It’s the end of an era. Amazon reportedly disappeared from Google Shopping between July 21 and July 23, 2025.
In a move that has caught the attention of advertisers, e-commerce platforms, and digital marketers alike, Amazon has completely withdrawn from bidding on Google Shopping ads across key markets. This follows a year-long pattern of gradual pullback and reduced ad visibility that led to a total disappearance by mid-July 2025.
The implications are wide-reaching. Amazon’s disappearance affects not only ad auction dynamics and cost structures, but also threatens a key stream of revenue for Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc.
Amazon Exits Google Shopping Ads: What Happened?
As confirmed by multiple industry experts and data sources, Amazon is no longer participating in Google Shopping ad auctions, including in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
Josh Duggan, Co-founder of e-commerce and paid media consultancy Vervaunt, wrote on LinkedIn that “Amazon appears in ~30% of Shopping auctions across our client base,” but “we’ve seen Amazon completely disappear from the auction since Tuesday afternoon.” The sudden disappearance is notable.
Andy Taylor, VP of Research at Tinuiti, released an anonymised client data chart on the daily impression share of major retailers on Google Shopping ads in the US. He confirmed a drop to 0% impression share across Tinuiti’s client base.
Mike Ryan, Head of E-commerce Insights at Smarter Ecommerce, provided data visualisations to confirm Amazon’s global pullout. It showed a synchronised drop in impression share to 0% in the US, UK, and Germany during the week of July 17–23.
The Numbers Behind The Exit
The latest data reveals a sharp and sudden decline in Amazon’s presence on Google Shopping.
Between July 17 and 23, 2025, Amazon’s median shopping impression share plummeted to zero across its three key markets: the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. By July 23, Amazon had fully exited the Google Shopping auction in all three regions with a 0% impression share.
Amazon’s Historical Dominance
Amazon held an impressive 60–70% share of Shopping ad impressions among Tinuiti clients.
What Happened in July 2025
As of late July, Amazon had a 0% impression share in the US, UK, and Germany.
According to tracking data from Vervaunt, which monitors more than 13 million daily Shopping ad impressions, no Amazon activity was detected during this period. Tinuiti, Vervaunt, and SMEC independently report a complete halt in Shopping ad activity.
This confirms the brand’s total withdrawal from Google Shopping across core markets.
The Impact: Who Wins, Who Loses?
1. Alphabet / Google Ads
- Amazon’s pullout is a major blow to Google Shopping auction pricing.
- As a high-volume spender, Amazon inflated CPCs, and its absence may lead to lower costs and reduced ad revenues for Google.
2. Retail Advertisers
Opportunity for increased:
- Impression share
- Click-through rates
- Performance Max campaign effectiveness
Why This Matters: What It Means For Advertisers and Retailers
1. Auction Dynamics Shift
Amazon’s exit opens a considerable chunk of the bidding landscape:
- 18% surge in Google Shopping ad clicks in Q2 post-Amazon’s earlier pullback (April).
- Reduced auction competition may create cost and visibility opportunities for other retailers.
2. No Clear Heir Yet
Despite the vacuum, no single retailer has filled the gap:
- Walmart, Target, Shein, and Temu hold 10–30% shares but show no significant growth after Amazon’s departure.
- Temu and Shein showed occasional spikes, but no trend suggesting a takeover of Amazon’s lost volume.
3. Performance Max Gains
- With Amazon out of the auction, Performance Max campaigns and Google’s AI-powered ad product have seen improved delivery across Shopping inventory.
- The absence of a major competitor has led to increased click-through rates (CTRs), benefiting advertisers running Shopping campaigns at scale.
Top Theories: Why Did Amazon Pull Out?
Industry insiders and strategists are actively speculating on the cause of Amazon’s dramatic move. The e-commerce and ad tech community is abuzz with speculation.
Here are the key theories:
1. Strategic Budget Reallocation
Amazon may be choosing to cut ad spend on external platforms, keeping users in its walled garden. “Is Amazon tired of funding competitor Google?” said Mike Ryan.
2. AI and Internal Ad Tools
Possible shift towards AI-driven product discovery, voice shopping, or enhanced Amazon Ads capabilities.
3. Seasonal Pause
Duane Brown suggests it could be a Prime Day / seasonal pause, with a return possible during Back-to-School season or Q4 shopping peak.
4. Trojan Horse Theory
Amazon may have used Shopping ads as a “Trojan horse” to funnel traffic from Google. Now that the brand is well-established, Google Shopping might no longer be needed.
5. Amazon’s Own Ad Ecosystem
Amazon may be choosing to invest more in its own ad network, where it holds complete control over targeting, data, and margins.
With a strong brand and shopper loyalty already in place, the utility of Google Shopping could have diminished.
What Should Brands and Advertisers Do?
While cost-per-clicks (CPCs) haven’t immediately declined, advertisers are advised to:
- Check your auction insights: Look for rising impression share or drops in CPC.
- Run side-by-side tests: Compare Performance Max campaign efficiency before/after July 2025.
- Test new acquisition strategies: Use Google Search, YouTube, and Display more aggressively.
- Monitor auction insights reports: Check weekly to understand new competition and cost dynamics.
- Explore direct-to-Amazon strategies: Use branded campaigns and Amazon attribution tools.
Stay nimble: Amazon’s return or deeper exit could alter strategies again. Diversify retail media spend across platforms like TikTok Shop, Meta Shops, and Walmart Connect.
What Comes Next?
The key question now is why. Only by understanding that can we begin to ask: how long will this continue?
Amazon’s complete withdrawal marks a watershed moment in retail digital advertising. For now, brands may benefit from the reduced competition, but the long-term implications will depend on:
- Whether Amazon returns to Shopping auctions.
- How Google reacts: perhaps by adjusting auction dynamics or courting other mega-retailers.
- If another player seizes the opportunity to dominate the Shopping ad share.
A New Era for Shopping Ads
Amazon’s global retreat from Google Shopping is arguably the most significant shift in digital retail advertising since the early COVID pandemic. It has created a temporary vacuum, one that bold advertisers and agile brands can exploit.
For digital advertisers, this is both a moment of opportunity and a call for vigilance.
For now, Alphabet absorbs a blow, retailers gain breathing room, and advertisers must stay sharp in a reshaped landscape that could shift again just as fast.
Need a fresh perspective? Let’s talk.
At 360 OM, we specialise in helping businesses take their marketing efforts to the next level. Our team stays on top of industry trends, uses data-informed decisions to maximise your ROI, and provides full transparency through comprehensive reports.
.png)
