What Is Amazon Marketing Cloud?

Amazon Marketing Cloud — or AMC — is a free analytics tool from Amazon that lets advertisers dig deep into how their ads are performing. Think of it as a supercharged reporting dashboard, but one that can answer questions your regular Amazon reports simply can't.

Launched in 2021, AMC is what's known as a "clean room" — a secure, private environment where Amazon's data and your own customer data can sit side by side. Neither Amazon nor you can see each other's raw data directly. Instead, you get combined insights that are anonymised and privacy-safe.

The core idea: rather than seeing basic totals (like total clicks or total sales), AMC lets you understand the journey your customers take — from first seeing an ad, to browsing your products, to finally buying.

How Does AMC Actually Work?

Here's the technical bit — but don't worry, we'll keep it simple.

When someone sees your ads on Amazon (whether that's a Sponsored Product, a video ad on Prime Video, or a display ad), Amazon records that event. AMC stores these events in a secure, private environment — one that's dedicated entirely to your brand.

You can then bring in your own data (like your customer email list or purchase history), and AMC combines the two. From there, you run queries — basically questions you ask the data — to get answers about your customers' behaviour.

The key thing to understand is that AMC only ever gives back aggregated, anonymous results. You'll never see one individual customer's data. You'll see patterns, trends, and behaviours across groups of real shoppers.

What Can You Actually Do With AMC?

This is where AMC gets genuinely exciting. Here are the main things advertisers use it for:

In short: AMC moves you from knowing what happened to understanding why it happened — and what to do next.

Building Custom Audiences With AMC

One of the most powerful features in AMC is the ability to create your own audiences and then use them in your Amazon ad campaigns.

Standard Amazon audiences are useful — but they're the same ones every other advertiser can use. AMC lets you build audiences that are unique to your brand, based on real behaviour. Here are some examples:

• 01

  Cart Abandoners

  People who added your product to their cart but didn't buy. Retarget these high-intent shoppers with a well-timed ad.

• 02

  Streaming TV Viewers Who Haven't Purchased

  Customers who saw your video ad on Prime Video but haven't converted yet. Follow up with a lower-funnel display or sponsored ad.

• 03

  Lapsed Buyers

  Customers who bought from you 12+ months ago but haven't come back. Re-engage them with a fresh campaign.

• 04

  High-Value Lookalikes

  Take your best customers and find new shoppers on Amazon who behave similarly. Expand your reach intelligently.

• 05

  Over-Exposed Audiences (Exclusions)

  Identify people who've seen your ads far too many times and exclude them — saving budget and protecting brand perception.

Lookback Windows: How Far Back Can You See?

One of AMC's biggest recent upgrades is how far back in time you can look at your data.

By default, AMC keeps up to 12.5 months of ad event data — so you can analyse roughly the past year of campaign activity.

With the 5-Year Retail Lookback (a paid feature at $500/month, with a free 60-day trial), you can access up to five years of purchase history from Amazon stores. This is transformative for brands with longer buying cycles — think furniture, appliances, supplements, or seasonal products.

The New AI-Powered Tools in AMC

Historically, AMC required you to write SQL — a programming language for querying databases. That meant you either needed a data analyst on your team or had to hire an agency. That's changing fast.

• 01

  The AI SQL Generator

  Type what you want in plain English — like "show me customers who watched my streaming TV ad but haven't purchased" — and AMC writes the SQL code for you. What used to take hours now takes minutes.

• 02

  Ads Agent (No-Code Interface)

  A conversational AI assistant built into AMC. Ask it questions, build audiences, and get insights through a natural back-and-forth chat — no technical knowledge required.

Who Needs AMC?

AMC isn't for every advertiser — at least not at every stage. Here's a simple way to think about whether it's right for you right now:

That said, AMC is free to access — so there's no harm in getting it set up early and building up your data history, even if you're not ready to act on it yet.

How to Get Started With AMC

Getting access to AMC is a straightforward process, though there are a few requirements you'll need to meet first.

• 01

  Check Your Eligibility

  You need an active Amazon DSP agreement (called a Master Service Agreement or MSA), and campaigns that have run in the last 28 days. Sponsored Ads advertisers can also now access AMC — you don't always need DSP.

• 02

  Contact Your Amazon Ads Rep

  Reach out to your Amazon Advertising account executive to request AMC access. They'll guide you through setup and help determine if it's the right fit.

• 03

  Set Up Your AWS Account (if using the API)

  For more advanced use, you'll connect AMC to an Amazon Web Services (AWS) account. This is where your query outputs are stored — typically in an S3 bucket (a secure cloud storage folder).

• 04

  Define Your Goals First

  Before diving into data, decide what questions you actually want answered. Are you trying to understand your media mix? Reduce wasted frequency? Build better audiences? Start with one question, not twenty.

• 05

  Use Templates to Start

  Amazon provides a library of pre-built SQL queries and no-code templates. Use these before writing anything custom — they cover the most common and valuable use cases out of the box.

• 06

  Consider Getting Certified

  Amazon offers a free AMC Certification course for those with some SQL experience. It validates your knowledge and helps you get far more out of the platform.

Common Questions Answered