In an exclusive conversation with MediaBrief, Kapil Sharma, Director, Amazon Ads India, discusses Amazon Ads’ full-funnel approach, the growing role of AI and creators, and how these tools are helping brands and SMBs drive growth through the festive season and beyond. Read on.
As consumers move fluidly between shopping, entertainment, discovery and research before making a purchase, brands are increasingly looking at ways to remain present across multiple stages of that journey. For Amazon Ads, this has meant building an advertising ecosystem that allows brands and sellers to engage consumers across the funnel, from awareness and consideration to purchase and loyalty.
Kapil Sharma, Director, Amazon Ads India, says the starting point is understanding the number of touchpoints through which consumers interact with Amazon, particularly during high-intent periods such as Diwali.
“I think you touched on the right keyword, which is full funnel. When we look at shoppers this Diwali, almost 91% of Diwali shoppers have said that they will be engaging with Amazon and its offerings,” he says.
“This includes shopping on Amazon, using Amazon’s delivery services, consuming content on Prime Video, using Fire TV, Alexa and Amazon Pay. There are multiple touchpoints through which consumers engage with Amazon.”
“As consumers go through this entire purchase journey on Amazon, we work towards enabling sellers and brands to leverage Amazon Ads solutions to be present across these multiple touchpoints and drive full-funnel visibility across the consumer journey”
According to Sharma, Amazon consequently becomes a platform not only for transactions but also for discovery and research.
“Amazon essentially becomes a go-to platform for consumers to discover products, learn about them and understand their features. Many also come to Amazon to look at reviews and ratings, which gives them confidence before eventually making a purchase.”
The opportunity for advertisers, he says, lies in being present across this journey rather than relying on a single advertising format or stage.
“As consumers go through this entire purchase journey on Amazon, we work towards enabling sellers and brands to leverage Amazon Ads solutions to be present across these multiple touchpoints and drive full-funnel visibility across the consumer journey.”
Building a full-funnel advertising ecosystem
At the awareness stage, Amazon Ads offers solutions including Prime Video ads and streaming TV ads. The company has also expanded its creator offering through the Amazon Ads Creator Program, which Sharma says can help brands bridge awareness and consideration through creator voices.
“At the top of the funnel, when we talk about awareness, we have solutions such as Prime Video ads and streaming TV ads,” he says.
“We have also recently launched the Amazon Ads Creator Program, which enables brands to drive awareness about their products and also support consideration. The interesting part is that this happens through the authentic voices of creators whom consumers trust.”
For consideration, Amazon DSP allows brands to reconnect with consumers who have already shown an interest in their products but have not yet purchased.
“For consideration, we have Amazon DSP, which helps brands reach consumers who may have viewed their products but have not purchased them. Brands can engage with these consumers again and explain the benefits and features of their products.”
At the lower end of the funnel, the focus shifts towards purchase, conversion and loyalty, with solutions including Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display and remarketing.
“At the bottom of the funnel, where the objective is to drive purchase, conversion and loyalty, we have solutions such as Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display and remarketing. These help brands engage with consumers who may have viewed their products in the past.”
For Sharma, the larger proposition is therefore about making full-funnel advertising accessible to SMBs as well as larger advertisers.
“So, it is full-funnel advertising being offered through Amazon Ads for SMBs, and many of them are using these solutions to achieve their objectives.”
Bringing creators into the consumer journey
Creator-led discovery has become an increasingly important component of the advertising mix as brands look to connect awareness with consideration and measurable business outcomes.
“When brand marketing and performance marketing come together, they have a much bigger impact. Based on a study we conducted, we found that brands that have done both performance and brand marketing in conjunction have seen their businesses grow multiple fold”
Sharma says the Amazon Ads Creator Program gives brands access to a sizeable creator ecosystem while also allowing them to measure performance across the funnel.
“The Amazon Ads Creator Program offers brands the ability to drive awareness and consideration through creators. It allows them to engage with more than 500,000 creators in India, while also getting full-funnel measurement.”
The growing relevance of creators comes against a backdrop of strong consumer intent going into the festive season.
“We are also seeing a strong interest from consumers and sellers as the festival season approaches. We conducted a survey which found that almost 61% of consumers are planning to spend more than what they spent during the previous Diwali.”
