- Sponsored Prompts are AI-written follow-up questions tied to your brand, shown inside the assistant. Eligible Sponsored Products and Brands campaigns are enrolled automatically.
- You pay your existing CPC when a prompt is clicked. There is no separate bid, and you cannot freely write the prompt.
- Amazon claims prompt clickers convert 48% more and spend 21% more. Those figures are Amazon’s and unverified.
- Branded Conversations, a multi-turn format, is slated for January 2027; first prompt click charged, follow-ups reportedly free.
Checked 28 October 2026. Details come from trade reporting on Amazon Ads announcements and a leaked pitch deck reported by Adweek; Amazon’s own help pages were not retrievable for this piece. Sources disagree on opt-out options. Confirm in your Ads Console. Currently US only.
01How a prompt ad works
A shopper asks the assistant a question. It answers, then suggests follow-up questions. Some of those suggestions are now sponsored: generated by Amazon, linked to a brand, and marked. Tap one and the conversation steers towards that brand’s products, with Sponsored Products units embedded in the answer.12
Animation. Prompt wording is generated by Amazon; you can usually pause a prompt, not author it.
| Format | What it is | Billing | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsored Prompts | Brand-linked follow-up questions, plus Sponsored Products in answers | Existing CPC per prompt click; no separate bid | Live in the US since 25 March 2026 |
| Branded Conversations | Multi-turn branded exchange started from a prompt | Reported: first prompt click charged, follow-ups free | Announced for the US, January 2027 |
02Amazon’s claims, and the catch
+48% conversion, +21% spend
Amazon says shoppers who click a prompt convert 48% more often and spend 21% more. The comparison group is not published.
Attribution can shift
A sale can attribute to the prompt rather than the Sponsored Products click that started it, flattering the new format.
AI sessions convert 3.5×
Reported for the 2025 holidays: AI-assisted sessions converted at 3.5 times the rate of ordinary sessions. Correlation, not proof.
Paid and organic blur
Prompts look like the assistant’s own suggestions. Adweek notes the line between recommendation and placement is thin.
Is a prompt click worth your CPC?
Enter your Sponsored Products numbers. The calculator applies the lift you expect from prompt clicks (Amazon claims 48% and 21%; try lower) and shows the cost per order and profit per click, prompt versus standard.
Runs in your browser; nothing is saved. The default lifts are Amazon’s claims; your Prompts report is the only real test.
03Controls and reporting
- Enrolment: eligible campaigns were enrolled automatically, with no extra setup.
- Pausing: sources agree prompts can be paused in the Ads Console; some say opt-out also exists at campaign or account level. Check your console.
- Attribution: same windows as Sponsored Products, with sales booked back to the click date (7 or 14 days by setting).
- Reporting: a dedicated Prompts report shows which prompts were generated and their clicks and conversions.
04What to do now
Find the Prompts report
Pull it monthly. Compare cost per order on prompt clicks against your standard Sponsored Products clicks.
Pause prompts that misdescribe you
You do not write the prompt. If a generated question implies a feature you lack, pause it: that click will not convert.
Feed the assistant facts
The assistant answers from your listing. Complete attributes, clear comparisons and answered questions make prompt clicks pay.
Plan for conversations
Branded Conversations arrive in January. Decide now which product questions you want a brand-led chat to answer.
Search ads bought the keyword. Prompt ads buy the next question. Make sure your listing can answer it.
Related: how AI shopping agents choose products and the AI checkout map.
Common questions
What are Amazon Sponsored Prompts?
Sponsored Prompts are brand-linked follow-up questions shown by Amazon’s AI shopping assistant (Alexa for Shopping, formerly Rufus). Clicking one steers the conversation towards the brand’s products. They became generally available in the US on 25 March 2026 and are billed per click at the advertiser’s existing Sponsored Products or Sponsored Brands CPC.
Can I opt out of Sponsored Prompts?
Eligible campaigns are enrolled automatically. Reports agree that individual prompts can be paused in the Ads Console; some also describe campaign- or account-level opt-outs. Confirm the current options in your own Amazon Ads account.
Do Sponsored Prompts perform better than normal ads?
Amazon claims shoppers who click a prompt convert 48% more often and spend 21% more, but the comparison method is not published, and attribution can credit the prompt for sales that began with another click. Use the Prompts report to judge your own results.
What are Amazon Branded Conversations?
A multi-turn branded exchange inside the assistant, announced for the US in January 2027. Reports say advertisers pay for the first prompt click and follow-up turns are free; pricing is not fully disclosed.
Method & sources
Checked October 28, 2026. Based on trade reporting of Amazon Ads announcements and a leaked pitch deck; Amazon’s claims are quoted as claims. Opt-out details conflict across sources.
- PPC Land, “Amazon’s AI shopping prompts are now billable: what changed on March 25”. ppc.land
- Adweek, “Leaked pitch deck reveals Amazon’s pitch to get advertisers on Rufus”. adweek.com
- Perpetua, “Alexa for Shopping (Amazon Rufus): the complete guide for brands and sellers (2026)”. perpetua.io
- Stellagent, “Amazon unveils Branded Conversations for Alexa for Shopping”, and Parker-Lambert, “Amazon Sponsored Prompts are live in Alexa for Shopping”. stellagent.ai · parker-lambert.com
- The Drum, “Amazon is giving away Rufus ads for free (for now)”. thedrum.com