Beyond The Listings

Venture Forge's Beyond the Listings panel is joined by Xnurta's Luis Martinez to unpack the growth of Amazon's advertising business for established brands: what DSP actually is and how it differs from Sponsored Ads, why Amazon becoming the world's #2 ad platform changes your planning, how audience data offsets rising CPCs and why most brands scale DSP before their account can convert the demand.

Plus a live Q&A on measuring DSP, placement data and winning the Buy Box before you spend...

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The DSP Evolution: the growth of Amazon's advertising business - and what it means for established brands planning beyond Sponsored Ads...

For years, most established brands have treated Amazon as a place to sell. That's changing - Amazon's advertising arm has quietly grown into the second-largest demand-side platform in the world, behind only Google, and that shift changes how brands should plan advertising, budget and full-funnel strategy well beyond Sponsored Ads.

In this Beyond the Listings session, the Venture Forge team was joined by Luis Martinez (MD UK & EU, Xnurta) to unpack what the DSP evolution actually means for established Amazon brands: not a masterclass, but a strategy-led read on where Amazon advertising is heading.

The argument at its heart is a simple one - most brands scale DSP before their account can actually convert the demand it creates, and the budget leaks away.

Across the hour, the panel worked through what to get right, and in what order:

• What Amazon DSP actually is, and how it differs from the Sponsored Ads you already run.
• Why Amazon becoming an advertising powerhouse - now the #2 DSP behind Google - changes your planning now, not later.
• What's new and worth knowing, from the Netflix partnership to AMC and what audience data now makes possible.
• What's really driving rising CPCs, and how DSP and audience targeting offset them rather than adding to them.
• Why you can't advertise into a listing that doesn't convert - and why Buy Box, availability and retail readiness come first.
• How to know if DSP is right for your brand yet, at what budget, and where to start.

And we closed with a live audience Q&A covering how much visibility you get into where DSP ads are served, how to measure real impact when you're not always winning the Buy Box and how to read placement and audience data to sharpen your creative.

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Want to check your foundations before you scale?

⁠Take our free Amazon Foundations assessment ⁠and pinpoint exactly what's working, what's not and where to focus next...

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Venture Forge⁠ is the award-winning Amazon agency behind £100m+ in annual client sales, helping established brands (£2m+ on Amazon) grow revenue and margin, defend market share and build foundations that hold up at peak.

Revenue for vanity, profit for sanity...

Here, Venture Forge's Beyond the Listings panel runs a mid-year checkpoint for established Amazon brands: how to read the harder half of your P&L, what's driving rising CPCs and the shift to DSP, how to tell an ads problem from a retail-readiness one and where Amazon's AI shift is starting to change what converts.

Plus a live Q&A on spotting real ad investment vs inefficiency, and what to fix first before peak.

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Every year starts with an ambitious Amazon forecast. By August, something's changed - competitors, Amazon itself, your own business have all moved the goalposts - and the brands that win the second half are the ones that spot it early and realign before the Golden Quarter, where so much of the year's profit is won or lost.

In this Beyond the Listings session, the Venture Forge team ran a mid-year checkpoint for established Amazon brands: not a retrospective, but a strategy-led readiness check for what's coming.

The argument at its heart is a simple one - most brands review the wrong half of the P&L at mid-year.

Across the hour, the panel worked through what you should be reviewing once the first half is banked:

• How to read the harder half of your P&L, and why a great revenue number can hide an "iceberg" of eroding profit underneath
• Why the category growing faster than you is a red flag hiding inside a healthy revenue line - and why market-share data matters more this volatile year than most
• What's really driving rising CPCs, and how Amazon's push into DSP and retail media is reshaping advertising efficiency and blended cost
• How to tell an advertising problem from a retail-readiness problem - and why you can't advertise your way out of a listing that doesn't convert
• What consumer and repeat-purchase data is telling you about demand, and how to use it to plan the second half
• Where Amazon's shift to AI-driven search and discovery - Rufus, richer product attributes, AI-assisted analysis - is starting to change what actually converts

And we closed with a live audience Q&A covering how to tell necessary ad investment from genuine inefficiency, what to check first with only weeks before peak and how to think about deals and discounting without racing to the bottom.

Want to run this check on your own account? Take our free 6-minute Amazon Foundations Scorecard: https://the-amazon-foundations-scorecard-from-venture-forge.scoreapp.com

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Venture Forge is the award-winning Amazon agency behind £100m+ in annual client sales, helping established brands (£2m+ on Amazon) grow revenue and margin, defend market share and build foundations that hold up at peak.

