Amazon Advertising Updates for 2026: What Changed and What to Test

Amazon rolled out several major advertising changes in late 2025 and early 2026. The biggest: a new attribution model that changes how view-through conversions are counted, which means your ROAS and purchase metrics probably look different starting January 1, 2026. That's not a performance drop. It's a methodology change. But if you're explaining campaign results to a client or internal stakeholder, you need to know what shifted.

Beyond attribution, Amazon merged its Advertising Console and DSP into one unified Campaign Manager, introduced AI agents to automate campaign setup and creative production, and launched a new full-funnel campaign type. Some of these changes affect your workflow immediately. Others are tools worth testing but not depending on.

This is the operator's version of the recap. Here's what changed, who it matters to, and what to test first.

The Attribution Model Change (January 2026)

What Changed

On January 1, 2026, Amazon introduced a new attribution model called "shopping-signal enhanced last-touch attribution." It replaces the old flat 14-day view-through window with a smarter system that only counts ad views during actual discovery moments (times when someone is browsing categories or exploring new products, not just scrolling through feeds).

This affects:

• Sponsored Brands campaigns
• Sponsored Display campaigns billed on viewable CPM
• Amazon DSP campaigns serving ads in the Amazon Store

Click-based attribution didn't change. If someone clicked your ad and bought, that still counts the same way it always did.

Why This Matters

Your reported ROAS and purchase counts probably dropped starting January 1, even if your actual performance stayed exactly the same. That's because fewer conversions now meet Amazon's new attribution standard.

This is a reporting change, not a campaign failure. But you need to explain that to anyone reviewing your numbers. If your Sponsored Display retargeting campaign showed a 30% ROAS drop in January, check whether the drop happened because performance actually declined or because Amazon stopped crediting passive scroll-through impressions.

What to Do

Track both the new standard metrics (Purchases, Sales, ROAS) and the legacy "all views" metrics (Purchases (all views), Sales (all views), ROAS (all views)). The gap between the two shows how much of your old performance was based on loose view-through credit.

Don't compare January 2026 metrics to December 2025 metrics at face value. If you're building year-over-year reports, you'll need to either pull "all views" metrics for consistency or note the methodology break.

If you run upper-funnel awareness campaigns, expect bigger reported drops than lower-funnel retargeting. That doesn't mean those campaigns stopped working. It means Amazon is no longer giving them full conversion credit.

Unified Campaign Manager (Ads Console + DSP Merger)

What Changed

Amazon merged its Advertising Console and Amazon DSP into a single platform called Campaign Manager. One login, one dashboard for Sponsored Ads and DSP. Format-based buying, clearer product names, streamlined navigation.

Sponsored Display is being absorbed into a broader "Display Ads" offering that bridges sponsored ads and DSP workflows.

Status

Open beta launched in November 2025 for self-service advertisers in the US. Managed-service DSP accounts got access in Q1 2026.

Why This Matters

If you've ever run Sponsored Brands and DSP campaigns for the same brand, you know the friction of switching between platforms. That's gone. You can now plan, activate, and report across both from the same interface.

This also makes DSP inventory more accessible to advertisers who previously only used the Sponsored Ads console. You don't have to pay DSP minimums just to access the unified platform. You can keep running Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and video/audio/display formats with no added fees. DSP still has its own spend requirements if you want programmatic inventory.

What to Do

If you're managing multiple ad types for a brand, consolidate your workflow into Campaign Manager. The reporting is better when everything lives in one place.

If you've avoided DSP because the separate platform felt like too much overhead, test a small DSP display campaign now that it's part of the same dashboard you already use.

Agencies: this simplifies client reporting and reduces the number of logins your team needs to manage across accounts.

AI Agents: Ads Agent and Creative Agent

Amazon introduced two AI agents at unBoxed 2025: Ads Agent (for campaign automation) and Creative Agent (for ad creative production). Both are embedded in the Amazon Ads platform at no extra cost.

Ads Agent

What it does: Automates operational advertising tasks like campaign setup, targeting segment identification, budget pacing across hundreds of campaigns, and SQL query generation for Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC).

You upload a media plan; Ads Agent handles the setup. Campaigns only launch after you review and approve them.

Available in: Campaign Manager, AMC, Multimedia Solutions with Amazon DSP. Initially US-only, with global expansion expected later in 2026.

Why this matters: This is useful if you're managing many accounts or running complex multi-campaign programs. It's an execution accelerator, not a strategy substitute.

