13 June 2026
Amazon removed custom headlines and lifestyle images. The ad format now pulls live assets directly from your listing detail pages, relying entirely on AI-driven Automatic Mode or seller-controlled Manual Mode for product curation.
No. The ad group architecture is permanently locked at creation. To change modes, you must pause the existing ad group and build a new one from scratch, which resets your accumulated campaign relevance history.
Manual Mode campaigns require a minimum of three active, in-stock ASINs to remain live. If your inventory dips below this threshold, the ad automatically pauses until stock is replenished or the product lineup is manually updated.
Leverage product exclusions. Amazon allows you to block up to 1,000 ASINs from the automated rotation, preventing the algorithm from directing premium top-of-search ad spend toward low-margin, clearance, or unprofitable items.
Sponsored Brands Collections used to be fairly simple to build, even though they required a lot of hands-on maintenance after launch. Sellers would choose a group of strong keywords, select a few proven ASINs, add a lifestyle image, write a headline, and push the campaign live with the hope that the setup would keep performing.
The problem usually showed up after launch, once the campaign had to deal with real stock changes and shopper behavior. A product might sell out, a headline might stop pulling attention, or the creative might lose its effect after shoppers had seen it too often. At that point, the ad could continue spending while performance slipped, unless someone caught the issue and manually rebuilt the collection.
The setup could work for sellers with a small catalog, but it became harder to manage once brands had more products, changing inventory, and several campaigns running at the same time. The more product lines a seller tried to scale, the more manual work started slowing everything down.
Amazon’s late April 2026 update did not just tweak the Collections format. It removed two things advertisers had always controlled: the ability to write their own headlines and upload custom lifestyle images.
Now the format relies on AI to pull product details from your listings, build the title, assemble the landing page, and decide which items should appear for each shopper. This shift means your Amazon SEO and PPC strategies can no longer sit completely separate from each other.
What this means practically is that the most important decision happens before the campaign even starts spending. With Automatic Mode, Amazon’s algorithm takes over more of the product mix, using each shopper’s behavioral signals and browsing history to decide which eligible items from your catalog are most likely to convert.
Manual Mode works differently because you decide which products appear, and that level of control becomes important when you are dealing with tight margins, a new launch, or brand positioning you do not want to leave entirely to an algorithm.
The console makes the choice between Automatic vs. Manual Mode looks simpler than it really is. Once the ad group is live and spending, that choice becomes fixed. Switching modes is not an option after creation, so a misaligned setup can quietly send budget toward the wrong products, weaken how the brand comes across, or build a collection that works against what the campaign was supposed to do.
To understand why this Sponsored Brands Collections update matters, start with the shopper. Someone searching for a brand term like “kitchen gadgets” might be looking for a cheap tool, a giftable product, a premium appliance, or a bundle. One static ad showing the same three products cannot match all of those different intentions.
Amazon is pushing the format toward a more flexible setup by replacing manual headlines and images with real-time detail page data, so shoppers can see current pricing, star ratings, and live deal badges that mirror the actual shopping experience.
The bigger shift happens with product selection, because Sponsored Brands Collections are no longer just a fixed top-of-search banner with the same items shown to everyone. With AI involved, the ad can act more like a small dynamic storefront, adjusting the product mix based on the shopper’s likely intent.
This shift also changes how sellers think about relevance inside the Amazon A9 algorithm, because the products shown in the ad now need to match shopper intent more closely.
For sellers, this changes the way Sponsored Brands should be planned. The focus is moving away from showing the exact products you want every shopper to see and toward deciding when Amazon’s algorithm should personalize the collection for you. That is the real shift behind Automatic vs. Manual Mode. It also means your Amazon SEO Strategy can no longer sit completely separate from paid visibility.
Choosing Automatic Mode means letting Amazon’s AI act as the merchandising layer for the ad group. You still provide the keyword targets and brand name, but Amazon handles most of the product selection once a shopper triggers the ad.
The system works through dynamic curation. Before the page loads, Amazon reviews signals such as the shopper’s search query, recent browsing behavior, past purchase patterns, and how products in your catalog have converted before. From there, it pulls from your eligible products and builds the collection around the items most likely to match that shopper’s intent.
