Comparison

DSP Guides

Updated 2026-08-21 · 3512 words · Written against what currently ranked for “DSP Guides”

The short answer

This is everything we have published — 105 pages, grouped by the question that brought you rather than by how we file things. Comparisons name who each option suits better than us; the explanations answer the question and leave the selling to the end.

What this looks like across the book we manage

48.5%

of all search spend went to terms that returned no orders — $4.96M of $10.24M across the book

Full Circle managed accounts · 47 brands · Amazon search data from 1 May 2026

83%

of search terms that took a click produced zero sales. Not a long tail — the majority of everything running

Full Circle managed accounts · 47 brands · Amazon search data from 1 May 2026

0.9%

of search terms produced 80% of sales. Under one percent of 891,585 terms carries almost all of the revenue

Full Circle managed accounts · 47 brands · Amazon search data from 1 May 2026

8.7%

blended TACoS across 42 brands over $100k, median 7.9% — the spread runs from near zero to 18.1%

Full Circle managed accounts · 47 brands · Amazon search data from 1 May 2026

How it works

Plain explanations of the things everyone is assumed to know already. · 64 pages

Amazon Ads Retail Media: What It Is and How It WorksRetail media explained plainly: what it is, how Amazon Ads and Amazon DSP fit in, a worked funnel example, and the attribution mistake that inflates R
Amazon DSP 2.0: What It Actually MeansAmazon DSP 2.0 isn't a version number Amazon released. Here's what the term actually refers to, a worked example, and the mistakes that sink it.
Amazon DSP Ads Explained: How It Works and What It CostsAmazon DSP (Demand-Side Platform) buys display, video and audio ads programmatically. What it costs, how it works, and how to tell if it's paying off.
Amazon DSP Creative Specs: Display, Video, and SizesAmazon DSP's display, video, and responsive creative specs, a worked file-size example, and what actually gets a creative rejected before it ever laun
Amazon DSP Self-Service: Requirements, Costs, Who QualifiesWhat a self-service seat requires, how it differs from managed service and agency seats, what running it in-house really takes, and a readiness score.
Amazon Display Ads CPC: What It Costs & WhyAmazon display ads CPC explained: how it's calculated, a worked example from real spend, what moves it, and what to check when the number looks wrong.
Amazon Marketing Cloud: What AMC Is and How It WorksAMC is a clean room for cross-channel ad measurement, not an ad network. How it works, audiences, the API, and a real reconciliation example.
Amazon Sponsored Display Ads: How They Actually WorkWhat Amazon Sponsored Display ads are, how targeting and bidding work, a worked budget example, and how they differ from Amazon DSP.
Amazon Streaming TV Ads: What They Are & How They WorkAmazon streaming TV ads explained: placements, buying paths (Sponsored TV vs DSP), a worked CPM/ROAS example, and how to tell if they actually worked.
Amazon Target Audience: Who Shops There, ExplainedAmazon's target audience means different things: the marketplace, Prime, a seller's niche, and the ad console's targeting field. All four, explained h
Attribution in Advertising: What It Proves and Doesn'tWhat attribution in advertising can prove, what it can't, and how holdout tests fill the gap — with a worked example and real DSP numbers.
Brand Lift Measurement: What It Actually ProvesBrand lift measurement compares exposed vs. unexposed audiences to see if ads changed minds or purchases.
Brand Lift Studies: What They Prove and What They MissWhat a brand lift study actually measures, how the math works, what Meta, YouTube and Google require, and the gap no survey can close.
Brand Lift Study: What It Actually MeasuresA brand lift study measures perception, not sales. How it works on YouTube and Meta, a worked example with real math, and what it can't tell you.
Brand Lift Survey: How It Works, and Where It Breaks DownHow brand lift surveys work on YouTube, Google, and Meta — the exposed-vs-control mechanics, a worked example, and why survey lift isn't sales lift.
Contextual Targeting in Programmatic: How It WorksHow contextual targeting actually works inside a programmatic bid, with a worked example, the common mistake, and how to check if it worked.
Costco Retail Media Explained: Costco Velocity's StackWhat Costco Retail Media (Costco Velocity) actually is, how its ad stack works, what it costs to advertise, and the mistakes brands make evaluating it
