Amazon Could Be Putting Video Ads Into Its Mobile Apps

Amazon is reportedly testing a new feature to help grow its revenue. Bloomberg is reporting that the company is beta testing putting ads on its mobile apps. The online retailer has reportedly been testing ads on its iOS app for several months.

Amazon already offers a variety of different ways to allow companies to advertise on its platform, though these new video ads could things a step further. The new video ads reportedly appear within search results when you search for something, meaning you will start to see Google-like Sponsored Ads within the Amazon search results.

If you are, for example, looking to buy the new AirPods, other companies like Samsung could display ads for their own wireless headphones within the search results to try to get you to buy their products instead. The new video ads are planned to arrive on Android “later this year”.

Amazon putting video ads inside search results could disrupt the shopping experience for customers, which is why this seems like a very slow rollout. It’s not clear if these video ads are auto-playing (muted) ads, but that will probably be the case. Amazon is reportedly requiring a whopping $35,000 ad budget for these new ad spots at 5 cents per view for 60 days, so the ad spots won’t just be for anyone to run ads on, or even attempt to abuse.

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Conversation 7 comments

  • Kudupa

    22 March, 2019 - 4:54 am

    <p>This bloated mess of an app becoming unusable day by day. It's already laggy by a mile now this, great, I will move over to Walmart. Walmart Grocery pickup with and it's free shipping is actually a good deal. </p>

    • Daekar

      22 March, 2019 - 7:32 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#414633">In reply to Kudupa:</a></em></blockquote><p>We've moved to Walmart for a lot already and it's been a good experience. They still have some improving to do, but it's good enough.</p>

  • wright_is

    Premium Member
    22 March, 2019 - 6:08 am

    <p>So, that means the mobile app will be even less useful. I rarely use it, because the desktop experience is so much better and you can see more information, more easily compare products by opening windows next to each other, keeping a short list of products in open tabs etc.</p><p>Add in mobile video ads and you've lost me completely on mobile.</p>

  • Daekar

    22 March, 2019 - 7:33 am

    <p>Wow, glad I already dropped the app. This will make the experience even worse than it was already.</p>

  • William Clark

    23 March, 2019 - 12:05 am

    <p>I don't use the app a lot, but I do use it. If the apps are disruptive then there goes the app. Of course the real issue is that video is going to eat into my data caps on my phone so they better have a way to turn if off.</p>

  • saturn

    23 March, 2019 - 1:54 am

    <p>In the past, I used to be of the opinion that more or less, Amazon could do no wrong but this is an example of them doing wrong. Their shopping app is such a pain to use in that it’s cluttered and claustrophobic (specifically, I’m taking about the silly wish list bar down the bottom – which, thankfully, can be turned off). Adding video ads will destroy the customer’s ability to shop in peace – one of the benefits of shopping from the comfort of your home. I think this is a terrible idea.</p>

  • hoomgar

    25 March, 2019 - 8:35 am

    <p>Ha!&nbsp; I'm safe.&nbsp; They don't write apps for my platform anymore&nbsp; ;)</p>

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