What did this year's earlier, four-day Prime Day really tell established Amazon brands?

Our Beyond the Listings panel - with brand-side insight from USN - gets into reading post-event data properly: flexible ad budgets over set-and-forget, conversion and retail-readiness signals, remarketing to Prime Day browsers, putting non-hero SKUs to work and how mini-peaks like back-to-school fit a smarter 12 month calendar.

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Prime Day gives established Amazon brands a concentrated view of shopper demand, traffic quality, advertising performance and product-level opportunity.

But the real commercial value comes after the event, when brands take the data and turn it into better decisions so, in this Beyond the Listings session, our panel unpacks what this year's Prime Day actually told brands - and how to act on it.

Across the hour, the panel covers when to increase, hold or pull back ad spend and why flexible budgeting beats a set-and-forget approach; how to read conversion and retail-readiness signals when traffic arrives but doesn't convert; remarketing to Prime Day browsers and buyers to keep momentum going; benchmarking against competitors when Amazon gives you little to work with; and how mini-peaks like back-to-school - now a confirmed Amazon Tier 1 event - fit into a smarter twelve-month promotional calendar.

It’s Venture Forge’s classic strategic Amazon perspective teamed up with brand-side insights from USN.

On the panel:

* Travis Chappell - Head of Operations, Venture Forge (host)

* Emma Pickard - Head of Client Services, Venture Forge

* Mike Godsiff - Head of Advertising and Media, Venture Forge

* PJ van Rooyen - Head of E-commerce and Brand, USN

If you'd like support reviewing your Prime Day performance and turning the data into a clearer Amazon growth plan, we’d love to chat.

Get in touch at [email protected]

Licensed brand growth on Amazon can look like a major opportunity, but it becomes harder to control when licensors, licensees, sellers and product categories are not commercially aligned.

In this episode of Beyond the Listings, our panel explores how licensed brands can turn IP into Amazon growth by creating a more joined-up customer experience, stronger brand control and clearer commercial ownership.

For established brands operating seriously on Amazon, the challenge is rarely just getting products listed. More often, it is whether the brand is being represented consistently across the channel, whether official products are easy to find, whether Brand Registry and content ownership are set up correctly, and whether licensors have enough visibility of what is really happening on Amazon.

From fragmented brand stores and grey market products to licensee collaboration, retail merchandising principles and Amazon data, this episode looks at the practical changes licensors and licensees can make to protect the brand, improve the customer journey and create stronger commercial outcomes.

Whether you are a licensor, licensee, Vendor, Seller or hybrid brand, this episode offers practical insight into how licensed brands can approach Amazon with more structure, clarity and commercial control.

Here’s what we cover:

• Why licensed brands often become fragmented on Amazon
• The difference between licensors, licensees and their role in Amazon growth
• Why Amazon rewards sellers, not brands
• How retail merchandising principles can improve the Amazon customer journey
• Why brand stores should not be treated as set-and-forget assets
• How grey market products and rogue sellers can damage brand value
• Why Brand Registry and content ownership can become complex for licensed IP
• How licensors can use Amazon data to spot category gaps and growth opportunities
• Why licensees need clearer standards, guidelines and commercial support
• How better collaboration can help licensors, licensees and consumers win
• Why Amazon should be treated as a major brand window, not just another sales channel

Featuring:

🎙 Andy Banks – CEO, Venture Forge

🎙 Jonathan Newton – COO, Venture Forge

🎙 Travis Chappell – Head of Vendor Services, Venture Forge

🎙 Matthew Wilson – IT & Systems Manager, Rainbow Designs

🎧 Tune in now and subscribe for more insight-led episodes.

🌐 Want tailored support for your Amazon strategy? Visit ventureforge.com/contact

#AmazonStrategy #AmazonGrowth #LicensedBrands #BrandLicensing #AmazonVendor #AmazonSeller #MarketplaceStrategy #EcommerceLeadership #RetailMedia #BeyondTheListings

International Amazon growth can look like a major opportunity, but expansion becomes harder to control when the commercial and operational foundations are not ready to scale.

In this episode of Beyond the Listings, our panel explores what established brands need to consider before expanding across Amazon markets.