A shopper who has been looking at premium cookware, for example, may see your stainless steel products in the collection. Knowing Amazon conversion rate by category can also help sellers judge whether a product is truly underperforming or simply competing in a tougher niche.
Another shopper using the same keyword, but showing more interest in budget-friendly items, may see lower-priced products or items with active deals instead. That kind of product matching would be almost impossible to manage by hand across every shopper and every search.
Automatic Mode also generates the ad title and builds the landing page dynamically. Clicks on the logo or title send the shopper to the curated collection, while clicks on a product image take them straight to the item’s detail page.
There is still one important control point for advertisers: product exclusions. Amazon lets you block up to one thousand ASIN’s from the automated rotation, which is useful when certain products should not appear in a top-of-search placement.
That matters for clearance items, out-of-season products, and low-margin ASINs that cannot handle premium click costs. Without those exclusions, the algorithm may favor products that look strong for conversion but still drag down return on ad spend.
Automatic Mode works well when personalization and scale matter, but some campaigns still need tighter control over which products shoppers see. That is where Manual Mode makes more sense.
With Manual Mode, you do not let Amazon dynamically choose the product lineup. You select between three and ten related products yourself, and the ad only shows those ASINs in the order you arranged them, regardless of the shopper’s browsing history or price preferences.
The ad still pulls live details from the listings, including pricing, star ratings, and deal badges, but the product strategy stays with you. Manual Mode also gives you more control over where headline and logo clicks go.
Unlike Automatic Mode, which sends traffic to an AI-built landing page, Manual Mode lets you choose between an auto-generated landing page for the selected products or a specific sub-page inside your Amazon Brand Store.
Inventory is the part that can make Manual Mode risky. If the collection falls below three active, in-stock ASINs, that ad can pause, so smaller product lines and variation-heavy catalogs need closer stock planning before this setup makes sense.
Manual Mode fits best when the product lineup needs to be intentional, especially for branded searches, new launches, planned cross-sells, or high-margin products that should stay in front of a specific audience.
The most important technical detail in this update is that your collection type is locked once the ad group is created. If you choose Manual Mode or Automatic Mode at launch, you cannot simply switch that same ad group to other setup later.
Amazon’s structure also allows only one automatic collection request per ad group, which makes planning more important than it used to be. The old habit of launching first and adjusting the collection as you go no longer works the same way.
That matters when performance does not match what you expected. If you build a Manual Mode ad group around a broad keyword and later realize the selected products are not getting enough clicks, you cannot flip a switch and let Amazon’s AI take over.
You would need to pause that ad group and create a new Automatic Mode version from scratch. That reset can cost you the relevance performance history the original ad group had already started to build.
Because of that, sellers need to think through the funnel before launching. Broad discovery campaigns, mid-funnel consideration campaigns, and lower-funnel brand defense campaigns may each need a different mode depending on the goal.
Account structure now matters as much as the bids themselves. The mode you choose should match the role of the campaign before the first dollar is spent. That planning matters even more when your campaigns are competing inside the Amazon advertising auction.
Automatic Mode is not the right choice for every campaign, but it can be powerful when the goal is broad discovery. It works best for upper-funnel campaigns where the keyword has high search volume but the shopper’s intent is not yet clear.
A term like “home decor” or “men’s athletic wear” can mean very different things depending on the shopper. One person might want a low-cost wall print, while another may be comparing premium rugs or higher-end apparel. If you use Manual Mode on a keyword that broad, you are betting that your selected products match the needs of a wide mix of shoppers, which can lead to weaker click-through rates and higher click costs.
Automatic Mode helps in this kind of broad search environment because Amazon can use more shopper context before choosing what to show. Rather than showing the same collection to everyone, it can adjust the product mix based on browsing behavior, price interest, and purchase intent. A more relevant product lineup can improve click-through rate and may also lower the bid needed to compete for top-of-search placement.
This is also where Automatic Mode becomes useful for brands with larger catalogs. If you sell hundreds of phone case variations, for example, building separate manual ad groups for every model, device type, and keyword combination can quickly become unmanageable. Automatic Mode lets you target broader category terms while Amazon surfaces the product variation most likely to match the shopper’s device history or browsing pattern.
For sellers using Automatic Mode, the goal is not to give up strategy. It is to use automation where manual product selection would be too slow, too narrow, or too difficult to maintain and scale.
