Whole Foods Market ads, sold through Amazon Ads

Whole Foods Ad Agency: Expert Whole Foods Ads Management

RMIQ runs Whole Foods campaigns inside Amazon Ads and checks Whole Foods-specific creative and landing-page rules, so ads aren't rejected.

Whole Foods Market ads are sold by Amazon Ads, because Amazon has owned the grocer since 2017. Brands buy Sponsored Display, display banners, Share of Voice and in-store screens aimed at its shoppers in Amazon Ads, and Amazon sells the display placements as Whole Foods Market on Amazon.

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Stores, screens and ad sales

The grocer and the ad business behind it

  • 550+ Whole Foods Market stores In the US, Canada and the UK, with more than 100 in development. Amazon, September 2026.
  • 500+ US stores with an entrance screen One screen per store, open to endemic and non-endemic brands. Amazon Ads in-store signage listing, read October 2026.
  • $19.8B Amazon advertising revenue, Q2 2026 Amazon-wide, up 26% year over year. Amazon, July 30, 2026.
  • 575+ Ingredients banned Across food, beverages, body care, household cleaning, supplements, catering and more. Whole Foods Market Quality Standards, read October 2026.

In the store, on Amazon and beyond

From the Amazon storefront to the grocery bag

Every placement below is bought from Amazon Ads. Prime members can order Whole Foods Market groceries directly on Amazon, and the stores carry Amazon's in-store screens.

  • Sponsored Display on the Whole Foods Market store

    • Since: November 17, 2022
    • Buying: Self-service or Managed Service

    Whole Foods Market vendors run Sponsored Display with contextual and audience targeting, shown to customers shopping the Whole Foods Market online store as well as Amazon.com. Access is through the ads console and the Amazon Ads API.

  • Whole Foods Market display banners

    • Buying: Amazon Ads Agent, formerly Amazon DSP

    Desktop and mobile banners run inside the Whole Foods Market environment on Amazon and, outside it, on Amazon and third-party sites.

  • Share of Voice and landing pages

    • Buying: Managed Service only

    Share of Voice gives a brand priority placement throughout the Whole Foods Market store on Amazon. Endemic brands may feature only Whole Foods Market products, and non-endemic brands need Amazon's approval. Amazon builds the landing pages; brands can design the top banner.

  • In-store digital screens

    • Reach: Entrance screens in more than 500 US stores
    • Reporting: Impressions, playbacks, stores, CPM

    Entrance screens take endemic and non-endemic brands. Amazon also lists hanging screens in more than 300 stores, counter screens in "approximately 462" and skybin header screens in 280, each with its own eligibility.

  • Grocery bag ads

    • Buying: Amazon Ads on-package ads

    Brands can advertise on Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh grocery bags, targeted by designated market area.

Rules written for Whole Foods Market

The Whole Foods Market rule book for ads

Whole Foods Market ads run on Amazon's platform, and Amazon writes rules for them on top of its general specs. A banner that meets the general specs can still be rejected under these. Sizes and file specs are in RMIQ's Whole Foods advertising guide.

  1. A 1-pixel border on every banner

    Display banners

    Amazon asks for a 1-pixel color border around all Whole Foods Market banners "to avoid rejection".

  2. The logo lockup outside the store

    Display banners

    Banners running outside the Whole Foods Market store, on Amazon or other sites, must use Amazon's pre-approved Whole Foods Market logo lockup.

  3. Three allowed click destinations

    Display banners

    A banner must lead to a Whole Foods Market landing page, a search string or a Brand Store. Static banners cannot link to a product detail page.

  4. Approved wording for Share of Voice

    Share of Voice

    Share of Voice banners use the pre-approved logo lockup with "Shop now on Whole Foods Market". Non-endemic brands need approval, and Amazon lists two approved calls to action: "Learn More" and "Find an Event Near You".

  5. Pack claims only, in store

    In-store screens

    In-store ads carry a "Sponsored" label and may show only the claims printed on the pack in the ad's product imagery. A price or saving needs a dynamic template that shows the right price for each store.

  6. The name written in full

    In-store screens

    Where in-store creative names the grocer, it must spell out "Whole Foods Market"; Amazon does not accept the short form "Whole Foods". Using the name or its trademarks needs Whole Foods Market's explicit permission.

Two data sources

Online sales, store sales and the Prime scan

For Whole Foods Market, Amazon closes the loop from two sources: store purchases that build audiences, and Prime scans at checkout that tie in-store sales to ads, a form of closed-loop attribution.

Store-purchaser audiences

Since November 2021, brands that build audiences from Whole Foods Market store purchases can measure how those audiences perform in any Amazon DSP (now Ads Agent) campaign, which Amazon calls a closed feedback loop.

In-store sales, Prime members only

Since February 16, 2021, Amazon has reported Whole Foods Market in-store purchases against Amazon DSP (now Ads Agent) ads, counting only shoppers who indicate Prime membership at checkout. Prime members do that by scanning the Whole Foods Market or Amazon app, which also unlocks Prime deals.