The risk is over-delegating. Don't let the AI make strategic decisions without understanding what it's optimizing for. Use it to speed up setup and pacing adjustments, not to hand off campaign direction.

What to do: Test it on a routine campaign setup task (something you've done before and know how to QA). See whether Ads Agent saves you time or introduces mistakes you then have to fix. Don't use it for your most important campaigns until you've verified it handles edge cases correctly.

Creative Agent

What it does: Generates campaign-ready ad assets (display, video, audio, and streaming TV) from ASINs or product URLs. Uses Amazon's retail signals and conversational prompts to produce brand-aligned creative.

Expanded to include streaming TV ad creation at unBoxed 2025, then got additional enhancements in March 2026.

Why this matters: This dramatically lowers the creative production barrier, especially for brands without in-house video or design resources. You can generate multiple creative variations and test them quickly.

But AI-generated creative often feels generic. If you have a strong visual identity, treat Creative Agent output as a starting point, not final work. Use it to draft concepts or test messaging angles, then refine with a designer.

What to do: Run a small test: generate three video variations for a Sponsored Brands video campaign, launch them, and compare performance to your existing creative baseline. If the AI versions perform within 10% of your human-produced assets, you can use Creative Agent for rapid testing. If they underperform significantly, keep using it for concepting only.

Streaming TV creative is the biggest gain here. It was previously a high-cost, high-barrier format. If you've wanted to test streaming TV but couldn't justify the production budget, this removes that obstacle.

Full-Funnel Campaigns (Coming in 2026)

What It Is

Amazon's first AI-powered full-funnel campaign type. Activates across display, video, and streaming TV in a single workflow. Dynamically adjusts creative, targeting, and budgets for both new-to-brand discovery and sales impact.

Status

Announced at unBoxed 2025, launching sometime in 2026. No specific date yet.

Why This Matters

This simplifies what previously required coordinating multiple campaign types across the funnel. Instead of running separate awareness, consideration, and conversion campaigns, you set up one full-funnel campaign and let Amazon's AI allocate budget based on performance.

The question is whether Amazon's automated optimization aligns with your brand's specific funnel strategy. If you have a clear reason to weight spend toward upper-funnel awareness (e.g., launching a new product category), you may not want Amazon's AI redistributing that budget toward immediate conversions.

What to Do

Wait for the official launch, then test it on a product that doesn't have complex funnel requirements. Compare results to your current multi-campaign funnel setup. If full-funnel campaigns perform within range and save you operational time, expand. If they don't, keep using manual funnel orchestration.

Don't migrate high-stakes campaigns to this format until you've validated performance on lower-risk products.

Other Notable Updates

Brand Store Section-Level Insights

Amazon now provides analytics at the section level within Brand Stores, not just page-level or store-level data. You can see which specific sections drive engagement and conversions. Brand Store analytics are only available to sellers enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry.

Why this matters: If you're running traffic to a Brand Store, you can now identify which parts of the store are working and which aren't. Useful for optimizing store layout and prioritizing content updates.

DSP Podcast Inventory Access

Amazon DSP now includes access to Amazon's podcast inventory through the expanded Ads on Audio platform.

Why this matters: If you're running audio ads, you can now reach podcast listeners in addition to music streamers. Podcast listeners tend to be highly engaged and context-specific, which improves targeting relevance.

Retail Ad Service Updates

Amazon added new Retail Ad Service features for onsite merchandising, including improved recommendation logic and better integration with Sponsored Ads.

Why this matters: This is mostly relevant for first-party sellers and brands running co-op programs with Amazon Retail. Third-party sellers won't see direct impact unless they're participating in special retail partnerships.

What to Test First

If You're a Brand with Existing Sponsored Ads Campaigns

Check your January 2026 attribution data. Pull both standard metrics and "all views" metrics. Identify where the gap is largest and decide whether you need to adjust internal reporting or stakeholder communication.

Test unified Campaign Manager if you run DSP or multiple ad formats. Consolidate your workflow and see whether the new interface saves time.

Try Creative Agent for one Sponsored Brands video campaign. Generate three variations, test them, and compare performance to your existing creative baseline.

If You're an Agency Managing Multiple Accounts

Standardize on unified Campaign Manager. The single-dashboard workflow will reduce login overhead and improve cross-format reporting.

Test Ads Agent for routine campaign setups. Use it to automate media plan execution on accounts where you're already confident in the strategy.

