As retail media networks gear up for transformative changes in 2025, this week’s newsletter covers Amazon’s major moves in the space – from launching their retail ad tech service for other retailers to introducing AI-powered SQL generation in Amazon Marketing Cloud. We’re also tracking Disney’s strategic streaming merger, new product title requirements coming to Amazon, and insights from industry experts on the evolution of retail media advertising.
Amazon Retail Ad Tech Service Expands
Amazon’s new retail advertising solution enables non-Amazon retailers to implement Amazon’s ad tech on their own websites and apps, allowing them to display contextually relevant sponsored product ads while maintaining control over their ad placements and advertiser relationships. For brands selling on either Amazon or these participating retail sites, this means an opportunity to advertise across multiple retail platforms while managing campaigns through Amazon’s familiar ad console.
Amazon Makes AMC Access Easier With AI-Generated SQL Queries
Amazon has launched a new generative AI-powered SQL query generator for its Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC), allowing advertisers to create custom audience segments using natural language commands instead of manual code writing. For brands advertising on Amazon, this means they can now more easily create complex cross-channel audience segments (including streaming TV and audio) by simply describing their desired audience in plain English, reducing query development time from hours to minutes.
The First TV Merger Of 2025 Could Be A Sign Of Things To Come
Disney’s merger of Hulu + Live TV with Fubo signals a trend toward streaming consolidation in 2025, which could simplify ad buying and offer advertisers greater scale, particularly in sports content where the combined platform will rival YouTube TV’s reach. For Amazon sellers utilizing streaming TV ads through Amazon DSP, this consolidation could mean more streamlined access to larger audiences, especially during live sports events.
Live Commerce Startup TalkShopLive Takes on TikTok With Shoppable Short-Form Videos for Meta
TalkShopLive’s new TSL Shoppettes feature enables shoppable video content on Meta platforms, with plans to expand to Amazon and other retailers in early 2025 – offering brands a potential alternative to TikTok that allows tagging up to 5 products per video and facilitates instant purchases through direct messaging.
Why 2025 Could Be A Pivotal Year For Retail Media Networks
Retail media networks are expected to become more mainstream in 2025, with 80% of top US retailers building or partnering to create their own networks, while key developments will include standardization of reporting, increased streaming ad inventory (led by Amazon Prime Video), and more partnerships between retailers and digital publishers. For brands selling on Amazon and other retail platforms, this indicates a broader opportunity to reach consumers across multiple channels while benefiting from more standardized reporting and self-service campaign management tools.
Retail Media Breakfast Club
Retail media industry maven Kiri Masters is back with a new podcast and video series, Retail Media Breakfast Club. You may know Kiri from her writing at Forbes, as the founder of Amazon agency Bobsled Marketing (acquired by Acadia in 2022), or as the former host of the Ecommerce Braintrust podcast. Besides Kiri’s sharp takes on retail media, what’s innovative about this new show is the format. Episodes drop every weekday at 6AM eastern, and are just 10 minutes long. One episode from this week that we loved is about the evolution of Sponsored Product Ads from keyword-first to product-first, and what that means for advertisers.
Check it out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Youtube →
Post From Envision Horizons:
Important Amazon Update: New Product Title Requirements Coming January 2025
Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming changes to product titles that could impact your listings’ visibility and performance…
Starting January 21, Amazon is implementing stricter title requirements to enhance customer experience:
200-character limit (including spaces) for most categories
Restricted use of special characters (!, $, ?, etc.)
No word repetition (except for prepositions and articles)
Why this matters: These changes align with Amazon’s focus on user intent and shopping experience.
What to do: Either systematically update your catalog to meet new requirements OR let Amazon’s system automatically optimize your titles for compliance and performance.
Pro Tip: This is an opportunity to rethink how your titles align with customer search intent. Amazon’s new approach prioritizes showing relevant product features based on shopping patterns.
Time-sensitive: Take action before January 21 to avoid potential listing suppressions. Amazon will provide override suggestions to brand owners, with a 14-day window to implement changes.
Post From Noah Wickham:
NEW AMAZON ADS BETA – Cross Retailer Sponsored Products
This is a HUGE change from Amazon that will effect sponsored ads as a whole
Being able to advertise your products not only on Amazon, but on other retailers with control is huge for brand awareness My hope over this beta is that Amazon starts fleshing out the partners
Things we don’t know yet:
– If listings will be created on those sites
– How attribution will work for these ads
– How many retailers we will end up with
– If this counts as a retailer sale or Amazon sale
– If there are additional fees associated with this
Overall, this could be a huge change in the Amazon Advertising space and really open up to some opportunity
Post From Vanessa Hung:
Now Amazon is creating code for us??? Let’s be real—how many of us actually enjoy writing SQL queries? Amazon just made that a thing of the past (well, almost).
Introducing the SQL Generator for Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC), or, as I like to call it, “the tool that lets you sound like a data genius without having to be one.”
This is why this is so good: Describe the audience you’re trying to reach—like “Customers who’ve seen my STV ads, visited my product page, but haven’t made a purchase in 30 days”, and the AI generative tool creates the query for you.
Even better, it explains the steps behind the code so you can understand the logic.
Full-Funnel Advertising Insights: This isn’t just about simplifying data queries—it’s about connecting the dots across Amazon’s ad ecosystem.
The SQL Generator allows you to:
– Build custom audiences: Use AMC signals to identify key customer behaviors and create hyper-relevant campaigns.
– Optimize multi-channel strategies: See how ads across streaming TV, audio, and Sponsored Products work together to drive conversions.
– Enhance ROI tracking: With cross-channel visibility, you’ll have the data to allocate budgets more effectively between brand-building campaigns and lower-funnel tactics.
So, overall, this isn’t just a productivity boost. It’s a whole new way to connect with your audience. Combine AMC’s shopping and streaming signals with this AI power, and you’re looking at smarter, faster, and more innovative campaigns.
Post From Todd M. Piechowski, MPA:
Excuses be gone. Amazon Marketing cloud queries can now be created as quickly as I typed this first sentence!
A natural language interface is coming for AMC that lets you create complex audience segments by simply typing what you want – like “Show me customers who saw our streaming TV ads but haven’t purchased in 30 days.” No more SQL headaches!
For those managing sophisticated cross-channel campaigns, this is huge:
- Query development time cut from hours to minutes
- No coding knowledge needed
- Easy activation in DSP and ads console
- Full funnel targeting across streaming TV, audio, and digital
Time to start experimenting with those complex audience segments you’ve been dreaming about!
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