For brands already operating seriously on Amazon, the challenge is rarely just launching in another territory. More often, it is whether the business is ready to manage the pricing, fulfilment, compliance, localisation, advertising investment and margin pressure that comes with international growth.

Whether you run Vendor, Seller or a hybrid model, this episode offers practical insight into how brands can approach Amazon expansion with more structure, clarity and commercial control.

Here’s what we cover:

• Why international expansion is not just about turning listings on
• How to assess whether a new market is commercially viable
• What operational challenges brands need to plan for
• How localisation affects trust, conversion and customer experience
• Why advertising investment matters when entering a new market
• How to protect margin as complexity increases
• Why data should guide market selection, but not replace commercial judgement

Featuring:

🎙 Andy Banks – CEO, Venture Forge

🎙 Emma Pickard – Head of Seller Services, Venture Forge

🎙 Matthew Wilson – Business Systems and Online Manager, Rainbow Designs

🎙 Gareth Oaten – European Sales Director, Ecommerce, Sharp Consumer Electronics Europe

🎧 Tune in now and subscribe for more insight led episodes.

🌐 Want tailored support for your Amazon strategy? Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ventureforge.com/contact⁠⁠⁠

Amazon growth often becomes harder to sustain long before performance actually drops.

In this episode of Beyond the Listings, our panel explores what happens when the opportunity on Amazon outpaces the structure, ownership and capability around it.

For established brands already operating seriously on Amazon, the issue is rarely demand. More often, it is whether the internal function has been built to support the pace, complexity and commercial pressure that comes with scale.

Whether you run Vendor, Seller or a hybrid model, this episode offers practical insight into how stronger Amazon capability supports better performance.

Here’s what we cover:

- The capability gaps that hold Amazon teams back

- Why more headcount does not always improve performance

- What strong Amazon functions look like as brands scale

- Where internal ownership matters most

- Where external support can accelerate progress- How better alignment across finance, marketing, ops and supply chain improves execution

Featuring:

🎙 Josh McNeice – Growth Director, Venture Forge

🎙 Emma Pickard – Head of Seller Services, Venture Forge

🎙 Patrick Murray – Amazon Recruitment Director, 3Search

🎙 James Prewitt – VP of E-commerce, Paladone

🎧 Tune in now and subscribe for more insight led episodes.

🌐 Want tailored support for your Amazon strategy? Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ventureforge.com/contact⁠⁠

What does healthy Amazon growth actually look like?

In this episode of Beyond the Listings, the Venture Forge team explores what it takes to grow on Amazon in a way that is commercially sustainable — not just fast. From profitability and market share to stock, operations, advertising and planning, this is a practical discussion on how established brands can scale without creating bigger problems behind the scenes. Whether you’re a 1P Vendor, 3P Seller or hybrid brand, this episode breaks down the warning signs of unhealthy growth, the common mistakes brands make, and the commercial discipline needed to build momentum that lasts.

Here’s what we cover:

• What “healthy growth” on Amazon really means
• Why sales growth without profit is not sustainable
• The metrics brands should actually be watching
• How stock, operations and advertising work together
• Why brands lose momentum after peak trading periods
• The risks of relying too heavily on promotions and discounts
• Market share, impressions and other early warning signs to watch
• Why long-term planning matters more than short-term fixes
• The difference between Vendor, Seller and hybrid growth models
• How to stay commercially disciplined while still scaling

Featuring:

🎙 Josh McNeice – Growth Director, Venture Forge

🎙 Travis Chappell – Head of Vendor Services, Venture Forge

🎙 Rachel – Principal Account Manager, Venture Forge

🎙 Elfie – Principal Ads Manager, Venture Forge

If you’re responsible for Amazon growth and want clearer thinking around profitability, planning and performance, this episode is packed with practical insight.

🔔 Subscribe for more expert-led Amazon insights, strategy and practical advice for established brands

📞 Want tailored support for your brand? Visit ventureforge.co.uk

#AmazonGrowth #AmazonStrategy #AmazonVendor #AmazonSeller #EcommerceStrategy #MarketplaceGrowth #AmazonAdvertising #BeyondTheListings #RetailGrowth #VentureForge

Amazon content is no longer just about presentation. It directly influences conversion, reviews, advertising efficiency, and long-term growth. In this episode of Beyond the Listings, our expert panel explores how customer behaviour is changing and what established brands need to do to keep their listings performing in 2026.