Prepare client communication around the attribution change. Make sure your account teams can explain the January 2026 methodology shift before clients ask why ROAS dropped.

If You're New to Amazon Ads or Running Small-Scale Campaigns

Ignore the AI agents for now. Focus on getting your core Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands campaigns working first.

Track the new attribution metrics and the legacy metrics side by side. This helps you understand how Amazon is evaluating performance even if you're not running view-heavy campaigns yet.

Wait on full-funnel campaigns. They're designed for advertisers managing complex multi-stage strategies. If you're still figuring out baseline campaign structure, stick with simpler formats.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is new in Amazon advertising in 2026?

The biggest change is the new attribution model that launched January 1, 2026. It tightened how view-through conversions are counted, which affects reported ROAS and purchase metrics for Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display, and DSP campaigns. Amazon also merged its Advertising Console and DSP into unified Campaign Manager, introduced AI agents for campaign automation and creative production, and announced a new full-funnel campaign type.

Which Amazon Ads updates matter most for sellers and brands?

The attribution model change affects everyone immediately because it changes how your performance is reported. Unified Campaign Manager matters if you run multiple ad formats or DSP. AI agents (Ads Agent and Creative Agent) are useful for reducing manual work but aren't must-haves. Full-funnel campaigns are coming later in 2026 and are designed for advertisers managing complex funnel strategies.

How did Amazon change attribution reporting in 2026?

Amazon replaced the flat 14-day view-through attribution window with a shopping-signal enhanced model that only counts ad views during discovery moments (times when someone is actively exploring products or categories). Passive scroll-through impressions no longer get full conversion credit. This means reported ROAS and purchase counts dropped for many campaigns starting January 1, 2026, even if actual performance stayed the same.

What is Ads Agent in Amazon Ads?

Ads Agent is an AI tool embedded in Amazon's advertising platform that automates operational tasks like campaign setup, targeting selection, budget pacing, and AMC query generation. You upload a media plan and Ads Agent handles execution. Campaigns only launch after you review and approve them. It's currently available in the US with global expansion expected in 2026.

What is Creative Agent in Amazon Ads?

Creative Agent is an AI tool that generates display, video, audio, and streaming TV ad creative from ASINs or product URLs. It uses Amazon's retail signals and conversational prompts to produce brand-aligned assets. It's available at no extra cost within Amazon's Creative Studio. The main use case is rapid creative testing and reducing production costs for video formats.

Which campaign types are affected by Amazon's new view-through attribution model?

Sponsored Brands campaigns, Sponsored Display campaigns billed on viewable CPM, and Amazon DSP campaigns serving ads in the Amazon Store are all affected. Click-based attribution didn't change, so Sponsored Products campaigns and any ad clicked before purchase still use the same attribution logic.

What Amazon advertising changes should brands test first?

Start by checking your attribution data. Pull both the new standard metrics and the legacy "all views" metrics to see where the gap is. If you run multiple ad formats, test unified Campaign Manager. If you need creative, try Creative Agent for one video campaign and compare performance to your existing assets. Don't test everything at once. Prioritize based on what actually affects your workflow or reporting right now.

Should brands change strategy after new Amazon Ads reporting updates?

Not necessarily. The attribution change is a reporting methodology shift, not a signal that your campaigns stopped working. If your Sponsored Display retargeting campaign shows a ROAS drop in January 2026, check whether performance actually declined or whether Amazon just stopped crediting passive impressions. Track both standard metrics and "all views" metrics to understand the difference. Adjust internal reporting and stakeholder communication, but don't overhaul your strategy unless you see a real performance decline in the "all views" data.

What This Means for Your Amazon Advertising Strategy

Amazon didn't just release new features. It restructured how attribution works, how campaigns are managed, and how creative gets produced. The attribution change is the most disruptive because it affects every advertiser's reporting, whether they're ready for it or not. The unified Campaign Manager and AI agents are workflow improvements that save time if you use them correctly but won't fix a bad strategy.

The pattern across all these updates: Amazon is betting on AI to simplify operational complexity while tightening how it measures performance. That's useful if you're managing scale. It's risky if you let AI make decisions you don't understand.

Test the tools. Track both the new attribution metrics and the legacy metrics. Don't assume a ROAS drop in January 2026 means your campaigns failed. Check the methodology before changing strategy.

If you need help interpreting these changes or want a second opinion on how the new attribution model affects your specific campaigns, talk to our team. We manage Amazon advertising for brands navigating exactly these transitions.

Connect with our team about your Amazon advertising strategy