Podean's Global Amazon Media Q1 2026 Report: Record Highs, Rising Efficiency, and Where to Grow Next

Q1 is traditionally one of the quieter periods in the retail calendar, especially coming off the intensity of the holiday quarter. By comparison, it can feel like a slowdown, where spend pulls back, and the market settles.

But that shift is exactly what makes this “reset period” valuable. Without peak-season distortions, Q1 reveals a more stable and intent-driven version of consumer behavior. It's where performance becomes easier to read, and where underlying trends in spend efficiency and returns start to surface more clearly.

That’s the lens behind our Global Amazon Media Benchmark Report for Q1 2026. While the market recalibrated after Q4, the data shows this wasn't simply a period of contraction. Performance held in key areas, improved in others, and in some cases even reached new highs. More importantly, it provides a clearer signal of how Amazon advertising is shifting across its most strategic marketplaces and where brands can focus next.

Here’s What Stood Out to Us:

• Sponsored Ads didn’t slow down: Even with broader economic uncertainty, Sponsored Ads delivered the highest Q1 spend and click volume we’ve seen to date.
• Amazon DSP kept pace: DSP also hit a record Q1 for both spend and clicks. A big driver here is the growing use of advanced audience strategies, especially through Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC).
• ROAS improved across every major market: Return on ad spend (ROAS) increased year over year, even in places where brands were spending more.
• CPC declined globally: Cost per click (CPC) fell 4% in Q1 compared to Q4 2025, consistent with post-holiday normalization.
• New market opportunities are opening up: Markets like Brazil are starting to stand out, with meaningful gains in both efficiency and ROAS. For brands thinking about expanding internationally, this is worth paying attention to.
• The platform isn’t slowing down: In just one quarter, Amazon rolled out Sponsored Prompts, expanded DSP into podcast ads, updated its attribution model, and announced a shoppable TV partnership with Samsung. That’s a lot of movement in a short time, and it’s not letting up.

Overall, the data points to a more stable and efficient environment than what we typically see coming out of Q4. For brands, this creates a clearer window to evaluate performance and make more informed decisions.

What’s In the Full Report

Beyond the headlines, the report goes deep on global benchmarks (CPC, SPC, ROAS, conversion rates) across the US, UK, Australia, Brazil, Germany, and more. It also covers category-level performance trends in segments such as Beauty, Apparel, and Toys, and includes a full roundup of Amazon Ads platform updates from the quarter.

The full Global Amazon Media Report for Q1 2026 is free to download and available now.

Want to dig into the findings and explore what they mean for your brand? Whether it's refining your current strategy, identifying new market opportunities, or scaling more effectively across global marketplaces, our team is here to help.

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