Custom Audience Retargeting: Windows, Caps, and CostHow custom audience retargeting works, the lookback window and frequency cap decisions that actually decide performance, and a real cost comparison.
DSP Meaning in Amazon: Demand-Side Platform ExplainedDSP in Amazon means Demand-Side Platform, not Delivery Service Partner. Plain explanation, worked numbers.
DSP in Programmatic: What It Means and How It WorksDSP in programmatic advertising means demand-side platform, not delivery courier. How it bids, what it costs, and where programmatic buying goes wrong
Display Advertising Explained: How It Works & CostsWhat display advertising is, how the buying actually works, what it costs (CPM math with real numbers), and the one measurement mistake that ruins it.
Find Competitor Display Ads: What's Actually PublicFree ways to find a competitor's display ads on Meta, Google, TikTok and LinkedIn — and why Amazon publishes no equivalent library for DSP.
Google Brand Lift: What It Measures & How It WorksHow Google Brand Lift works, what eligibility and budget it requires, and why survey-based lift can't tell you if the ad actually sold anything.
In-Store Retail Media, Explained (With a Worked Measurement Example)What in-store retail media actually is, the formats it covers, and how to prove it worked — with a worked incrementality example, not just a definitio
LinkedIn Programmatic Display: How It Actually WorksLinkedIn Display Ads run through open and private programmatic auctions — and, through a data partnership, LinkedIn targeting now reaches Amazon DSP's
Lookalike Audience Explained: How It Actually WorksWhat a lookalike audience is, how Facebook builds one from a seed list, the common mistakes, and how it differs from Amazon DSP's version. No jargon.
Marketing Media Mix Explained (With a Worked Example)What a marketing media mix is, how media mix modelling works, and a worked example using real Amazon DSP campaign data from July 2026.
Media Mix Modeling: What It Is and How It WorksMedia mix modeling explained plainly: what it is, how the four-stage model works, a worked example, and where it breaks down.
Meta Brand Lift Study Questions ExplainedWhat Meta Brand Lift Study questions actually measure, how to pick the right one for your campaign, and what to do when the lift comes back flat.
Pre-Bid Programmatic: What It Actually FiltersPre-bid verification blocks bad inventory before you pay for it, not after. How it differs from post-bid, a worked example, and where it costs you rea
Product Display Ads on Amazon: Pricing, CPC, and SetupProduct Display Ads is Amazon's old name for Sponsored Display and DSP. Here's how CPC and vCPM pricing actually works, with real numbers.
Programmatic 101: What It Is and How It WorksProgrammatic 101, explained plainly: what a DSP, SSP and exchange actually do, a worked auction with real numbers.
Programmatic Advertising: What It Is and How It WorksProgrammatic advertising, explained plainly: how the auction works, what a DSP does, and how to tell if it actually worked.
Programmatic Audience Buying: How Data Gets PricedBuying an audience segment adds a data cost on top of media cost. How the pricing actually works, a worked example, and why third-party data is shrink
Programmatic Audience Targeting: The Types That MatterDemographic, behavioral, contextual, and retargeting explained — plus a worked example showing which audience actually converts best, and why.
Programmatic Buying Platforms Explained: How They WorkWhat programmatic buying platforms actually do, worked with real auction numbers, platform categories, and the measurement mistake most dashboards hid
Programmatic Digital Display Advertising, ExplainedWhat makes display advertising "digital" and "programmatic" at once, the delivery infrastructure underneath it, and where the cheapest reach hides.
Programmatic Display Advertising Examples, By FormatSix real formats programmatic display actually runs on, what each is for, and a worked example showing why the format matters more than the platform.
Programmatic Display Banners: Sizes, Standards, WasteThe IAB's standard banner sizes, why they exist, and why the banner isn't usually where a programmatic budget actually gets wasted.
Programmatic Display Marketing: Planning It RightHow programmatic display actually fits a marketing plan, a worked funnel-budget example, and the three-week mistake that undoes most campaigns.
Programmatic Explained: How It Actually WorksWhat programmatic advertising is, how the auction works, and where display buying earns money or wastes it. Plain explanation, one worked example.
