If you’ve ever wondered how to split your Amazon ad budget between Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display, and DSP, you’re not alone.
As retail media keeps growing, deciding where to invest is one of the toughest challenges for eCommerce brands. The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all model. Your best mix depends on where your brand sits in the market…what we call category maturity.
This guide breaks down how to structure your ad spend based on your brand’s stage of growth, using simple, ready-to-use templates. You’ll learn:
- What a retail media mix model is (and why it matters).
- How each Amazon ad type works together.
- How to divide your budget by category maturity.
- How Trellis helps you automate and optimize it all with AI Precision + Human Intuition.
If you’d like to see how other brands have scaled smarter with AI-powered advertising and pricing, check out our Success Stories to learn how Trellis has helped clients grow on Amazon and Walmart.
Key Insights
- Your ad mix should evolve with your brand. Category maturity, whether emerging, growth, or mature, determines how you should split your budget across Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display, and DSP.
- A full-funnel approach drives long-term profitability. Sponsored Products and Display capture sales today, while Sponsored Brands and DSP fuel awareness for tomorrow.
- AI-driven optimization saves time and boosts ROI. With Trellis, your mix adapts automatically to what’s working, ensuring you never overspend or miss growth opportunities.
What Is a Retail Media Mix Model?
A retail media mix model helps you decide how to divide your ad budget across channels or ad types to get the best results.
For Amazon and Walmart sellers, that means balancing:
- Sponsored Products: Your performance engine.
- Sponsored Brands: Your awareness driver.
- Sponsored Display: Your retargeting tool.
- Amazon DSP: Your full-funnel, programmatic powerhouse.
Think of it like building a garden: every plant (or ad type) has a purpose. Some attract attention, some drive growth, and others strengthen your roots. When balanced well, your brand grows upward…stronger and smarter.
Without a structured mix, it’s easy to overspend in one area and miss opportunities in another. A data-driven split keeps spend efficient and aligned with your goals.
See how your advertising spend performs before you launch. Use our PPC ACoS Calculator to estimate your Advertising Cost of Sale and plan your budget more effectively. It’s quick, free, and built to help you advertise smarter.
Understanding Amazon’s Four Ad Types (SP, SB, SD, and DSP)
Before creating your budget template, it helps to understand how each ad type works.
Sponsored Products
The backbone of Amazon advertising. SP ads appear in search results and on product pages, targeting shoppers ready to buy.
Best for: Conversions and brand defense.
Key metrics: ROAS, ACoS, CPC.
Trellis tip: Use SP to protect hero products and scale your top SKUs efficiently.
Sponsored Brands
Banner ads that feature your logo and multiple products at the top of search results. They introduce shoppers to your catalog.
Best for: Awareness and consideration.
Key metrics: CTR, new-to-brand %.
Trellis tip: Use SB to build credibility and highlight your full lineup.
Sponsored Display and Amazon DSP
Both extend your reach, but in different ways:
SD focuses on retargeting shoppers who viewed your products.
DSP uses Amazon’s audience data to reach new shoppers on and off Amazon.
Together, SD + DSP build a full-funnel strategy, awareness through DSP, conversion through SD.
Trellis tip: Pair SD + DSP for reach and retargeting that work together.
Why Should Category Maturity Shape Your Ad Budget?
Not all brands are at the same stage of growth, and your ad strategy shouldn’t be either. Category maturity shows how established your brand is within its marketplace:
- Emerging: New to the category, fighting for visibility.
- Growth: Gaining traction, scaling efficiently.
- Mature: Well-known, focused on profit and loyalty.
When you align your ad spend with your maturity stage, every dollar works harder.
The Ideal Budget Split by Category Maturity (Templates)
Use these splits as a starting point. Adjust based on seasonality, catalog size, and goals.
| Stage | SP | SB | SD | DSP |
| Emerging | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| Growth | 40% | 25% | 20% | 15% |
| Mature | 55% | 15% | 20% | 10% |
Emerging Categories
Focus on discovery. Visibility comes first.
