Amazon DSP key terms

Software that lets advertisers buy display, video, and audio ad inventory programmatically from many sources through a single interface, using data and automated bidding rather than one-to-one publisher deals.

Automated buying and selling of ad impressions where software handles the transaction and often the bidding, replacing manual insertion orders and negotiation for most digital placements.

An auction method where each ad impression is offered and sold in milliseconds as a page loads, with bids evaluated individually rather than in bulk in advance.

Technology used by publishers to package, price, and offer their ad inventory to multiple demand sources, often running the auction and passing the winning bid to the page.

A marketplace that connects publisher inventory with advertiser demand and runs the auction that decides which ad is served for a given impression.

The maximum amount an advertiser is willing to pay for an impression or a defined outcome; the auction charges the winning bidder only what is needed to beat the next competitor.

An auction where the winner pays roughly one cent more than the next-highest bid rather than their own maximum, so bidding true value is generally the rational approach.

An auction where the winning bidder pays the full amount they bid, which pushes buyers to bid closer to true value and sometimes requires bid shading.

Adjusting a bid downward from estimated true value in first-price auctions to avoid overpaying while still competing to win the impression.

The rule that sets bids automatically on an advertiser's behalf, such as maximizing reach or hitting a target cost per action, using historical performance and budget signals.

A bidding goal that tells the system to pursue conversions at or below a specified average cost per acquisition, adjusting bids per impression to hit that target.

A bidding goal that asks the system to maximize revenue relative to spend by aiming for a specified return on ad spend across attributed sales.

A buying unit inside a campaign that carries its own budget, flight dates, targeting, bid settings, and creative selection, allowing separate control of distinct strategies.

The top-level organizational container for a set of line items sharing an objective, budget structure, and reporting view within a DSP account.

A formal agreement specifying inventory, dates, pricing, and delivery terms between buyer and seller; in a DSP it often structures guaranteed or reserved buys.

An invitation-only auction where selected buyers can bid on a publisher's inventory under agreed rules, offering more control and transparency than the open exchange.

A unique identifier that links a buyer's line item to a specific private or preferred deal so bids match the negotiated inventory and terms.

A deal type where buyer and publisher agree on fixed inventory, price, and volume in advance, with programmatic technology handling delivery and reporting.

The unrestricted auction environment where any buyer can bid on available inventory, offering broad reach but less control over placement and price.

A non-guaranteed arrangement giving one buyer the first chance to purchase specified inventory at a fixed price before it reaches the open auction.

A defined group of users or devices grouped by shared attributes such as behavior, demographics, or past interactions, used to target or exclude in campaigns.

Information an advertiser collects directly from its own customers and site or app visitors, such as purchases and sign-ups, and can use for targeting and measurement.

Audience information compiled and sold by outside providers rather than collected by the advertiser, often used to reach users beyond existing customer relationships.

A modeled audience built to resemble an advertiser's existing high-value customers by finding users with similar characteristics across a broader population.

Users showing signals of active shopping or research in a product category, indicating nearer-term purchase intent than general browsing behavior.

Users grouped by enduring interests, habits, or demographics rather than active purchase intent, useful for broad awareness and prospecting campaigns.

Placing ads based on the content of the page or app being viewed rather than on stored user data, tying relevance to the surrounding editorial environment.

A limit on how many times a given user or device sees a campaign's ads within a time window, used to control repetition and reduce wasted impressions.

The count of unique users or households exposed to an ad at least once during a period, distinct from the total number of impressions served.

A single instance of an ad being served and rendered to a user, the basic unit of delivery and often of billing in programmatic buying.

A measure of whether a served ad had a realistic opportunity to be seen, typically requiring a minimum portion of pixels in view for a minimum duration.

A desired user action after ad exposure, such as a purchase, sign-up, or app install, that advertisers track to judge campaign effectiveness.

The process of crediting ad exposures or clicks with later outcomes, using rules or models to decide which touchpoints receive credit for a conversion.

Revenue attributed to advertising divided by the amount spent, expressing how much sales value each unit of ad budget generated.

Practices that keep ads from appearing alongside content that could harm brand reputation, such as violence, misinformation, or adult material.

The actual ad asset and format a user sees, including images, video, text, and interactive elements, assembled and served within a line item.

A format where the system assembles and tests combinations of supplied headlines, images, and other elements to find the best-performing arrangement.

A controlled comparison where two or more variants of a creative, audience, or bid setting run simultaneously so performance differences can be measured.