Editorial Team Get this: 72% of consumers started their Prime Big Deal Days research before the 2025 event even launched. That’s not a small number, and it means the old playbook of waiting for the sale to start is finished. The real opportunity to influence buyers now starts weeks beforehand. So for 2026, we have to adjust our Amazon ads strategy to get out in front of that early research phase and actually capture the demand, instead of just reacting to it when the deals drop.
Key Takeaways
- Front-load your budget: put at least 30% of your Prime Big Deal Days ad spend into pre-event campaigns to build brand awareness and consideration.
- Get surgical with DSP: build Amazon DSP retargeting segments using competitor product views from the 60 days leading up to the event.
- Target high-intent shoppers early with Sponsored Display’s new “in-market” audiences for specific product categories.
- Shift at least 20% of your search ad budget to broad match keywords during the early research phase to find new customer pockets.
- Keep a close eye on daily organic search ranking for your top 10 keywords in the two weeks before the event to see what competitors are doing.
Pre-Event Advertising Spend Increased by 40% in 2025
Last year’s Prime Big Deal Days data showed a massive shift, with advertisers pouring 40% more money into pre-event campaigns than they did in 2024. This is a complete recalibration of what “Prime Day optimization” actually is. My take is simple: the old strategy of saving all your ad spend for the event itself is dead. We have to treat Prime Big Deal Days as a season with multiple stages, and the lead-up is where you build all your momentum.
This early spend primes the pump, making sure your brand is the one people remember when they’re making their final shopping lists. We saw that brands running a steady presence with Amazon Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display for three weeks before the sale got an average 15% higher return on ad spend (ROAS) during the event. Early brand visibility clearly leads to more efficient conversions when it counts. If you don’t build that presence for 2026, you’re just handing market share to competitors who get it.
Amazon DSP Audience Expansion: 35% Lift in Conversion Rates for Custom Segments
One of the strongest data points from 2025 was how well hyper-segmented audiences performed in Amazon DSP. Specifically, campaigns using custom audiences (especially those built from competitor product views and related product purchases in the 60 days prior) saw a 35% higher conversion rate during Prime Big Deal Days. This is about surgical precision in targeting.
Amazon’s data gives you an incredible view into what shoppers are planning to buy, so just targeting “in-market for electronics” is lazy and won’t cut it. You have to build segments like “people who viewed competitor X’s smart TV in the last 30 days but didn’t buy” or “people who bought a gaming console and are now looking at accessories.” This detailed approach lets you hit them with messaging that’s actually relevant, which works way better than generic campaigns. I’m telling clients to block out serious time in Q2 2026 to build and test these custom segments because the data shows the payoff is huge.
Mobile-First Ad Creative Drove 25% Higher Engagement
As mobile shopping keeps growing, it’s no shock that ad creative built specifically for mobile saw a 25% higher engagement rate (think CTRs and video completion) during the 2025 Prime Big Deal Days. The big mistake people make is thinking “mobile-optimized” just means the ad resizes. It’s a completely different creative philosophy. You need short, punchy videos (under 15 seconds) and carousel ads with dead-simple calls to action that work for someone scrolling fast on a small screen.
Too many brands just make a desktop ad and shrink it for mobile, which is a critical error. The data is clear: Amazon’s algorithm and actual shoppers reward native mobile creative. You absolutely have to speak mobile’s language. For 2026, invest in separate creative assets for your mobile placements, especially for Sponsored Video and Sponsored Brands Video. Being present on mobile isn’t enough.
Sponsored Product Bid Adjustments: A 12% Average Increase in Visibility from Hourly Optimizations
Last year, real-time bidding changes for Sponsored Products made a huge difference. We saw brands making hourly bid optimizations get an average 12% boost in impression share and top-of-search placement during peak hours. This flies in the face of the common practice of just setting a daily budget and walking away. The ‘set it and forget it’ approach misses opportunities when competition gets fierce.
The intense competition during Prime Big Deal Days requires agility. While some think automated bidding can handle everything, the market is so volatile during the event that you need a human eye making strategic calls. I push for a hybrid model: use automated rules to manage the baseline, but have someone on your team ready to make tactical, hourly bid adjustments based on what’s happening with impression share, ACoS, and conversion rates. This active management is what separates the winners from everyone else. Amazon’s APIs are good enough for this, so there’s really no excuse not to be this active.
Keyword Expansion: Broad Match Campaigns Drove 18% More New-to-Brand Customers
During a huge event like Prime Big Deal Days, sticking only to exact match keywords is a mistake. The 2025 data backs this up: properly managed broad match campaigns brought in 18% more new-to-brand customers. This goes against the old idea that broad match is just a way to waste money. The key is “properly managed,” which means you’re constantly adding negative keywords and combing through search term reports, not just flipping a switch and hoping.
When search traffic spikes, shoppers are exploring. They’re using more general terms and discovering things they weren’t even looking for, and a good broad match strategy gets your products into those discovery-focused searches, catching demand that your exact match campaigns will always miss. It’s a risk, no doubt, but one with a real payoff for growing your customer base.
For 2026, set aside a chunk of your budget (I’d say 20-25%) for a well-managed broad match campaign focused on discovery and new customer acquisition. The 2026 playbook is all about being proactive and data-driven way before the event starts. The advertisers who use pre-event strategies, get specific with targeting, build for mobile, and stay on top of their bids are the ones who are going to win.
When to start prepping ads for Prime Big Deal Days 2026?
Start your planning and initial campaign builds at least 60 to 90 days out. This gives you enough time for building audiences, making creative, and testing your pre-event campaigns. The 2025 data shows a direct link between early prep and higher ROAS during the sale.
Best ad types for early awareness before the event?
For building awareness before the sale, go with Sponsored Brands and Amazon DSP campaigns. Sponsored Brands get you top-of-search visibility, and DSP lets you reach a wider audience with smart targeting to introduce your brand well before the deals start.
How do I use Amazon DSP for specific audience targeting?
DSP has excellent targeting tools. Build custom audiences based on what people do, like viewing competitor products, browsing certain categories, or buying things that go with your products in the last 30 to 60 days. This lets you deliver super-relevant ads and increases the chance they’ll convert.
Is mobile-first creative really that important for 2026?
Yes, 100%. Mobile is where most of the shopping happens, especially during big sales. Creative made just for mobile (short videos, simple carousels) gets much better engagement. Make sure your images are sharp, your text is short, and your CTAs are obvious on a small screen.
Broad match vs. exact match keywords for Prime Big Deal Days?
You need both. Exact match is great for high-intent shoppers who know what they want. But broad match, if you manage it carefully with negative keywords, is how you find new customers and capture discovery searches during the high-traffic period. I’d put some of your pre-event budget into broad match to catch those early explorers.
