Amplify Prime Day ROI with Amazon Marketing Cloud

If you’re still targeting shoppers based on last-click attribution or running broad Sponsored Product ads without deeper insights, you’re flying blind during Prime Day and BFCM

Lucky for us, Destaney Wishon, Co-Founder of BTR Media and one of the smartest minds in Amazon advertising, has shared her go-to Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) strategy for driving results not just on Prime Day, but throughout the year.

Amazon Marketing Cloud

Amazon Marketing Cloud is your advanced audience and analytics engine. It helps brands build custom audience segments based on real cross-channel behavior and goes deeper than just surface-level clicks or add-to-carts. It also helps you visualize how shoppers are interacting across Sponsored Products (SP), Sponsored Brands (SB), DSP, and even OTT.

Instead of just targeting views or add-to-carts, you can get super specific; like ‘shoppers who saw an OTT ad, clicked a Sponsored Brand ad within 3 days, but didn’t purchase.

AMC Audience Strategy for Prime Day and Beyond

1. Intent-Based Segmentation: Capture Shoppers with Purchase Potential

Prime Day advertising must be strategic because of how oversaturated it is. The focus should be on putting your product in front of shoppers who are actively shopping but haven’t bought yet. AMC lets you build audiences based on behavior signals like product views, ad engagement, and recency.

“Target shoppers based on recent behavior signals: ideal for NTB (new-to-brand) acquisition,” says Destaney.

Run SP, SB, or DSP campaigns to high-likelihood audiences to drive consideration at exactly the right moment.

2. Re-Engage the Almost Buyers: Clicked or Added to Cart But Didn’t Purchase

You know who’s one retargeted ad away from converting? The folks who clicked your ad or added to cart and then disappeared. These users are low-hanging fruit. Retarget them with Sponsored Display or DSP to re-enter the consideration phase and close the sale.

Use shorter lookback windows (3–5 days) in the days leading up to Prime Day to get in front of these users before they check out your competitors.

3. Double Down on Retention: Re-Engage Past Customers

Prime Day isn’t just for new customers. It’s also a great time to reward loyalty and boost LTV.

“Perfect for CPG brands focused on Subscribe & Save or building LTV,” says Destaney. “Create loyalty and drive repeat purchases with ads that reinforce value and convenience.”

Set up AMC audiences of prior purchasers and run Sponsored Display, DSP, or even SBV campaigns focused on bundles, S&S, or new product drops.

AMC Analytics Moves: What to Measure Before Prime Day or Black Friday/Cyber Monday

Getting ahead of Prime Day means knowing when—and where—shoppers convert. Destaney’s team uses AMC to track two critical insights:

➤ Time-to-Conversion: Warm Up Early

 “If your top-of-funnel traffic usually takes 7–10 days to purchase, you want to start warming those shoppers now,” Destaney explains.

AMC breaks this down by ad type, product, and even ASIN journey—so you know when to launch upper-funnel awareness campaigns (hint: well before the event starts).

➤ Ad Type Overlap: Maximize Your Media Mix

Use AMC Ad Type overlap to understand how all of your ad types are working together. Instead of running SBV or SP in isolation, pair it intentionally.

For Prime Day shoppers—who are comparing, researching, and bouncing between listings—this is critical. According to BTR’s Q2 data, layering SBV into a holistic strategy boosted purchase rates by 4x.

How to Execute in Your Amazon Ads Campaigns

Here’s how Destaney recommends putting it all together:

• Use AUTO campaigns for wide coverage and keyword discovery
  
• Layer AMC audiences with Helium 10 keyword insights for hyper-specific targeting
  
• Test + iterate across product types—this strategy worked especially well for pet food brands in Q2
  

Why an AMC Strategy Wins

What makes this strategy different? It’s data-first. It’s tested. And it treats Prime Day as a full-funnel event, not just a discount race.

With Helium 10’s insights on keyword trends, competitor behavior, and listing optimization and Destaney’s AMC segmentation playbook, you’ve got all the tools to crush Prime Day and every big sales event after.