TV fans across the world can expect more personalised adverts as the streaming giant dips into its huge archive of user data

Viewers in the UK could soon be served with interactive ads inviting them to click and buy products while watching shows and films on the retail and streaming giant, Amazon. 

The feature was rolled out to more than 180 million Prime Video users in the US on 11 May and relies on technology that utilises AI to further personalise advertisements for individual users. Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO) uses data on Amazon users’ individual shopping, viewing and searching behaviour.  Rather than delivering static ads to viewers with similar interests, features such as headlines, product descriptions and calls-to-action will be tailored to individuals.

One US customer, Sophia Wolf, who has subscribed to Amazon’s video services since 2006, said she was “disturbed” by the development. “I do not like AI, and honestly, the ads I get already annoy me because I know they’re tracking me,” she told The Techtonic.  

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Streaming platforms such as Hulu and Spotify already use DCO. Ari Paparo, who has held senior roles at Google, Nielsen, and AppNexus over 25 years working in advertising technology, said this rollout is different because “Amazon has more data about products and consumer shopping than really any other company on the planet, so bringing that data into the TV space seems noteworthy”.

“Amazon has more data about products and consumer shopping than really any other company on the planet”

Tailored advertisements are intended to combat what the industry calls “ad fatigue”, the frustration of seeing the same advertisement on repeat. But they might not work on all viewers. 

Sara Goksal, a 22 year-old living in London, said she avoided targeted content online and unlike Wolf, the new ads would not cause her further alarm. “I feel like something is always looking over you when you’re online, but I feel like that’s already kind of been going on”. 

While 90 per cent of all digital ads already use some form of personalisation, 36 per cent of 16–24-year-olds in the UK reported using ad blockers to limit their exposure. 

Amazon’s positioning makes this harder, as unlike third-party advertisers, Amazon already knows what its users browse, buy, and watch. The reach of its interactive ads is slated to expand beyond the US later this year.