Amazon PPC vs Google Shopping (2026): Which Paid Channel Is Better for Product Sellers?

Buyer intent comparison

Amazon PPC buyer intent: Someone searching "sunscreen SPF 50 face" on Amazon has their credit card ready. Amazon is a destination for purchasing decisions, not discovery or research. The conversion intent on Amazon is among the highest of any advertising channel.

Google Shopping buyer intent: Someone searching the same query on Google may be comparing products, researching ingredients, looking for reviews, or ready to buy. Google captures buyers across the entire consideration funnel, not just at the purchasing stage. Click-to-purchase conversion rates are typically lower on Google Shopping than on Amazon PPC for the same keyword category.

This buyer intent difference explains why Amazon PPC typically produces higher ROAS for commodity and brand-aware product categories — the buyer is already in purchase mode.

Customer ownership

This is the most strategically important difference:

Amazon PPC: When someone buys through an Amazon Sponsored Products ad, the customer belongs to Amazon. You receive no email address, no ability to remarket, no customer data beyond basic order information. Repeat purchases may or may not come back through your listing versus a competitor's.

Google Shopping: When someone buys through a Google Shopping ad on your website, you own that customer relationship. You capture their email, can add them to Klaviyo flows, can retarget them with Facebook ads, and build direct customer LTV. Every Google Shopping customer is an asset to your DTC business in a way that Amazon customers aren't.

Ad formats

Both platforms have expanded beyond their original formats. Amazon's DSP extends off Amazon; Google Performance Max extends across Google's full network.

ROAS benchmarks

Average ROAS (industry benchmarks — results vary significantly by category):

Amazon PPC ROAS tends to run slightly higher for most consumer product categories, but the difference narrows for brands with strong DTC presence and repeat customer bases.

Verdict

Amazon PPC first for brands primarily selling on Amazon who want to maximise Amazon sales. Amazon PPC is essential for any brand competing on Amazon — organic rank depends on conversion, and PPC drives the initial sales velocity needed to improve organic rank.

Google Shopping first for brands focused on building a DTC brand with owned customer relationships.

Both is the standard approach for mature multi-channel brands. The channels serve different parts of the funnel and different business objectives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I start with Amazon PPC or Google Shopping?

Start with whichever channel aligns with your primary sales platform. If you sell primarily on Amazon: start with Amazon Sponsored Products. If you have a Shopify store you want to grow: start with Google Shopping. The channel that aligns with your current infrastructure produces faster ROI.

What budget should I start with for Amazon PPC?

A reasonable starting budget for Amazon PPC on a new ASIN is $20–50/day during the learning phase (first 4–8 weeks). This provides enough data for the algorithm to optimise and enough impressions to see meaningful results. Under-funding campaigns in the learning phase produces poor data and false conclusions about channel viability.

Does Google Shopping work for Amazon-listed products?

Google Shopping drives traffic to your own website — you can't send Google Shopping traffic to your Amazon listing. If you want to drive external traffic to Amazon listings specifically, Google Ads search campaigns (not Shopping) with Amazon listing URLs can work, but most sellers focus Google Shopping budget on their DTC website.

What is a good ACoS for Amazon PPC?

ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sale = spend/revenue) targets depend on your product margin. A product with 50% gross margin can sustain a 30–35% ACoS while remaining profitable. Calculate your breakeven ACoS: (gross margin %) is your max ACoS for breakeven. Target ACoS below that for profitable campaigns.

How do I get started with Google Shopping?

Google Shopping requires: a Google Merchant Center account (upload your product catalogue), a Google Ads account, and a connected website with a product feed. Shopify has a native Google channel app that automatically syncs your product catalogue to Google Merchant Center. Once the feed is approved (24–72 hours), you can create Shopping or Performance Max campaigns in Google Ads.