Also read: 87% of Indian SMBs say AI has expanded access to advertising: Amazon Ads study
For SMBs, meanwhile, AI is emerging as another potential growth lever. An AI study conducted by Amazon with Opinium among 300 SMBs in India found that businesses are looking beyond simply using AI to grow domestically.
“We also conducted a recent AI study along with Opinium across 300 SMBs in India. It showed that SMBs are looking forward to using AI tools not only to expand and grow their businesses in India, but also to explore opportunities beyond India. Almost 79% said they want to explore new markets with the help of AI tools.”
Making video advertising more accessible through AI
For smaller businesses, the cost, time and resources involved in producing video advertising can often be a barrier. Amazon Ads is looking to address that through AI-led creative tools such as Creative Agent.
“One of the core principles we work with at Amazon Ads is enabling SMBs, but also brands of all sizes, including large and mid-sized brands and small sellers launching new products, to leverage advertising effectively,” Sharma says.
“This is where tools such as Creative Agent become really helpful. With Creative Agent, SMBs can create professional videos, which was not always possible earlier because many businesses had to spend a lot of money or engage media agencies to get their creatives developed.”
The value, he says, lies not only in lowering the barrier to video production but also in compressing the time required to create an asset.
“The process is now streamlined and the window is shortened. They can create a video in a few clicks and within around 30 minutes, compared with the eight to nine hours it could take earlier. That is a significant improvement.”
Wishcare and the role of multiple ad solutions
The case for a full-funnel approach becomes clearer when individual advertising formats are viewed as components of a broader consumer journey. Sharma points to Wishcare as an example of a brand that used multiple Amazon Ads solutions to build both reach and downstream impact.
“Wishcare is one example. Wishcare used multiple ad solutions, including streaming TV and other advertising offerings.”
The campaign predates the launch of the Amazon Ads Creator Program, although Sharma says the brand could potentially have used the programme had it been available at the time.
“This was a case from before the launch of the Amazon Ads Creator Program, so they would potentially have used that as well had it been available at the time.”
The combined approach delivered measurable gains across both awareness and consideration.
“Wishcare used these ad solutions to reach consumers and engage with them across the funnel. Collectively, these campaigns delivered more than one crore reach and helped the brand achieve a 22x improvement in branded searches compared with what it was getting earlier.”
The campaign also delivered a significant increase in purchase rate. “The purchase rate also went up by 5x compared with the benchmark,” he adds.
For Sharma, the example demonstrates why brands need to think beyond individual ad formats.
“It is a good example of a brand using multiple ad solutions and almost full-funnel advertising to achieve objectives beyond what it would through individual solutions.”
Access beyond size, category and geography
As more SMBs enter digital advertising, access to tools and technology becomes an important consideration, particularly for businesses operating outside India’s largest advertising markets.
Sharma says Amazon Ads does not restrict access based on the size of an advertiser, its category or its location.
“The solutions are available to all advertisers, irrespective of their size, the category they operate in or the city they come from.”
The company is also taking its advertising conversation beyond the major metros. “We are also taking this conversation across the country. For instance, we have already had events in Pune and will also have one in Jaipur, along with other cities.”
“Once you start having brand and performance together, it helps you move beyond just the product-market-fit stage to becoming a challenger brand and eventually a large brand, as we have seen in many cases”
According to Sharma, the objective is to ensure that advertisers across markets have access to the same tools and the knowledge required to use them effectively.
“We do not treat one geography differently from another. The tools are available to everyone, and we have methods and mechanisms to help advertisers understand how they can use these tools to maximise their gains and achieve their business objectives.”
“There is no bar or barrier. It is open to all. There is no specific category. Brands of all sizes, from across the country and across categories, are using Amazon Ads solutions to expand their businesses.”
The proposition is also not restricted to brands that sell their products on Amazon.
“There is also no restriction based on whether a brand sells on Amazon. Our ad solutions can be used by brands that are not even selling on Amazon.”
Sharma says Amazon Ads has seen advertisers from different verticals use its solutions to grow their businesses, including brands whose products are not sold directly on Amazon.
“We have seen brands from different verticals, beyond products sold on Amazon, using our advertising solutions to expand their businesses. So I would not point to one specific category.”
