Back

Amazon Ads API Essential Guide

Aug 8, 20246 minute read

What type of API does Amazon Ads provide?

Key Points:

  1. Common API types include REST, SOAP, and GraphQL.

  2. Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers support for both REST and GraphQL APIs:

    • Amazon API Gateway supports creating REST APIs.
    • AWS AppSync supports creating GraphQL APIs.
  3. REST APIs are widely used and have multiple endpoints in the form of URLs to define resources.

  4. GraphQL APIs typically have a single endpoint and allow clients to specify exactly what data they need.

Amazon's API Offerings:

  1. Amazon API Gateway: A fully managed service for creating, publishing, maintaining, monitoring, and securing REST APIs at any scale.

  2. AWS AppSync: A fully managed service for developing GraphQL APIs.

Best Practices:

  1. Consider the specific needs of your application when choosing between REST and GraphQL APIs.

  2. Use API gateways like Amazon API Gateway to handle common tasks such as user authentication, statistics, and rate management.

  3. For complex data requirements or when efficiency in data fetching is crucial, GraphQL might be a better choice.

  4. REST APIs are generally simpler to set up and work well for straightforward data sources.

Does the Amazon Ads API have webhooks?

Based on the search results provided, it appears that the official Amazon Ads API does not have native webhook support. The search results do not contain any specific information about webhooks for the Amazon Ads API. However, I can provide some relevant information about webhooks and Amazon services in general:

Key Points:

  1. While the Amazon Ads API itself doesn't seem to offer webhooks, Amazon does support webhooks for other services and integrations.

  2. Amazon EventBridge now supports receiving events from certain third-party services (GitHub, Stripe, and Twilio) using webhooks.

  3. For developers looking to implement webhook-like functionality with Amazon services, there are several approaches using AWS services like API Gateway, Lambda, and EventBridge.

Webhook Implementation with AWS Services:

If you need to implement webhook-like functionality for your application that uses the Amazon Ads API, you could consider the following approaches:

  1. Use Amazon API Gateway to create an endpoint that can receive webhook-style requests.

  2. Implement a Lambda function to process incoming webhook requests and validate them.

  3. Use Amazon EventBridge to route events from your webhook receiver to other parts of your application.

  4. For handling large payloads, consider using the claim-check pattern with Amazon S3 for storage.

Best Practices:

When implementing webhook-like functionality, consider the following best practices:

  1. Implement proper security and authorization measures, such as HMAC validation for incoming requests.

  2. Configure appropriate rate limits and throttling to protect your systems.

  3. Use EventBridge for flexible event routing and processing.

  4. Consider using AWS Lambda Function URLs for simple webhook receivers.

While these approaches don't provide native webhook support for the Amazon Ads API, they can help you implement similar functionality using AWS services. If you specifically need webhook support for Amazon Ads, you may want to check the official Amazon Advertising documentation or contact their support for the most up-to-date information.

Rate Limits and other limitations

Here are the key points about the API Rate Limits for the Amazon Ads API:

Initial Limits

  • When you first create Product Advertising API 5.0 credentials, you are allowed:
    • Maximum of 1 request per second (1 TPS)
    • Daily maximum of 8,640 requests per day (8,640 TPD)
    • This initial limit applies for the first 30-day period

Adjusted Limits Based on Revenue

  • After the initial period, your usage limit is adjusted based on shipped item revenue:
    • You earn 1 TPD for every 5 cents of shipped item revenue
    • You earn 1 TPS (up to a maximum of 10 TPS) for every $4,320 of shipped item revenue
    • This is calculated based on revenue from the previous 30-day period

Key Terms

  • TPS (Transactions Per Second): Maximum number of API calls you can make in one second
  • TPD (Transactions Per Day): Maximum number of API calls you can make in one day
  • Primary Account: The Amazon account used to create your Associates account and API credentials
  • Shipped Revenue: Total sales from orders resulting from your API-created links

Best Practices

  • Use the links provided by the API without editing URL parameters
  • Use the same Amazon account for your Associates account and API account
  • Use your primary account for API requests
  • Always pass your Partner tag in requests
  • Follow API integration best practices to avoid throttling

Additional Notes

  • If you exceed limits or lose access, you'll receive a 429 TooManyRequests error
  • Your account can lose API access if it doesn't generate referring sales for 30 consecutive days
  • You can regain access within two days after referred sales are shipped

By following these guidelines and understanding the rate limits, you can effectively use the Amazon Ads API while avoiding throttling issues.