  • No benchmark: Flanagan, quoted by Digiday in May 2021, said the in-store data had nothing to compare it with like for like, so "It's hard to benchmark."

Shelf, service level, reporting

Who can buy Whole Foods Market ads, and through which Amazon route

Whole Foods Market advertising is open to two kinds of brand: those it stocks can run Sponsored Display, which is for advertisers who sell products there, and those it does not carry can buy entrance screens, and Share of Voice with Amazon's approval.

  1. Shelf space first

    Product ads need products on Whole Foods Market's shelves, and those products must meet its Quality Standards.

  2. Self-service or Amazon's Managed Service

    Sponsored Display, store-purchaser audiences and in-store attribution are open to both. Share of Voice and landing pages run only through Amazon's Managed Service, and non-endemic brands work with their Amazon account team for approval.

  3. Online and in-store reporting

    An Amazon DSP (now Ads Agent) campaign that tracks the Whole Foods Market US domain shows in-store results next to online ones.

  • Sponsored ads

    CPC, no minimum spend

    Amazon confirmed after the Ads Agent rename that sponsored ads stay cost per click with no minimum spend.

  • Display, video and audio

    Programmatic, unchanged in DVA+

    Amazon sends pricing questions to an Amazon Ads account executive. DVA+, the combined buying type rolling out from late October 2026, keeps the programmatic pricing model of Amazon DSP for self-service and Managed Service buys.

  • In-store screens

    Reported as CPM

    Signage reports show estimated impressions, ad playbacks, the number of stores with playbacks and CPM.

New names, a new buying type, new brands

Ads Agent, DVA+ and the 2026 LEAP class

  1. September 29, 2026

    Amazon DSP becomes Amazon Ads Agent

    Amazon Ads Agent is the new name of Amazon's unified platform and brings together what was the DSP and the ads console. Campaigns, audiences and reporting carry over, so Whole Foods Market display and audience campaigns now sit in Ads Agent.

  2. September 24, 2026

    LEAP picks 10 brands from more than 2,000 applications

    The Local and Emerging Accelerator Program is for brands not yet on Whole Foods Market's shelves; 9 of the 2025 cohort's 10 brands already have shelf space.

  3. From late October 2026

    Sponsored Display moves into DVA+

    DVA+ combines Sponsored Display, Sponsored TV and programmatic campaigns into one buying type, rolling out from late October. Sponsored Display has run on the Whole Foods Market online store since November 2022.

Before the first sale

The shelf and the Amazon.com listing hold Whole Foods Market campaigns back

Whole Foods Market campaigns slow down in two places: getting products onto its shelves, and keeping ads on its listing once they are there.

  1. Getting on the shelf

    Whole Foods Market bans more than 575 ingredients, asks suppliers for liability insurance and production in a certified commercial facility, and cannot promise a reply to supplier inquiries.

  2. Ads that drift to Amazon.com

    The agency Acadia reported in 2025 that Amazon's system tends to send ads for a product sold on both Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market to the Amazon.com listing. Acadia's workaround is a separate product set listed only for Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh, so Sponsored Products campaigns serve only those destinations.

Checked before Amazon sees it

What RMIQ does as a Whole Foods advertising agency

RMIQ runs Whole Foods Market campaigns inside Amazon Ads and checks each banner against the Whole Foods Market rule book before it goes to Amazon. For Share of Voice, display banners and in-store screens, RMIQ agrees the scope with you on a call.

Book a demo RMIQ's audit

  • Product sets for the Whole Foods Market store

    Where a product sells on Amazon.com and at Whole Foods Market, RMIQ plans with you a product set that keeps ads on the Whole Foods Market listing before any budget goes live.

  • Prime-scan sales reported on their own

    RMIQ reports in-store sales apart from online sales, because in-store figures count Prime-identified shoppers only.

  • The Ads Agent and DVA+ changes

    Amazon DSP campaigns now run in Amazon Ads Agent, and Sponsored Display moves into DVA+ from late October 2026; RMIQ carries the account through both changes.

One client, three networks

Zack's Mighty on Whole Foods Market with RMIQ

Zack's Mighty "partnered with RMIQ to fully manage retail media campaigns across multiple networks": Whole Foods Market, Walmart and Instacart. The brand "was required to spend with Whole Foods (Amazon)", and its "initial campaigns delivered just 1x ROAS", RMIQ writes. RMIQ gives no period for the results below.

  • Zack's Mighty

    Whole Foods, Walmart, Instacart
    • Whole Foods ROAS: 1x to 5x
    • Whole Foods investment: up 250%
    • Whole Foods sales growth: 10x

    The founder, Zack Gazzaniga, says RMIQ "more than doubled our ROAS within a month", without naming a network, and is "always willing to help out in any areas directly related to or tangential to sponsored search".