Manual Mode makes the most sense when search intent is clear, margins need protection, or the brand story matters more than broad personalization. This is especially true for lower-funnel brand defense, where shoppers searching for your brand name or proprietary product lines are already close to buying.
In that situation, giving the algorithm full control can create risk. Amazon may keep showing a clearance item because it has converted well before, even if that product does not fit the role you want this campaign to play. Manual Mode gives you room to keep the spotlight on flagship items, stronger margin bundles, or newer products that need help getting noticed.
Manual Mode also makes sense for cross-selling and product launches. Automatic Mode usually leans toward products with stronger sales history, so a new variation can struggle to get attention on its own. With Manual Mode, you can place that new item beside two proven best-sellers and use their existing traffic to help the launch get its first discovery clicks.
This is where Amazon PPC product targeting can support the strategy, especially when you want related products to appear together instead of leaving the lineup to automation.
Manual Mode also gives you more control over where headline and logo clicks go. If your Amazon Brand Store has a page built for education, bundles, or premium product lines, you can send shoppers there instead of using an auto-generated landing page. That gives the brand story more room than a single product page usually can.
The shift toward AI-powered Collections also needs to be viewed alongside Amazon’s broader 2026 policy changes. These updates affect how much risk sellers take on when they choose between Automatic Mode and Manual Mode.
Inventory is the first issue. With FBA inventory commingling ending in March 2026, sellers have less room to rely on pooled inventory when their own stock runs low. That matters for Manual Mode because a Manual Collection needs at least three active, in-stock ASINs to keep running. If stock drops below that point, the ad can pause until the product lineup is fixed.
Automatic Mode has an advantage when inventory changes often. Since Amazon can pull from eligible products in the catalog, it can replace out-of-stock items with available alternatives, keeping the campaign active. That does not remove the need for inventory planning, but it does give sellers more flexibility when stock levels move quickly.
The second issue is creative control. Since Sponsored Brands Collections no longer rely on custom lifestyle images or manually written headlines, the product detail page has to do more of the work. The ad pulls visible details from the listing, including the main image, price, star rating, and active deal badges.
For sellers who need help tightening those product page assets, Amazon Listing Optimization Services can support the work before campaigns start scaling.
An Amazon listing audit can catch weak images, unclear titles, or missing deal elements before the ad starts spending.
That makes listing quality harder to ignore. A shopper only gets a small preview before deciding if the ad is worth a click, so the main image and product page have to carry more weight now. The old lifestyle banner gave sellers some cover, but with that gone, weak product photos or unclear listing details show up much faster in campaign performance.
For sellers using Automatic Mode, product exclusion can make a major difference in whether the campaign supports profit or simply spends through budget. Amazon’s AI is strong at predicting which products may convert, but it does not automatically understand your margins unless you guide it.
That matters because the system may favor a low-priced product that converts often, even if that item barely makes money after ad costs. Your sales numbers might look healthy on the surface, but return on ad spend can suffer if premium top-of-search clicks are going toward products with weak margins.
This is also where sellers start asking What is good ACoS on Amazon, because a product can convert well and still leave the campaign unprofitable.
Before launching an Automatic campaign, go through the catalog and decide which products should not be part of the rotation. Loss leaders, heavy discounts, clearance items, and ASINs with weak margins usually need to be filtered out before the campaign starts spending, especially when Amazon advertising cost is already high for top-of-search placements.
Once those products are added to the exclusion list, the AI has less room to waste clicks on the items that do not support the account’s profit goals. The campaign can still chase conversions, but it does so from a cleaner product pool where the sale has a better chance of helping the bottom line, which works alongside Negative keywords Amazon strategies, where the goal is to stop wasted spend before it builds up.
Since the collection type is locked once the ad group is created, testing Automatic Mode against Manual Mode needs to happen in parallel. You cannot run one setup, switch it later, and expect a clean comparison.
Start with a group of mid-funnel keywords that have enough search volume but still show some purchase intent, such as “stainless steel mixing bowls.” Then build two separate Sponsored Brands campaigns around the same keyword set.
A Reverse keyword search Amazon workflow can help identify those mid-funnel terms by showing which searches already drive visibility for similar products.
