Amazon Ads study reveals how AI is helping India’s SMBs reach

Bengaluru, August 22, 2026: Amazon Ads today unveiled findings from a new study examining how AI is transforming advertising for small and medium businesses (SMBs) in India. The research conducted found that AI is helping businesses overcome traditional barriers of cost, complexity and limited resources, making sophisticated advertising more accessible than ever before.

Nearly nine in ten (87%) SMBs say AI-powered advertising tools have enabled them to access advertising channels, audiences or formats that previously felt out of reach, including high-impact video formats such as streaming TV. Beyond expanding access, AI is also helping businesses grow, with 75% saying AI-enabled advertising has supported business growth. 68% say it has unlocked greater creativity in their advertising by virtue of simplified tools.

“We are seeing Indian SMBs approach advertising with a confidence we have not seen before. The share of Amazon advertisers using AI-powered tools in India has grown by 77% year over year with SMBs generating 62% more ad creatives with those tools in Q1 2026 over last year. Today, AI-powered tools are opening up channels like streaming TV that once felt reserved for big brands with big budgets. It is exciting to see SMBs writing their own growth stories and at Amazon Ads, we are focused on innovating on their behalf to offer self-service solutions built to help businesses of all sizes,” said Kapil Sharma, Director - Amazon Ads India.Streaming TV is becoming a realistic option for SMBs

Three years ago, 56% considered streaming TV as a viable advertising channel. For those who found it out of reach, major barriers included cost (48%), high minimum spend requirements (39%), and complexity in planning or buying (36%). Today, SMBs increasingly recognise the benefits the channel can offer. Among those interested in TV or streaming TV advertising, 62% say it can help them reach new audiences, 59% say it can increase brand awareness and 48% say it can improve credibility.

AI is helping SMBs think beyond domestic campaigns and levels the playing field

This shift is not limited to streaming TV. Cross-border advertising has traditionally required resources many smaller businesses don't have, from adapting creative for different languages and cultures to managing targeting and optimization across countries.