If you’re coming from Facebook or Google ads, retargeting feels simple:
A shopper visits your product page, your pixel fires, and you follow them around the internet until they buy.
On Amazon, it doesn’t work like that.
Sellers often ask:
“How do I retarget my customers on Amazon using Sponsored Product ads?”
Here’s the honest answer:
- Sponsored Products is not classic retargeting.
- But you can create a powerful Amazon retargeting system using Sponsored Products as a support layer—paired with Sponsored Display audiences.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- what retargeting means on Amazon in 2026
- what Sponsored Products can and cannot do for retargeting
- the best way to retarget shoppers who viewed your listing but didn’t buy
- how to retarget past buyers for repeat purchase and cross-sell
- a campaign structure you can copy
- and the common mistakes that waste budget
What “Retargeting” Means on Amazon
On Amazon, retargeting is less about tracking people across websites and more about reaching Amazon shoppers again inside Amazon—based on Amazon’s own shopping signals.
Amazon can retarget people based on actions like:
- viewing a product detail page
- browsing a category
- shopping similar products
- purchasing a product (depending on eligibility and ad type)
This is why the most effective Amazon retargeting is usually done through:
✅ Sponsored Display (audiences and remarketing)
…and then reinforced with:
✅ Sponsored Products (keyword + product targeting)
Sponsored Products is the “conversion workhorse.”
Sponsored Display is the “audience memory.”
Together, they act like a real retargeting funnel.
Can You Retarget With Sponsored Products?
Not directly.
Sponsored Products does not allow you to say:
“Show my ad to people who viewed my product in the last 30 days.”
However, Sponsored Products can still support retargeting in two key ways:
1) Defensive visibility on your own listings
When someone views your product, Amazon often shows competitor ads on your page.
If you run Sponsored Products Product Targeting against your own ASINs, you can:
- occupy sponsored placements on your own detail pages
- reduce competitor conquesting
- keep the shopper inside your brand ecosystem
This isn’t “audience retargeting,” but it keeps your brand in front of shoppers at the moment of decision.
2) High-intent interception
If a shopper viewed you and then starts comparing competitors, Sponsored Products can still “find them” if you:
- bid on your category keywords
- target competitor ASINs where shoppers comparison-shop
- show up in the same product clusters
So while Sponsored Products isn’t true retargeting, it captures retargeting intent signals inside Amazon’s shopping loop.
The Best Amazon Retargeting Strategy (Sponsored Display + Sponsored Products)
To do retargeting properly, think in 3 layers:
Layer 1: Bring back non-buyers (Viewed, didn’t purchase)
This is the most powerful and most comparable to pixel retargeting.
Use Sponsored Display Views Remarketing
Target shoppers who viewed your product detail page (or similar products) and didn’t buy.
Goal:
- recover abandoned shoppers
- increase conversion volume
- improve brand recall
Layer 2: Drive repeat purchase / cross-sell (Past buyers)
Repeat purchase is where Amazon brands print money.
Use Sponsored Display Purchase Audiences
Target people who bought your product (or category) to:
- drive replenishment
- cross-sell complementary products
- upsell premium versions
Layer 3: Defend and reinforce (Sponsored Products)
Use Sponsored Products to:
- protect your own PDPs
- show up on competitor pages
- maintain keyword visibility so returning shoppers see you again
This is how you build a “retargeting engine” that doesn’t rely on off-Amazon pixels.
Step-by-Step: How to Set It Up
Step 1: Identify what you’re retargeting for
Before you create campaigns, decide the goal:
Goal A: Recover abandoned shoppers
- viewed but didn’t buy
- this is your best “quick win” retargeting pool
Goal B: Drive repeat purchase
- replenishable products (filters, supplements, consumables)
- accessories and refills
- seasonal reorders
Goal C: Cross-sell and upsell
- bundle upgrades
- premium variants
- complementary products
Different goals = different creatives, bids, and budgets.
Step 2: Build Sponsored Display campaigns first (true retargeting)
Campaign 1: Views Remarketing (7–14 day window)
- Target: viewed your product detail pages recently
- Audience window: start with shorter windows (7–14 days)
- Budget: controlled
- Bid strategy: conservative until you confirm conversion
Why:
Recent viewers are the highest intent.
Pro tip:
Don’t go too broad too fast. Short windows often convert best.
Campaign 2: Views Remarketing (30-day window)
Once 7–14 day works, expand to 30-day.
This catches slower decision cycles.
Campaign 3: Past Purchasers (repeat purchase)
If your product has replenishment cycles, target past purchasers with:
- refill reminders
- bundles
- multi-packs
- subscribe-and-save messaging (where applicable)
Pro tip:
This is where margins can get very strong because trust is already built.
Step 3: Layer Sponsored Products to “defend and intercept”
Now we support the funnel with Sponsored Products.
Sponsored Products Campaign A: Self-ASIN defense (product targeting)
Target your own ASINs.
Why?
Because your competitors are targeting you.
If you don’t defend, Amazon will gladly sell your customer to someone else.
How:
- Create a product targeting campaign
- Add your own hero ASINs as targets
- Keep bids low to start (this is often cheap traffic)
- Measure CVR and ACOS
Sponsored Products Campaign B: Competitor interception (product targeting)
Target competitor ASINs where:
- you have a review advantage
- you have a price/value advantage
- your main image and offer are clearly stronger
The goal:
If they’re comparing, you appear.
Sponsored Products Campaign C: Brand + category keyword defense
Bid on:
- branded terms
- top category terms that represent high intent
This catches returning shoppers who go back to search instead of clicking a display ad.
What Budget Should You Allocate?
A simple starting framework:
- 70–80% of spend: Sponsored Products (conversion engine)
- 10–20%: Sponsored Display Views Remarketing (recover abandoned)
- 5–10%: Sponsored Display Purchase Audiences (repeat/cross-sell)
Adjust based on category and repeat purchase potential.
If your product is highly replenishable, you may allocate more to past purchasers.
The Biggest Mistakes Sellers Make With Amazon Retargeting
Mistake 1: Expecting Sponsored Products to do pixel retargeting
It won’t. You need Sponsored Display for true audience remarketing.
Mistake 2: Retargeting without fixing the listing
If your listing doesn’t convert, retargeting just brings back people who won’t buy.
Fix first:
- main image
- price positioning
- reviews
- A+ clarity
Mistake 3: Going too broad too fast
Broad retargeting windows can waste spend.
Start tight (recent viewers), then expand.
Mistake 4: Not defending your own PDP
If competitors are on your listing and you’re not, you’re leaving money on the table.
Mistake 5: Measuring wrong
Don’t measure success by impressions.
Measure:
- incremental sales
- blended TACoS improvement
- repeat purchase lift
- ACOS by audience window
Practical Example Strategy (Simple and Effective)
If you want a clean retargeting system, run:
- SD Views Remarketing 14-day
- SD Views Remarketing 30-day
- SD Past Purchasers
- SP Self-ASIN defense
- SP Competitor ASIN targeting
- SP Brand keyword defense
That’s it.
It’s not complicated—just disciplined.
Final Takeaway
You can’t retarget customers on Amazon with Sponsored Products the way you do on Facebook.
But you can still build a powerful retargeting engine on Amazon by:
✅ using Sponsored Display for true audience remarketing
✅ using Sponsored Products to defend your listings and intercept comparison shoppers
✅ keeping targeting tight and budgets controlled
✅ improving listing conversion so retargeting actually converts