Latest API Version

Based on the search results provided, here are the key points about the most recent version of the Amazon Ads API:

  1. The most recent version of the Amazon Product Advertising API is version 5.0, also referred to as PA API 5.

  2. PA API 5 is the latest upgrade from the previous version PA API 4.

  3. Key points about PA API 5:

    • It provides access to the latest retail product information.
    • It is available in multiple marketplaces including the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and others.
    • It offers new features and capabilities not available in PA API 4.
    • It uses AWS signature version 4 for improved security.
  4. PA API 5 offers several benefits over PA API 4:

    • Access to more granular sales rank information.
    • Support for multiple currencies and languages.
    • More offer and promotion information.
    • Ability to promote products in programs like Prime exclusive and Fulfilled by Amazon.
    • SDKs for Java, PHP, Python, and JavaScript to simplify integration.
  5. PA API 4 is being deprecated:

    • PA API 4 was scheduled to be shut down on March 9, 2020.
    • All future product enhancements will only be available through PA API 5.

It's important to note that this information is based on the search results provided, which may not reflect the absolute latest updates. For the most current information, it would be best to check Amazon's official documentation directly.

How to get a Amazon Ads developer account and API Keys?

To get a developer account for Amazon Ads and create an API integration, you need to follow these steps:

1. Determine Your Eligibility

First, you need to determine if you're eligible for API access. Amazon Ads API is typically used by:

  • Advertising solution providers who integrate with the API and offer paid management and reporting tools
  • Agencies with internal engineering resources managing a significant volume of campaigns
  • Advertisers who manage their ad spend, have internal engineering resources, and run a significant volume of campaigns

2. Request API Access

To request API access:

  1. Go to the Amazon Ads API page (https://advertising.amazon.com/about-api)
  2. Scroll down to the "Request API access" section
  3. Select the option that best describes your company:
    • Direct advertiser
    • Partner (for businesses building applications and software solutions)
  4. Click on the appropriate option to start the registration process

3. Complete the Registration Process

After selecting your company type, you'll need to complete the registration process. This typically involves:

  • Providing information about your company
  • Describing your intended use of the API
  • Agreeing to Amazon's terms and conditions

4. Wait for Approval

Amazon will review your application. The approval process may take some time, so be patient.

5. Access the Developers Portal

Once approved, you can access the Amazon Ads API Developers Portal. This portal provides documentation, resources, and tools for integrating with the API.

What can you do with the Amazon Ads API?

Here is the markdown text with the trailing list of URLs and any citation references to them removed, and URLs inside the content formatted correctly for the markdown file format. The nested bullet points have two spaces before the bullet point for correct indentation for the markdown file format.

Here is a list of the key data models you can interact with using the Amazon Ads API, along with what is possible for each:

  • Create and manage Sponsored Products campaigns, ad groups, keywords, and product ads
  • Set bids and budgets
  • Generate performance reports
  • Access metrics like impressions, clicks, spend, sales
  • Create and manage Sponsored Brands campaigns and ad groups
  • Upload creative assets like logos and headlines
  • Set bids and budgets
  • Generate performance reports
  • Access brand metrics and analytics
  • Create and manage Sponsored Display campaigns and ad groups
  • Target audiences based on interests, purchases, views
  • Set bids and budgets
  • Generate performance reports
  • Access display ad metrics

Stores

  • Create and manage Amazon Store pages
  • Upload images, videos, text content
  • Customize Store layout and design
  • Access Store performance metrics and insights

Amazon DSP (Demand-Side Platform)

  • Create and manage programmatic display and video ad campaigns
  • Target audiences across Amazon and third-party sites/apps
  • Set bids, budgets, frequency caps
  • Access detailed reporting and analytics

Amazon Attribution

  • Track performance of non-Amazon ads (search, social, display, etc.) driving to Amazon
  • Measure impact on Amazon sales and conversions
  • Generate attribution reports and insights

Reporting

  • Access detailed performance data and metrics across ad types
  • Generate custom reports on campaigns, keywords, products, etc.
  • Retrieve data via API or schedule report downloads

Campaign Management

  • Bulk create/update/delete campaigns, ad groups, keywords, etc.
  • Automate campaign optimization and management
  • Apply custom rules and bidding strategies

The API allows programmatic access to create, manage, optimize and report on Amazon advertising campaigns and assets across these key data models. This enables automation, custom tools, and integration with other systems.