Every brand we talk to asks some version of the same question: “Which platform should we advertise on first?” They’re usually hoping for a clean, universal answer. The honest one is: start where you already sell the most. But that’s not very satisfying, so let’s actually break down the three big ones and when each makes sense.
Amazon Ads
Amazon is the deepest, most mature retail media platform, with the most ad formats and the most competition. If a meaningful chunk of your volume already runs through Amazon, this is where sophisticated bidding and a well-built product page pay off fastest — the shopper intent is enormous and the attribution is clean.
The catch: it’s also the most crowded and the most complex, and the dashboard was built for brands ten times your size. First-timers routinely overspend on the wrong keywords before they learn the ropes. It rewards brands that already have traffic and reviews to build on — and punishes thin listings.
Walmart Connect
If you’re on Walmart’s shelves — physical or online — Walmart Connect is often the highest-leverage place to start, precisely because it’s less saturated than Amazon. The shopper is there to buy groceries and household goods, intent is high, and there’s frequently a tighter link between your online ad and your in-store presence. For a lot of CPG brands, the ceiling is lower than Amazon but the floor is friendlier.
Instacart Ads
Instacart is the one people underestimate. It sits on top of grocery — including many regional chains — and reaches shoppers at the exact moment they’re filling a cart with food. If your product is a grocery item and you have distribution in stores Instacart serves, sponsored placement here can be remarkably efficient, because you’re catching people mid-decision in the aisle they’re already shopping. For regional brands especially, it’s often the fastest win.
The best first platform isn’t the biggest one. It’s the one where you already have velocity — advertising amplifies momentum, it doesn’t manufacture it.
The rule that actually matters
Advertising is an amplifier, not an ignition switch. It works best where you already have distribution, some sales history, and a product page worth sending traffic to. So the sequence we recommend is almost always: pick the retailer where you already move the most product, make sure your listings there are complete, then turn on sponsored placement — and only expand once that’s working.
Spreading a small budget across all three at once is the classic mistake. You end up mediocre everywhere instead of dominant somewhere. Go deep first. Prove the lift. Then expand on your terms.
One more thing before you spend a dollar
Whichever platform you choose, fix the digital shelf there first — the images, the title, the reviews. Sending paid traffic to a weak product page is lighting money on fire. Ads get the click; the page has to close it.
Not sure which platform your first dollars should go to? A free shelf check looks at where you actually sell and tells you where advertising will move the most product — no guessing, no spreading thin.
