Data, AI and Amazon: the winning trio redefining retail media
In a rapidly changing e-commerce landscape, retail media has become an essential lever for brands. But the rules of the game are shifting quickly: AI and data are no longer mere optimisation tools, they’re fast becoming the foundations of performance.
Amazon, the global e-commerce leader, is accelerating this shift with new approaches that are changing how campaigns are designed and managed.
Three major developments now shape this environment: the post-search era, the rise of advertising beyond the results page, and the strategic orchestration of data and AI.
The post-search era: a new paradigm for retail media
For years, advertising performance on marketplaces hinged on mastering keywords. That era is coming to an end. We are entering the post-search era, where search engines no longer just return a list of results: they become answer engines capable of conversing with users.
From search engine to answer engine
Consumer behavior is evolving fast, driven by dramatic advances in conversational AI. This change directly affects how brands must design their online visibility.
According to Gartner:
Search volumes on traditional engines may decline by up to 25% by 2026 due to the rise of AI chatbots and virtual agents.
Publishers could lose up to 20% of their traffic as AI-generated answers reduce clicks in Google results.
81% of users say they prefer interacting with AI chatbots for simple queries.
This marks a fundamental shift: ranking on a keyword is no longer enough. A product or message must be the answer to a user’s question, delivered in a conversational format.
Amazon on the move: Rufus and Cosmo
Amazon is not a passive observer in the e-commerce evolution. Two internal innovations are reshaping search and navigation:
Rufus: a conversational answer engine that understands query context, learns continuously and personalizes responses based on user profile and behavior.
Cosmo: Amazon’s new search algorithm, the direct successor to M9 (itself heir to A9). More demanding than its predecessors, Cosmo emphasizes relevance, quality and completeness of product data, increasing competition for organic and sponsored visibility.
With Cosmo, the quality of titles, descriptions, images and technical attributes becomes even more critical to organic performance for sellers and advertisers. Listings that are incomplete or poorly structured may be penalised, while sponsored campaigns benefit from better alignment between targeting, queries and product content. In short, product data is no longer merely a sales support: it has become a strategic lever for ranking and conversion.
Beyond the results page: expand your advertising impact
The post-search era opens a new phase: consumer attention can be captured well before or after a search. Brands that exploit this extended field can influence purchase decisions at multiple moments in the customer journey.
DSP as a storytelling lever
Amazon’s Demand Side Platform (DSP) enables ads to run outside the Search Engine Results Page (SERP), in environments such as:
Twitch
Fire TV
Partner sites and streaming apps
This delivers two key benefits: brand awareness and a direct path to conversion. It’s no longer just the post-search click that matters — it’s the ability to integrate into the consumer’s digital life.
Meeting new expectations with AI-powered advertising
To fully unlock this potential, Amazon is rolling out several AI innovations:
Performance+ campaigns: automatic campaign optimization according to objectives (ROI, time savings, transparency).
AI Image Generator: automated creation of ad visuals, cutting creative costs and speeding time to market.
GenAI and Clean Room: translate business needs into SQL queries, accelerate analysis, and raise data skills across teams.
These tools enable faster reactions, industrialized creative production, and more strategic use of data.
Data and AI: the key to sustainable performance
The multiplication of touchpoints and AI tools makes strategic orchestration essential. It’s no longer enough to launch campaigns: brands must manage an ecosystem where data and AI work together.
Evolving skills and methods
Teams must shift from an execution mindset to a strategic orchestration mindset:
Use data to inform decisions
Configure and supervise AI agents
Coordinate search, DSP and other channels to maximize impact
This transformation goes beyond tool adoption: it requires new ways to collaborate, analyze and decide. It’s as much a cultural change as a technological one.
Prepare now for the changes ahead
This cultural shift demands action. In a post-search environment, performance depends on:
Maximizing short-term results: improve product listings and search performance.
Building long-term equity: invest in DSP and off-SERP campaigns to grow brand presence.
Putting data at the center: structure, enrich and activate it with AI.
Success depends on a continuous cycle: testing, analysis, refinement and scaling. This iterative approach ensures agility in the face of evolving algorithms and user behaviors.
Harnessing augmented retail media
The combination of Data + AI + Amazon is redefining retail media. Brands that can combine these levers will not only drive short-term performance but also build a durable competitive advantage.
In this new landscape, the goal is not to multiply actions but to intelligently orchestrate data, AI and channels so that, at every stage of the customer journey, your brand is the best possible answer.
Want to know how to structure your Amazon retail media campaigns and fully leverage AI to boost performance? Contact our team of experts.
Head of Retail Media
