Amazon Ads is helping small and medium-sized businesses in India leverage artificial intelligence to optimise advertising campaigns and drive growth. Through a suite of AI-enabled tools, including Creative Studio, Image Generator, and Video Generator, the company enables SMBs to streamline content creation, improve audience targeting, and implement full-funnel advertising strategies.
New research from Amazon Ads shows that Indian SMBs are embracing AI as a present-day growth accelerator. The study finds that 71% of Indian SMB marketing leaders are already using or testing AI tools, while 89% believe AI will free up time for strategic business priorities. SMBs estimate that using AI could save just over five hours per week, which amounts to around 30 working days annually. They plan to invest this time in sales expansion (29%), developing team skills (23%), and exploring new marketplaces and channels (28%).
The research also highlights adoption challenges. Many SMBs feel overwhelmed by the number of AI tools available, with 60% reporting this, and over half, 55%, unsure where to begin. Additionally, 35% of SMB marketing leaders admitted feeling like they are faking it when using AI, highlighting the need for easy-to-use advertising solutions that can be adopted without technical expertise or a steep learning curve. Simplifying adoption, providing educational support, and offering measurement frameworks have emerged as key enablers to help SMBs implement AI successfully.
In a conversation with Marketing Mind, Kapil Sharma, Director of Amazon Ads India, shared insights from the study and explained how the company is helping Indian SMBs integrate AI into their advertising strategies while retaining human oversight and strategic control.
AI as a Growth Accelerator
Sharma emphasised that Indian SMBs are treating AI as a tool for immediate growth rather than a future trend. He said, “Indian SMBs are not viewing AI tools as something which is going to happen in the future, but rather they believe that AI tools are growth accelerators as of today itself.”
He highlighted how AI helps businesses evaluate performance, create compelling ad copy, and reach relevant audiences. “AI enables SMBs to implement full-funnel campaigns, which were previously limited to larger brands, allowing them to measure impact across the entire consumer journey,” Sharma added.
The Director also pointed out efficiency gains from AI adoption. He said, “SMBs will save almost 30 working days a year using AI to manage campaigns. They can use this time to focus on new product development, reach out to new customer cohorts, and analyse campaign performance to improve efficiency.”
Despite the advantages, many SMBs are uncertain where to start with AI. Sharma outlined Amazon Ads’ three-pronged approach: simplify, educate, and measure. He said, “Our AI tools are intuitive and free to use, allowing SMBs to create ad copies, set up campaigns, and automate repetitive tasks with just a few prompts.”
Education is critical to adoption. Sharma noted, “Through free video tutorials, webinars, learning consoles, and events, we teach SMBs how to use these tools effectively, ensuring they can create impactful campaigns while learning along the way.”
Measurement completes the framework. He explained, “We provide tools like Amazon Pi and Amazon Marketing Cloud that help SMBs evaluate campaign performance, understand consumer touchpoints, and optimise future campaigns, all with low complexity.”
Maximising Advertising Efficiency
AI tools are enabling SMBs to improve campaign performance across multiple areas. Sharma said, “AI helps evaluate campaign performance, create compelling ad copy, reach relevant audiences, and enables full-funnel advertising which was mostly the play of large brands. They can measure impact across the entire consumer journey.”
He emphasised the efficiency of content creation. He said, “The AI Image Generator and Creative Studio simplify content creation. A single product image can be turned into compelling videos and campaigns for multiple ad formats, reducing costs and effort while maintaining creativity and human judgement.”
These tools also allow SMBs to access benefits traditionally limited to larger enterprises, enabling them to capitalise on real-time consumer trends and optimise campaigns efficiently.
Additionally, the report highlights tangible benefits from AI adoption, including 23% of SMBs reporting automated visual creation, 14% improving campaign performance forecasting, 14% using automated ad copy generation, 52% improving audience reach, 49% accelerating creative content generation, and 35% automating repetitive advertising operations.
Preserving Human Oversight
Sharma stressed that human control remains central to campaign strategy. He said, “SMBs still want to make final decisions on creative approval, 43% on budget allocation, and 46% to ensure cultural and emotional relevance. AI complements human expertise—it does not replace it.”
He provided examples of culturally contextual campaigns. He said, “During Diwali, brands like Two Hands and Fido used Video Generator to create ads with Indian homes, attire, and narration in Indian English. AI allowed them to deliver culturally contextual campaigns while maintaining brand relevance.”
Addressing adoption challenges, he added, “60% of SMBs feel overwhelmed by AI tools, 55% are unsure where to start, and 35% feel like they are ‘faking it.’ Our approach ensures tools are simple, education is available, and measurement allows them to iterate effectively.”
Optimising Marketing and Media Mix
AI also supports media planning and campaign optimisation. Sharma explained, “Amazon Ads leverages AI-based tools such as BrandPlus and PerformancePlus, which bring predictive AI into campaigns. These tools use real-time behavioural signals to drive awareness, engagement, and conversions. Model audiences help brands identify and connect with potential customers most likely to purchase.”
He elaborated, “We help brands measure impact using multiple metrics depending on their objectives—return on ad spend, CTR, reach, brand searches, and share of voice. There is no one-size-fits-all metric; our self-service tools allow SMBs to monitor performance and optimise campaigns in real time.”
