Based on insights from Amazon’s 2024 Letter to Shareholders
Amazon’s 2024 shareholder letter doesn’t simply outline major new technological features. Instead, it offers a roadmap to thinking and operating more like Amazon itself– advice that can help brands well into 2025.
From moving faster to investing smarter, Amazon’s approach can help brands rethink not just how they advertise, but how they grow. Here’s what brands can take away — and how to apply these lessons now.
Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash
Think Like a Startup, No Matter Your Size
Amazon still views itself as “the world’s largest startup,” according to CEO Andy Jassy. Even with its global scale, Amazon keeps its focus on invention, fast decision-making, and constantly evolving based on customer needs. It doesn’t default to big-company habits like overplanning or adding layers of complexity that slow things down.
Brands that sell on Amazon can take a page from this playbook:
- Stay scrappy. Don’t get bogged down by perfect plans. Launch tests, gather real data, and iterate. Amazon’s ability to move quickly comes from a bias for action and a willingness to experiment, even if the first version isn’t perfect.
- Organize for speed. Break down internal bottlenecks that slow down advertising and product development. Jassy describes how Amazon is decentralizing decision-making so teams can act faster — something brands can replicate in their own marketing workflows.
- Keep the customer at the center. Focus energy on solving real customer problems, not just chasing trends. Amazon’s product decisions come from long-term thinking rooted in customer needs, which helps it avoid distractions that offer little value.
In a fast-changing environment, thinking like a startup is a competitive advantage — not just for new brands, but for any brand looking to grow with agility.
Make Speed Your Competitive Edge
Jassy’s letter stresses that speed isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s critical to staying relevant. The faster you can invent, test, and launch, the better your chances of meeting customer needs before competitors do. He notes that increasing the velocity of decision-making has been a priority across every part of Amazon’s business, from operations to software development.
Brands should apply this by:
- Quickly adapting to new Amazon features and tools (but always tied to strategy, not hype). Amazon is launching new ad formats, creative tools, and targeting options more frequently — brands that have nimble testing processes will benefit sooner.
- Speeding up creative production for ads so campaigns can respond to real-time data. Long creative timelines can prevent teams from taking advantage of emerging trends or changes in shopper behavior.
- Streamlining approvals and minimizing layers of decision-making internally. The more steps a campaign needs to go live, the longer it takes to learn and optimize. Amazon’s example shows that reducing friction leads to faster innovation and better outcomes.
Moving fast doesn’t mean being reckless, but means building muscle for quick, informed action, and backing it with data and accountability.
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Treat Every Advertising Dollar Like Your Own
One of the clearest points from the 2024 letter: Amazon leaders treat every dollar they spend as if it came from their own pocket. That mindset of ownership and discipline is baked into how Amazon evaluates new investments and operational costs.
It’s a mentality that’s especially useful in today’s higher-cost ad environment.
Brands can apply this principle by:
- Evaluating new ad tools and placements based on ROI, not popularity. Just because a feature is new doesn’t mean it’s right for your product or your customer.
- Shifting spend toward strategies that drive both immediate sales and long-term brand value. Some ad formats are better for awareness, while others are built for conversion. Smart spending balances the two based on the brand’s current goals.
- Regularly auditing ad campaigns for wasted spend and opportunities to improve efficiency. Look for irrelevant keywords, underperforming ASINs, or placements that don’t align with your customer’s journey.
This isn’t just budget management — it’s a mindset shift toward ownership and accountability that leads to more sustainable growth.
Build Advertising Strategies That Embrace AI
Amazon is betting heavily on AI to power the next wave of customer experience improvements — and brands should be doing the same. In the letter, Jassy highlights how generative AI is already being used to reinvent search, improve product discovery, and make internal teams more productive.
But the real opportunity isn’t just using AI for automation; it’s using it to create more meaningful customer connections.
Consider:
- Testing AI-driven ad placements that adapt to shopper behavior. As Amazon integrates AI into its algorithms and surfaces, brands that understand how AI shapes visibility will be better positioned.
- Using AI tools to personalize messaging at scale. From optimizing copy to customizing creatives, AI can help tailor content to different audiences without requiring manual effort for each version.
- Exploring how AI can streamline creative development without losing brand voice. Tools that generate headlines, edit images, or summarize product benefits can save time, as long as brands maintain clear input and quality standards.
The goal isn’t to replace the human touch — it’s to extend it more efficiently and intelligently, so teams can focus on strategy while AI handles the heavy lifting.
Photo by Jan Antonin Kolar on Unsplash
Final Thought
Amazon’s 2024 letter is a reminder that the brands best positioned for future success won’t just follow new tools — they’ll embody the principles that have helped Amazon lead for decades: speed, customer obsession, ownership, and constant invention.
By adopting this mindset, brands can better navigate whatever changes come next, on Amazon and beyond.
