Amazon restarted spending on Google Shopping ads across its international domains exactly one month after abruptly pausing them, in a move that Search Engine Land says now looks like a “deliberate marketing test” — although no-one really knows for sure.
Quick Backstory: At the end of July, I reported that Amazon removed its entire Google Shopping advertising presence across all major markets, including the U.S., UK, Germany, and Japan, in a move that ended up lasting for 31 days. (However no-one knew at the time how long it would last.) Amazon's median Shopping ad impression share dropped from as high as 60% in some categories to 0%, marking one of the company's most dramatic exits from Google's retail ad ecosystem in recent history.
Now Search Engine Land and Digiday are reporting that Amazon's international domains are once again running Shopping ads, other than in the U.S.
According to Mike Ryan, head of e-commerce insights at Smart Commerce, Amazon’s share in every market other than the U.S. is back up to previous levels. Ryan said, “It was as if nothing had happened.”
Amazon declined to comment on the matter (of course), but the data speaks for itself. The company's activity on Google Shopping ads is visible to ad managers through Google's Auction Insights tool, which provides the ability to monitor your own search impressions versus those of competitors.
Ryan commented on what to expect next:
“Amazon left. The vacuum got filled nearly instantaneously. It’s filled now, and Amazon’s jumping back in. So someone’s got to lose out on this situation and somehow, I don’t think it will be Temu and Walmart.”
Now marketers eagerly await to find out whether Amazon will also reactivate its ad campaigns in the U.S.