Whether you're a 1P Vendor or 3P Seller, you'll walk away with practical insights to improve conversion, strengthen trust, and make your content work harder commercially.

Here's what we cover:

- Mobile-first behaviour and how customers actually consume content

- Why imagery, video, and structure now drive buying decisions

- The link between content, reviews, and customer trust

- Why new product launches often struggle to gain traction

- How Brand Stores support conversion and cross-selling

Featuring:

🎙 Andy Banks – CEO, Venture Forge

🎙 Rob Smith – Head of Design, Venture Forge

🎙 Jessica Turner – Senior Account Manager, Venture Forge

🎙 Lee Clowes – Founder, Trends UK

🔔 Subscribe to ‪@venture-forge for more expert-led Amazon insights

📞 Want tailored support for your brand? Visit ventureforge.co.uk

#AmazonContent #AmazonStrategy #AmazonGrowth #AmazonSellers #AmazonVendors #BeyondTheListings #EcommerceGrowth #RetailMedia

Amazon growth doesn’t happen by accident. By the time most brands react, budgets are set, stock is locked in, and teams are already stretched. In this episode of the Venture Forge Podcast, our panel breaks down what real planning for Amazon growth in 2026 looks like—and where brands commonly get it wrong.

From using historical data properly to avoiding stock and resourcing pitfalls, this session is a practical conversation about building a plan that can actually be executed, not just approved.

Whether you’re a 1P Vendor or 3P Seller, you’ll walk away with clear, commercial insights to help you plan, prioritise, and scale on Amazon. Here’s what we cover:

- What an effective Amazon growth plan for 2026 really looks like

- Using historical performance and market data to build a roadmap

- Learning from category leaders and fast-moving challenger brands

- Why stock availability is still the biggest growth blocker on Amazon

- Forecasting, capacity constraints, and avoiding costly stockouts

- Team structure: why one “Amazon person” isn’t scalable

- In-house vs agency support and when each makes sense

- Operational discipline: walking the shop and fixing friction early

- Amazon-specific products, bundles, and exclusives as margin levers

- DSP and retail media in context (and why they won’t fix weak fundamentals)

- How to stay strategic while managing constant reactive issues

Featuring:

🎙 Andy Banks – CEO, Venture Forge

🎙 Travis Chappell – Head of Vendor Services, Venture Forge

🎙 Emma Pickard – Head of Seller Services, Venture Forge

🎙 Ross Haswell – Amazon Retail Lead Pooch & Mutt

🎧 Tune in now and subscribe for more insight led episodes.🌐 Want tailored support for your Amazon strategy? Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠ventureforge.co.uk/contact⁠⁠

#AmazonStrategy #AmazonGrowth #AmazonVendor #AmazonVendors #AmazonSeller #AmazonSellers #Ecommerce #RetailGrowth #MarketplaceStrategy #VentureForgePodcast

Amazon Ads, DSP and AMC are evolving fast but are they actually driving growth, or just producing more dashboards?

In this episode of Beyond the Listings, we break down what high-impact Amazon advertising really looks like — from in-console Sponsored Ads to DSP, Sponsored TV and Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC).

Our expert panel share how they’re using AMC and DSP day to day, the mistakes brands make, and how to build a full-funnel strategy that delivers incremental results, not just “nice” ROAS.

• What’s changing in the world of Amazon Ads
• AMC explained: how to actually use Amazon Marketing Cloud
• Turning “too much data” into clear decisions
• DSP beyond awareness: retargeting, LTV, incrementality
• How to test DSP safely (without wasting budget)
• Onsite vs offsite: Sponsored Ads, DSP, Sponsored TV & external traffic
• Using Prime Day & Black Friday insights for future planning
• The biggest mistakes brands make with DSP & AMC
• Sponsored Ads fundamentals: structure, granularity, data-led strategy

Here’s what we cover:

Featuring:

• Josh McNeice - Growth Director, Venture Forge
• Mike Godsiff – Head of Advertising & Media, Venture Forge
• Elfie Brocklehurst – PPC Manager, Venture Forge
• Bill Carter – EMEA Sales Director, Pacvue

🔔 Subscribe to @venture-forge for more expert-led Amazon insights

📞 Want tailored Amazon ad support? Visit ventureforge.co.uk/contact

#AmazonAds #AmazonDSP #AmazonMarketingCloud #RetailMedia #BeyondTheListings #AmazonSellers #AmazonVendors #DigitalAdvertising #EcommercePodcast