In Campaign A, use Automatic Mode and exclude any ASINs that should not be part of the test, especially low-margin or unprofitable products. For Campaign B, keep the keyword targets the same, but use Manual Mode and choose the three products you would normally want leading that search.
To make the comparison useful, give both campaigns the same conditions. Use the same daily budget and bidding strategy, then let them run side by side for fourteen to twenty-one days so normal attribution delays are not skewing the result. For larger accounts, Amazon PPC Software can make this easier by helping track budgets, bidding changes, search terms, and performance across both test campaigns.
After the test has enough data, do not judge the winner by ROAS alone. Check Amazon Click Through Rate to see which format shoppers responded to, and compare cost per click to understand whether Automatic Mode earned cheaper traffic through stronger relevance.
The search term report is where results usually get more interesting, especially for Amazon Search Term Optimization because it shows which queries actually turned into sales. Manual Mode may give you tighter sales around the three products you choose, while Automatic Mode may uncover demand across more of the catalog or help move slower inventory. The better choice depends on what you needed that campaign to prove.
Amazon advertising has become harder to manage casually. With AI-powered Automatic Collections, stricter ad group rules, and fewer manual creative controls, Sponsored Brands campaigns now need better planning before launch and closer review once performance data starts coming in.
For many sellers, the difficult part is not choosing Automatic Mode or Manual Mode in theory. It is knowing which products belong in each setup, which ASINs should be excluded, and how each campaign fits into the wider account strategy.
A wrong decision at the ad group level can send the budget toward products that convert on paper but do not support your margins. That also means looking beyond one campaign, especially when sellers are trying to answer What is a good TACoS on Amazon for the whole account.
That is where Amazon Seller Agency like SellerMetrics can help. Our team reviews your catalog, margins, inventory risks, and campaign goals before building the structure, and for sellers managing several product lines, Amazon account management services can help connect campaign choices with inventory, margin planning, and account structure.
We also build the A/B testing framework, manage product exclusions, and review your product detail pages so the new dynamic ad format has stronger listing assets to pull from. This kind of Amazon advertising management helps keep automation tied to profit goals instead of letting the algorithm chase every possible sale. The goal is not let Amazon’s AI make every decision on its own. It is to pair the speed of automation with a strategy that still protects profitability, brand positioning, and long-term growth.
The goal is not just to spend more, but to understand how to increase sales on Amazon without losing control of profit.
The biggest change is that sellers no longer build this format the old way. You are not uploading a lifestyle image or writing the headline yourself. Collections now pull from the product detail page, so the ad uses listing details such as product images, price, ratings, deals, and other live information. Amazon also handles the title and landing page, while you choose between Automatic Mode and Manual Mode.
No. The mode you choose stays attached to that ad group after it is created. If you later want the other setup, you need to pause the current ad group and create a new one, which means the replacement starts with a separate campaign history.
The search term gives Amazon a starting point, but it is not the whole story. The system can also consider what the shopper has browsed recently, what they have bought before, and which products in your catalog have converted well. That context helps Amazon decide which ASINs should appear in the collection.
Manual Mode needs at least three active, in-stock ASINs. If your selected lineup drops below that number, the ad may pause until inventory is back or you update the campaign with other eligible products.
Yes. You can exclude up to 1,000 ASINs from an Automatic Mode ad group. That matters when you have clearance products, seasonal items, or low-margin ASINs that should not be taking premium top-of-search clicks.
In Automatic Mode, Amazon sends headline and logo clicks to a landing page it builds around the curated selection. Manual Mode gives you more say. Those clicks can go to an auto-generated page for the products you picked, or to a specific page inside your Amazon Brand Store.
No. Sponsored Brands Collections use the main product images and standard listing details from your product details pages. Sponsored Brands Video still exists, but it is a separate ad format.
Automatic Mode fits broad discovery campaigns best. A shopper typing “women’s shoes” or “kitchen tools” could be looking for several different things, so giving Amazon a room to adjust the product mix can make the ad more relevant.
Use Manual Mode when the exact product lineup matters. It fits brand defense, product launches, planned cross-sells, high-margin bundles, or campaigns where Amazon should not be testing the product mix on its own.
It matters a lot because ad is built from the product detail page. Your main image, title, pricing, ratings, and deal badges shape what shoppers see in search. Weak listing elements can hold ad back, even when the targeting is strong.
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