- SP: Build data and early traction.
- SB: Introduce your brand to new shoppers.
- SD: Retarget interested viewers.
- DSP: Drive upper-funnel awareness beyond Amazon.
Use AI keyword automation to find top search terms fast. Trellis shifts spend toward what’s converting in real time.
Growth Categories
Balance awareness and efficiency. You’re scaling now to balance reach and raise profits.
- SP (40%) fuels conversions on key terms.
- SB (25%) expands awareness.
- SD (20%) retargets browsers.
- DSP (15%) sustains reach.
Use Trellis’ full-funnel analytics to see which ad types truly drive incremental sales — not just clicks.
Mature Categories
Optimize for profit and loyalty. Your focus is margin and retention.
- SP (55%) anchors your mix for consistent ROI.
- SB (15%) supports branded defense.
- SD (20%) keeps buyers engaged.
- DSP (10%) maintains awareness and feeds new traffic.
How to Measure and Adjust Your Retail Media Mix
Your retail media mix should evolve with your brand. Markets shift, competitors adjust, and shopper behavior changes fast. The best way to stay ahead is to review your performance regularly and rebalance your ad spend based on what the data shows.
Track the Right Metrics for Each Ad Type
Every ad type plays a different role in your growth. Knowing which metrics matter helps you understand where to invest:
- Sponsored Products: Watch ROAS, ACoS, and CPC to understand how efficiently you’re driving conversions.
- Sponsored Brands: Keep an eye on CTR and new-to-brand purchases to measure awareness and top-of-funnel reach.
- Sponsored Display: Track conversion rate and view-through performance to see how well you’re re-engaging shoppers.
- Amazon DSP: Focus on impressions, frequency, and CTR to monitor how effectively you’re building awareness and fueling your funnel.
If the goal is profitability, prioritize ROAS and ACoS.
If the goal is visibility, focus more on impressions and CTR.
Rebalance Your Spend Based on Trends
Look for patterns over time. If Sponsored Products are driving strong returns, shift more budget toward SP. If your Sponsored Brands CTR starts to decline, refresh creative or adjust your targeting.
It’s helpful to make changes monthly rather than weekly. A monthly review gives you enough data to spot real trends without reacting too quickly to short-term fluctuations.
Look at the Full Funnel, Not Just Last-Click Results
It’s easy to focus on what converts, but that leaves a lot of value on the table. Many conversions start higher in the funnel, through SB or DSP, long before someone clicks an SP ad. Understanding how your channels work together lets you invest smarter. A strong media mix uses all four in a balanced way.
- SB and DSP bring new shoppers into your ecosystem.
- SD brings them back.
- SP closes the sale.
How to Automating and Optimize Your Mix with Trellis
Managing ads manually takes time. Trellis automates it, blending AI Precision + Human Intuition, to keep your mix optimized.
Real-Time Data Analysis: Trellis tracks every ad type and adjusts budgets instantly when trends shift…no waiting weeks to react.
Category-Aware Automation: The platform recognizes your brand’s maturity stage and adapts your spend to match it. Emerging brands get visibility; mature brands get profitability.
Full-Funnel Reporting: Trellis ties ad spend, sales, and category data together so you can see exactly what’s working.
Continuous Improvement: Over time, Trellis learns from your data to predict what will perform next, improving campaigns automatically.
In Summary
Optimizing your retail media mix is the key to scaling profitably on Amazon and Walmart. The right balance of Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display, and DSP changes as your category matures, and understanding that shift is how brands grow efficiently.
By using a structured budget split model and tracking your results, you can make smarter, data-driven decisions that grow both sales and visibility.
Trellis simplifies this process, using AI Precision + Human Intuition to automate your mix, track performance, and drive profitability: no manual guesswork needed.
If you’re ready to see what smarter automation looks like, it’s time to book a demo with Trellis.
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