business fits your business
A new seller with a few products
Sponsored Products, automatic targeting, $10 a day or more in the US, on products with a ready listing.
A registered brand with a range
Add Sponsored Brands pointing to a Brand Store, and display ads to reach shoppers beyond search.
A product businesses buy in bulk
Check your Amazon Business share in Seller Central, then test a bid adjustment or a business only campaign.
A brand not sold on Amazon
Amazon Ads accepts advertisers who do not sell there, for display and video ads.
Whatever the size of the business, the measure is the same: ad spend against the profit it brings back. Our ACoS calculator works out the break even point, and our Amazon PPC management service runs the campaigns if you would rather not.
Amazon advertising business: FAQ
How big is Amazon's advertising business?
Amazon's fourth quarter 2025 earnings release reports advertising services revenue of $13.9, $15.7, $17.7 and $21.3 billion for the four quarters of 2025, about $68.6 billion for the year. The fourth quarter was up 23% on a year earlier.
What counts as Amazon advertising revenue?
Amazon defines advertising services as sales of advertising to sellers, vendors, publishers, authors and others, through programs such as sponsored ads, display and video advertising.
How do I advertise my business on Amazon?
Register for Amazon Ads, choose your country and account type, such as Seller Central or Vendor Central, then create a campaign. Amazon recommends new advertisers start with Sponsored Products and a daily budget of at least $10 in the US.
Can I advertise on Amazon if I do not sell there?
Yes. Amazon Ads' registration includes an option for products not sold on Amazon, and its Amazon Business page says anyone can buy Amazon Business ads, whether they sell on Amazon or not.
What is Amazon Business?
Amazon Business is Amazon's business to business store for verified business customers. Amazon says it reached $60 billion in annualized gross sales in 2025 and is available in 11 countries.
Do my ads already reach Amazon Business buyers?
Usually, yes. Amazon Ads says almost all products sold on Amazon are automatically listed on Amazon Business, and campaigns running on Amazon also appear there.
How do I target business buyers specifically?
Amazon Ads offers a Sponsored Products bid adjustment for business shoppers, Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands campaigns shown only to business buyers, and more than 60 B2B audiences for display ads, depending on the country.
What happened to Sponsored Display?
Amazon Ads says Sponsored Display is now part of display ads, in one platform with Amazon DSP workflows. Existing Sponsored Display campaigns keep running in Campaign Manager.
Is advertising on Amazon worth it for a small business?
It can be, if the product listing converts and the margin leaves room for ad costs. Start small with Sponsored Products, compare ACOS with your profit margin, and scale only what pays.
When do business buyers shop on Amazon?
Amazon Business runs events timed to budgets and school calendars, such as the Business Savings Event, End of School Year, Back to School and the Business Gift Guide, plus consumer events like Prime Day.
Sources
- Amazon.com announces fourth quarter results, exhibit 99.1, SEC filingLast verified September 24, 2026.
- Advertising on Amazon Business, Amazon AdsLast verified September 24, 2026.
- Getting started with sponsored ads, Amazon AdsLast verified September 24, 2026.
- Ad products and formats, Amazon AdsLast verified September 24, 2026.
- Sponsored Display is now known as display ads, Amazon AdsLast verified September 24, 2026.
- Sponsored Products, Amazon AdsLast verified September 24, 2026.
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