Programmatic Marketing Platforms: How They Actually WorkWhat programmatic marketing platforms are, how a buy runs from bid to sale with real numbers.
Programmatic Media Buying Explained: How It WorksHow programmatic media buying works, with a worked example on real CPM, CPC and CPA numbers, and the attribution mistake most buyers make.
Programmatic Native Ads: How They Work and the FTC RuleNative ads are bought programmatically but styled to match the page. How the auction works, the FTC disclosure rule, and a worked CTR example.
Programmatic and RTB: How They Actually Fit TogetherRTB is one auction mechanism inside programmatic buying, not a synonym. How the auction works, a worked example, and the attribution mistake to avoid.
Real-Time Bidding in Programmatic Advertising, ExplainedHow real-time bidding works inside programmatic advertising: the auction, the players, a worked example, and where the numbers usually go wrong.
Retail Media Examples: Formats, Numbers, MistakesRetail media examples explained with real ad formats, a worked campaign, and the attribution mistake that inflates most of the numbers you'll read.
Retail Media Network Examples, Sorted by TypeAmazon, Walmart, Target, Instacart, Kroger and more — see which run onsite, offsite, or in-store, plus a worked example of what one actually produces.
Retail Media Networks: What They Are and How They WorkWhat a retail media network is, how the numbers work with a real example, and the mistake that inflates the results. No pitch, just the mechanics.
Retail Media Platforms Explained: How They Actually WorkRetail media platforms explained with real examples, a worked numbers example, and the attribution mistake most advertisers make.
Retail Media Solutions Explained: The Real StackRetail media solutions cover sponsored ads, DSP, in-store signage, and the reconciliation layer that stops double-counting revenue.
Retail Media Strategy: A Practitioner's FrameworkA practitioner's guide to retail media strategy: sponsored ads, on-site display, and DSP — with a worked example and how to test if it worked.
The Programmatic Display Advertising Market in 2026How big the programmatic display market actually is, why the estimates disagree, and what a display budget really builds beyond the DSP report.
View Competitor Display Ads: Free Tools & Amazon's GapHow to view competitor display ads on Meta, Google, TikTok and LinkedIn for free — and why Amazon publishes no equivalent library for DSP ads.
Walmart Retail Media Explained: How Walmart Connect WorksWalmart retail media means Walmart Connect: sponsored search, onsite display, offsite media, brand shop, store ads. Here's how it works and what to ch
What Does Amazon DSP Mean? Demand-Side Platform ExplainedAmazon DSP means Demand-Side Platform, not Delivery Service Partner. Here's what it actually does, how it works, and the mistakes people make with it.
What Does DSP Stand For on Amazon? Full AnswerDSP stands for Demand-Side Platform on Amazon — not Delivery Service Partner, the courier program. Here's what it means and how it actually works.
What Is Amazon DSP? Plain-English ExplanationAmazon DSP explained: what it buys, how pricing works, a worked example with real numbers, and how it differs from the DSP delivery driver job.
What Is Display Advertising? Definition, Types & ExamplesDisplay advertising defined in plain language, with a worked example on real campaign numbers and the most common measurement mistake, including ours.
What Is Header Bidding in Programmatic Advertising?Header bidding lets publishers auction one ad slot to many buyers at once. How the auction works, a worked example, and where Amazon DSP actually fits
What Is Programmatic Advertising? Definition & ExampleProgrammatic advertising defined in plain terms, with a worked example, real auction mechanics, and the attribution mistake most brands make.
What Is Retail Media? Definition, Networks & ExamplesRetail media explained in plain terms: what it is, how retail media networks work, real examples, and the attribution mistake that inflates results.
What Remarketing Audiences Cannot Be Defined by DefaultDemographics, CRM lists, cross-device data, and off-Amazon signals all need setup first. Here's exactly what's missing by default and how to fix it.
What Seeds Can Amazon DSP Build Lookalike Audiences From?Amazon DSP builds lookalike audiences from an advertiser's own audiences — hashed lists, pixel events, and DMP-transferred segments. How each seed dif
YouTube Brand Lift: How It Works and What It ProvesHow YouTube Brand Lift surveys measure ad recall and awareness, the budget you actually need, and what the result can't tell you.

