Amazon DSP vs Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC): What Each Does and Who Can Use Them in India

Amazon DSP, now called DVA, is a tool to buy display, video, audio and streaming TV ads. Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) is not a buying tool: Amazon describes it as "a secure, privacy-safe, and cloud-based clean room solution" for analytics and audience building. Since 16 September 2025, Sponsored Ads advertisers can open AMC themselves in their ads console, and India is in the markets Amazon lists. You do not need DSP to use it.

What is the difference in one table?

Sources for the table: the DSP product page and the AMC product page.

What does Amazon DSP do?

Amazon's page describes DSP as a programmatic tool to buy display, video, audio and streaming TV ads across Amazon properties and third-party sites, with self-service and managed-service options. On 29 September 2026 Amazon renamed it DVA, short for display, video and audio, as part of a merger of the ads console and DSP under the name Amazon Ads Agent. For buying, minimums and when it pays off, see our Amazon DSP India guide.

What does Amazon Marketing Cloud do?

AMC lets you run analysis on pseudonymised signals, including Amazon Ads signals and your own data. Amazon's page says you can "generate, visualize, and act on insights with a few clicks and no SQL needed", query event-level and user-level signals with custom metrics under built-in aggregation thresholds, and build custom audiences from engagement records, conversion events and segment information. AMC "only accepts pseudonymized information".

In plain language: AMC answers questions such as how many shoppers saw your Sponsored Brands ad and later bought a different product from you, or which ad combinations lead to a repeat purchase. That is analysis you cannot get from the standard reports. Starter queries are in AMC query templates for sellers.

Who can use AMC in India?

Access has widened in two steps.

1. 15 October 2024. Amazon DSP stopped being a requirement for partners. All Amazon DSP direct advertisers and all partners registered with the Amazon Ads Partner Network could register, so advertisers using only sponsored ads through partners could reach AMC. India was in the listed Asia Pacific markets.
2. 16 September 2025. Sponsored Ads advertisers got instant, self-service AMC access inside their Amazon Ads account, with no-code templates, AI-powered assistance, and audience creation. You find it in the console navigation under Measurement and Reporting.

Amazon's AMC page adds that eligibility and regional access depend on the ad product and the country, and that advertisers wanting advanced DVA+ settings should contact their Ad Tech account executive.

How do DSP and AMC work together?

AMC is where you learn; the ads tools are where you act. Amazon says AMC audiences "can be directly activated for media buying across sponsored ads, video ads, and display ads". A common loop:

1. Run Sponsored Products or DSP campaigns.
2. Use AMC to see how audiences, placements and frequency link to purchases.
3. Build an audience from what converts.
4. Activate it in a sponsored ads or DVA campaign.
5. Measure again.

The step that most sellers skip is the first question: what do you want to learn? Write it down before you write a query.

What can AMC not do?

Knowing the limits saves time. AMC does not show you named customers: Amazon says it only accepts pseudonymised information and applies aggregation thresholds, so very small groups will not return results. It does not replace your standard campaign reports, and it does not run your campaigns. It also cannot fix a listing that does not convert. If a Sponsored Products campaign loses money because the price is too high or the reviews are weak, AMC will show you the pattern, not the cure.

A worked example in rupees

This is an illustration, not a benchmark. A skincare brand spends ₹2 lakh a month on Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands. In AMC it finds that many buyers first saw a Sponsored Brands ad for its face wash and bought its moisturiser a week later, which the standard report credits to a different campaign. It builds an audience of face wash viewers who did not buy and runs a small follow-up campaign aimed at them. The AMC step cost no media money. The follow-up campaign does, and it is judged against break-even ACOS like any other. The DSP only enters if the brand then wants to reach the same audience on video or display, where it would need a quote from Amazon and a decision on self-service or managed.

What do agency blogs claim, and why be careful?

Some Indian agency blogs state rupee minimums for DSP and AMC, and claim that using DSP without AMC is "blind" or that brands see "3 to 5 times" higher ROAS. One such article contains no citations for its minimums, which range from ₹2 lakh to ₹30 lakh a month across DSP and AMC and contradict each other, and the author sells AMC access. Amazon's own pages say AMC is free to eligible advertisers and list no India minimum. Treat these claims as unverified and ask for Amazon's own terms.

Which should you use first?

• You run only Sponsored Products and want to understand your customers better: AMC first, if it shows in your console. It is built into the account.
• You want reach beyond Amazon search, and have the budget: DSP, after your search campaigns are profitable.
• You use an agency: ask which tool they use for what, and who owns the data and audiences.

AMC needs people who can write or adapt queries, or use templates, so it can be a time cost even when software is free. For a budget view of ads overall, read the Amazon Ads guide for India.

FAQ

Is Amazon Marketing Cloud free? Amazon's AMC page says it is available at no cost to eligible advertisers via web UI and API. Eligibility and regional access depend on the ad product and country. Costs of agencies or software around it are separate.

Do I need Amazon DSP to use AMC? No. Since 16 September 2025, Amazon says Sponsored Ads advertisers get self-service access in their Amazon Ads account. Earlier access rules required DSP use or a registered partner.

Can AMC buy ads? No. AMC is analytics and audience building. You activate AMC audiences in sponsored ads, video or display campaigns.

Is AMC available in India? Yes. Amazon's October 2024 and September 2025 announcements both list India among Asia Pacific markets. Check your console for access on your account.

What is Ads Agent in AMC? Amazon said in March 2026 that Ads Agent, an AI assistant, was available within AMC and expected in Campaign Manager later that year.

Is Amazon DSP still called DSP? Amazon announced on 29 September 2026 that it is now called DVA. Many sellers still use the old name.

Do I need SQL? Amazon says you can get insights with a few clicks and no SQL needed. Custom queries need SQL knowledge, so templates help.

Next steps

Open the Measurement and Reporting menu in your console and check whether AMC is there. If it is, start with one question and one template. Blooprint's Amazon account management team, a Bengaluru e-commerce agency and Amazon Ads Advanced Partner, can set up the first queries with you.