Moving beyond the brand versus performance debate
The relationship between brand building and performance marketing has traditionally been framed as a choice between two different objectives. Sharma argues that the stronger opportunity lies in combining them. “When brand marketing and performance marketing come together, they have a much bigger impact. Based on a study we conducted, we found that brands that have done both performance and brand marketing in conjunction have seen their businesses grow multiple fold.”
He describes this through the typical lifecycle of a brand or seller, beginning with product-market fit, moving into a niche and eventually progressing towards challenger and large-brand status.
“If you look at the lifecycle of a brand or seller, they typically start by identifying product-market fit, then create a niche, move towards becoming a challenger brand and eventually become a large brand.”
The problem, Sharma says, is that brands can reach a ceiling if they rely too heavily on performance marketing without developing broader brand awareness.
“What we have seen is that many brands, if they do not move from performance marketing to a combination of brand and performance, eventually hit a ceiling.”
Combining the two, he argues, allows brands to move through the different stages of growth. “Once you start having brand and performance together, it helps you move beyond just the product-market-fit stage to becoming a challenger brand and eventually a large brand, as we have seen in many cases.”
“It works, and brands have been able to break that ceiling with the help of this combination.”
The festive season and the importance of consistency
While festive periods create a concentrated window of consumer activity, Sharma says brands should not treat the festive sale as an isolated advertising opportunity. “One of the key things we understand is that 91% of Diwali shoppers will be engaging with Amazon and its offerings during or before Diwali.”
For brands, that makes full-funnel visibility particularly important. “Using full-funnel advertising therefore becomes really important. Brands should use a combination of brand and performance marketing so they can move beyond operating within a niche and expand their businesses.”
The second factor, according to Sharma, is consistency. “We noticed that during the last Diwali, brands that were consistent throughout the year and across the Diwali sale saw almost a 5.5x increase in sales compared with brands or sellers that were intermittently active during the Diwali sale.”
That consistency needs to extend across the different touchpoints where consumers are spending time. “Visibility has to expand across the touchpoints where consumers are present.”
The third consideration he says is, “Allocating the right amount of budget across the funnel. The right combination of brand and performance becomes important because the objective is to expand the business.”
He adds, “Brands should also use tools such as Creative Agent, which can help them create videos in a short timeframe without having to spend hours creating them.”
Giving SMBs the ability to experiment with video
The ability to produce video quickly becomes particularly relevant for smaller businesses, where developing multiple creative versions can traditionally require significant time and resources.
Sharma points to PartyProps as an example of how AI-powered video creation can change that process. “Our idea is to enable brands to access advertising tools irrespective of their size. We always work backwards from customer needs and requirements,” he says.
“Why should small brands not have access to video advertising?,” Sharma adds.
“We noticed that during the last Diwali, brands that were consistent throughout the year and across the Diwali sale saw almost a 5.5x increase in sales compared with brands or sellers that were intermittently active during the Diwali sale”
PartyProps used Amazon’s Video Generator to create video ads, reducing the time required to produce individual creatives.
“PartyProps is a good example. We were working with the brand and they used Video Generator to create video ads. Usually, they would spend around eight to ten hours creating one video ad creative. With the help of the Video Generator, they were able to do it within 30 minutes.”
The faster production cycle allowed the brand to test multiple creative formats rather than committing significant resources to producing individual assets. “This meant they could use multiple formats and test which ones worked for them.”
The experimentation also translated into a measurable improvement in click-through rates. “Interestingly, when they ran some of these campaigns, they also saw a 35% uplift in CTR compared with their benchmark CTR.”
For Sharma, the PartyProps example captures the larger role AI can play in democratising access to video advertising.
“So, they saved time, had flexibility, could test more formats and also achieved better CTR and engagement with consumers. It was a win-win for the brand,” he adds.
For Amazon Ads, the evolving advertising landscape is increasingly about connecting the different stages of the consumer journey rather than treating awareness, consideration and conversion as separate objectives. As Sharma highlights, brands, particularly SMBs, need access to the tools and capabilities that allow them to build awareness, remain relevant through consideration and ultimately drive business outcomes.
Moreover, as the festive season approaches, Sharma’s emphasis remains on consistency, visibility across consumer touchpoints and using the right mix of tools to turn attention into sustained growth.