How to do it

Step by step, on real numbers, including what to do when it goes wrong. · 7 pages

Amazon DSP Certification: What It Actually Tests (2026 Guide)Amazon DSP certification explained: what the Ads Academy badge covers, how to earn it, and the gap between passing the test and running DSP well.
Media Mix Advertising: What It Is and How to Prove It WorksWhat media mix advertising means, a worked budget example, and how to prove a channel added sales instead of just claiming the credit.
Programmatic Display Buying: A Step-By-Step GuideHow a programmatic display buy actually goes from budget to delivered impression, and why one target for every inventory type is the most common mista
Programmatic Display Platforms: How to Actually Pick OneAmazon DSP, DV360, The Trade Desk, and the rest — what separates them, a worked minimum-spend example, and the market shift nobody's explainer covers
Retail Media Strategies: A Practitioner's GuideHow to build a retail media strategy that proves incrementality, not just claims credit for it — with a worked example using real campaign numbers.
The Programmatic Bidding Process, Step by StepHow a DSP decides what to bid: valuation, shading, pacing, and the worked math behind each step, plus what happens when every advertiser bids at once.
What Are Lookalike Audiences? Definition and How-To GuideA lookalike audience is a modeled targeting list built from a seed of real customers. Here's how the matching works, a worked example.

Numbers and formulas

Worked calculations you can repeat on your own account. · 1 pages

What Is Incrementality Testing? Formula & ExampleIncrementality testing uses holdouts to measure real ad lift, not clicks. The formula, a worked example, and what to do when the number comes back bad

What it costs

Published pricing, read on the vendor's own page, with the billing basis named. · 11 pages

Acorn Cost: What Acorn-i Charges, and What to AskAcorn-i publishes no price. The four fee architectures in Amazon DSP, the one competitor that publishes a full rate card, and the band-edge arithmetic
ChannelAdvisor Pricing: Now Rithum, and How It ChargesChannelAdvisor is now Rithum and publishes no rate. Its own SEC filings describe the architecture: a minimum commitment plus a percentage above it.
CommerceIQ Pricing: How to Compare a Quote-Only BidCommerceIQ publishes no price. Here is the quote structure to expect, the ten questions that make it comparable, and the annual maths to run yourself.
Criteo Pricing: IO-Based, CPC or CPM, and the Take RateCriteo publishes one sentence about price: pricing is IO based, supporting CPC or CPM. Here is what that structure hides and the questions that reveal
Intentwise Pricing: Quote-Only, and What It BuysIntentwise publishes no price and routes to a demo. The harder problem is that a data layer and managed execution are priced in different units entire
Pacvue Pricing: What Quote-Only Really Means for BuyersPacvue publishes no price. Here is the module structure that decides your quote, the eight lines to force into writing, and how to compare it fairly.
Perpetua Pricing: What the Page Shows, and What It Doesn'tPerpetua still publishes tiers — $695/mth Essentials, $695 plus a percentage on Growth, custom Premium. Read 20 Aug 2026, with the missing half explai
Quartile Pricing: What the Terms Commit You ToQuartile publishes no rate card, but it does publish its terms. What they say about tiers, the annual term, the notice window and non-refundable fees.
Salsify Pricing: No Public Price, and a Category NoteSalsify publishes no pricing. What its own published scale figures imply about who it is built for, the Cinven acquisition, and why it is not a DSP.
Skai Pricing: The Published Tiers, Read Line by LineSkai is one of the few retail media platforms that prints a price list. Here is what the tiers cover, the review clause, and the arithmetic to run fir
The Trade Desk Pricing: The Structure, and a Take RateThe Trade Desk publishes no price and its /pricing URL 404s. The fee structure, the full cost stack, and a take rate computed from its own FY2025 resu

Is it any good

Honest reads, with review scores printed beside their counts. · 7 pages

Acorn Review: Acorn-i for Amazon Ads and DSPAn honest review of Acorn-i — the Amazon and retail media specialist, now part of Jellyfish Commerce. What it does well, what to ask, and who it suits
ChannelAdvisor Review: How to Date What You're ReadingChannelAdvisor is now Rithum. How to date a review corpus, which parts of a platform review go stale first, and what to ask a reference customer.
CommerceIQ Review: Date the Reviews Before You Trust ThemA CommerceIQ review for buyers: how to tell whether a rating describes the current Ally platform, and the questions only a reference call can answer.
Criteo Review: How to Read a Split Review CorpusA Criteo review must answer which Criteo. Reviews split across advertiser and retailer products and renamed listings. Here is how to date and sort the
Flywheel Digital Reviews: What the Search Really ReturnsSearching Flywheel Digital reviews surfaces employer sites, not client verdicts. Why that is, what Flywheel is now, and how to evaluate a partner its
Quartile Review: What Its Own Numbers Actually SayA Quartile review built from primary sources: its published scale figures, the arithmetic nobody runs on them, and the contract clauses that decide ri
The Trade Desk Review: Strong Platform, Different JobAn Amazon advertiser's review of The Trade Desk: what it is excellent at, what its own filings show, and the one question it is not built to answer.