    Read the Zack's Mighty story

Readiness check

Shelf-ready, Amazon-ready: who Whole Foods Market ads reward

Signs you are ready

  • Whole Foods Market already stocks your products, or you are in a program such as LEAP that can lead to its shelves.
  • You already advertise with Amazon Ads: the same platform books Whole Foods Market placements.
  • You want to reach people who have bought at Whole Foods Market stores, in Ads Agent campaigns on Amazon and beyond, with audiences that look back up to 365 days.

What to budget time for

  • A separate set of Whole Foods Market creative, and Managed Service for Share of Voice and landing pages.
  • Products listed on both Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market, where Acadia found ads drifting to the Amazon.com listing.

Answers in brief

Whole Foods advertising agency FAQ

Does Whole Foods have its own retail media network?

No. Amazon, which bought Whole Foods Market in 2017, sells the placements aimed at Whole Foods Market shoppers through Amazon Ads: Sponsored Display, display banners, Share of Voice, in-store screens and grocery bag ads. That makes Amazon Ads the retail media network, and the grocery ad network, for Whole Foods Market.

Can any brand advertise at Whole Foods Market?

To advertise its own products, a brand needs shelf space first: suppliers apply through the Supplier Portal and must meet Quality Standards that ban more than 575 ingredients. Brands not yet stocked can apply to LEAP, which took 10 brands from more than 2,000 applications in 2026. Non-endemic brands can buy entrance screens and, with approval, Share of Voice.

Can Whole Foods Market ads be measured in store?

Yes, in Amazon DSP (now Ads Agent) campaigns and for Prime members. Since February 2021, Amazon has attributed Whole Foods Market in-store purchases to Amazon DSP ads, counting only shoppers who identify as Prime members at checkout. Purchases by other shoppers stay out of the report, so in-store return on ad spend reflects part of a brand's store sales.

Why do Whole Foods Market banners get rejected?

Whole Foods Market display has its own rules. Banners need a 1-pixel border "to avoid rejection", banners running outside the Whole Foods Market store need the logo lockup, and a banner must link to a Whole Foods Market landing page, a search string or a Brand Store. Static banners cannot link to a product detail page.

What does a Whole Foods advertising agency do?

A Whole Foods advertising agency runs a brand's Whole Foods Market campaigns inside Amazon Ads. RMIQ does that, checking each banner against Whole Foods Market's rules before it goes to Amazon. For Zack's Mighty, RMIQ reports Whole Foods ROAS rising from 1x to 5x and sales growing 10x, over a period it does not state.

From RMIQ's library

Specs, search terms and the networks next door

Other US retail media networks

Sources and dates21 sources

Each source is listed with the date it was published; pages that show no date are marked with the date they were read.

  1. Amazon Ads, Amazon Ads introduces Full-Funnel Campaigns, DVA+, and enhanced chat experience in Amazon Ads Agent, September 29, 2026
  2. Amazon Ads, The 11 biggest takeaways from unBoxed 2026, September 30, 2026
  3. Amazon Ads, Amazon DSP: Now part of Amazon Ads Agent, no date shown, read October 9, 2026
  4. Amazon Ads, Whole Foods Market on Amazon Display Ads (ad specs), no date shown, read October 9, 2026
  5. Amazon Ads, Reach Grocery Shoppers In-Store with Digital Signage Advertising, no date shown, read October 9, 2026
  6. Amazon Ads, Out-of-home ads, no date shown, read October 9, 2026
  7. Amazon Ads, Expanding Sponsored Display to Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market online stores, November 17, 2022
  8. Amazon Ads, Create custom-built audiences using Whole Foods Market physical store purchases, November 15, 2021
  9. Amazon Ads, Whole Foods Market in-store attribution, February 16, 2021
  10. Amazon.com, Second Quarter 2026 Results, July 30, 2026
  11. Amazon, Amazon doubles down on online grocery delivery and Whole Foods Market expansion, January 27, 2026
  12. Amazon, 5 ways to get fresh groceries delivered from Amazon, May 12, 2026
  13. Amazon, Amazon is giving every US employee a discount on groceries, September 16, 2026
  14. Amazon, Investing more than $230 million in higher pay and expanded benefits for Whole Foods Market team members, September 10, 2026
  15. Whole Foods Market, 2026 Local and Emerging Accelerator Program Early Growth Cohort, September 24, 2026
  16. Whole Foods Market, Applications open for the 2026 Local and Emerging Accelerator Program, June 2, 2026
  17. Whole Foods Market, Fast Facts, Information for Potential Suppliers, Quality Standards, and Amazon and Prime at Whole Foods Market, no dates shown, read October 9, 2026
  18. Acadia, Running Ads on Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, and Amazon Is Wildly Different, February 20, 2025
  19. Digiday, As brands test Amazon's direct link between digital ads and Whole Foods purchases, May 14, 2021
  20. RMIQ, Zack's Mighty case study, August 25, 2026
  21. RMIQ, Networks page, no date shown, read October 9, 2026

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