Head to head

Direct comparisons, including who each option suits better than us. · 8 pages

Acorn vs Quartile, Skai and The Trade Desk: A ScorecardAcorn-i against Quartile, Skai and The Trade Desk for Amazon DSP — a seven-question scorecard, the take-rate arithmetic, and who each one genuinely su
Criteo vs — Designing the Comparison Before You Run ItEvery Criteo comparison hands you a feature table, and feature tables cannot settle a media question. The bake-off protocol that can, and its confound
Display Advertising vs Search Advertising: Key DifferencesDisplay reaches people before they search. Search catches people already looking. Real numbers, and the measurement problem most guides skip.
Native vs Display Advertising: The Actual DifferenceNative and display aren't rivals — they measure different behaviors. Here's the real distinction, a worked example, and how to check if either added s
Programmatic Advertising vs. Real-Time BiddingRTB is one buying method inside programmatic, not a synonym for it. What each deal type actually controls, and when a buyer should pick which one.
Programmatic Advertising: DSP vs. SSP, ExplainedA DSP represents the advertiser, an SSP represents the publisher. How the two sides connect, what each fee actually pays for, and what it costs.
Programmatic vs. Display Advertising: The DifferenceProgrammatic is how an ad is bought; display is what the ad looks like. Why the two get confused, and a worked example showing the difference in cost.
Skai vs Pacvue: How to Choose Between the TwoSkai and Pacvue solve overlapping problems from opposite starting points — paid search heritage against commerce-native. Here is the choice, made conc

Looking to switch

What moving actually involves, and when it is not worth it. · 7 pages

Acorn Alternative: Four Real Options, One Handover PlanFour honest replacements for Acorn-i on Amazon DSP, the spend level that closes one of them off, and the handover sequence that decides how a switch g
ChannelAdvisor Alternative: Two Jobs, One Hard ExitChannelAdvisor is now Rithum. Replacing it is dominated by migration risk, not features — here is the sequencing, the parallel run and the renewal tra
CommerceIQ Alternatives: Split the Job Before You ShopCommerceIQ alternative lists mix retail operations tools with media platforms. Separate the two jobs, shortlist each honestly, then design the measure
Criteo Alternative: Choose the Job Before the ShortlistAlternatives to Criteo split into three jobs: multi-retailer reach, open-web display, or Amazon depth. Pick the job first, then run the export checkli
Kenshoo Alternative: Kenshoo Is Skai — Start ThereKenshoo became Skai in 2021, and most alternative lists never noticed. What changed, what Skai costs today, and when the platform is not your problem.
Salsify Alternative: Three Jobs Get Shortlisted As OneSalsify alternative lists mix content, shelf analytics and media. Separate the three jobs, then use conversion arithmetic to decide which to fund firs
The Trade Desk Alternative: Two Buyers, Two AnswersTwo different people search this. One wants a peer open-internet DSP. One is Amazon-first and needs signal and reconciliation. Both answers, honestly.

What to do with this

Shortlist on the job, not the feature grid. Pull your search-term report for the last 90 days and total the spend against terms that produced no orders — 48.5% across the 47 brands above. Then ask each vendor on your list what they would do about it in week one, and see who answers with a process rather than a screenshot.

Dr. DSP is Amazon DSP — the Demand-Side Platform, not the delivery franchise — run daily by Fable 5 with operators from a $500M+ Amazon team supervising. You pick the approval level, we reconcile in Amazon Marketing Cloud, and Orbit is included. First 30 days free, priced on the call.

Book a Dr. DSP demo

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Written against what currently ranked for “DSP Guides”, checked 2026-08-21. Vendor prices change without notice — check the vendor's own page before you budget. Our own figures are labelled with the scope and period they came from.

DSP Guides

How it works

How to do it

Numbers and formulas

What it costs

Is it any good

Head to head

Looking to switch

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