In this article, we take a close look at Amazon’s success using first party intent data, and how B2B marketers can excel using the same techniques.

Introduction: The Power of Amazon’s Personalization Engine

Let’s face it we’ve all been there. You visit Amazon to buy dog food, and suddenly you’re buying a bear paw-shaped back scratcher you didn’t know existed. That’s the brilliance of Amazon’s recommendation engine at work.

This isn’t magic; it’s first party intent data.

Amazon leverages a massive dataset from its users tracking behaviors, searches, and purchases to deliver personalized shopping experiences that boost conversion rates. Approximately 35% of Amazon’s sales come from recommended products worth over $43 billion.

Now the big question is: Can B2B marketers replicate this success? The answer is yes and here’s how.

What First-Party Data Looks Like at Amazon

Amazon uses cookies, tracking pixels, and purchase history to:

  • Recommend relevant products
  • Trigger retargeting emails
  • Deliver hyper personalized shopping experiences

For example, if you browse digital cameras but don’t buy one, you’re likely to receive a follow up email with camera suggestions, accessories, or related products.

What B2B Marketers Can Learn

Even though Amazon is a B2C giant, its approach to personalization is rooted in data that B2B companies can access and apply too. The key difference lies in the type of data collected and how it’s activated.

1. How to Gather First-Party Data

Start with intent data from your own website. You can track:

  • Company visits
  • Page views
  • Content downloads
  • Product interest patterns

This data can come from native tools like Google Analytics or through IP based identification platforms that associate visits with firmographics (company name, size, industry, etc.).

2. Personalize Website Content

Using tools like Google Optimize or Adobe Target, B2B marketers can deliver customized web experiences. For example:

  • Change homepage banners based on visitor industry
  • Recommend whitepapers specific to job function
  • Adjust messaging by company size or location

Just like Amazon, this type of personalization boosts engagement and keeps visitors moving through the funnel.

3. Email Outreach (Even Without Emails)

Amazon has all its customers’ emails. B2B marketers usually don’t.

But once you identify a company showing intent, you can use platforms like Seamless.ai to collect valid email addresses based on job roles and departments. Then:

  • Build outreach campaigns based on product fit
  • Deliver personalized messages to targeted decision-makers
  • Nurture prospects based on their onsite behavior

4. Dynamic Retargeting With First-Party Data

B2B marketers can level-up their ad campaigns by:

  • Retargeting known accounts only
  • Adjusting bids based on visitor activity and firmographic fit
  • Excluding competitors, employees, or irrelevant companies

Google Ads allows dynamic bid adjustment making it more likely that high value accounts see your ad when they’re actively searching.

📊 Bonus stat: Retargeted ads get 10x more clicks than regular display ads. Plus, users exposed to retargeting are 70% more likely to convert.

Key Takeaway: Think Like Amazon, Act Like a B2B Pro

Amazon’s success lies in knowing exactly who its users are and predicting what they want next. B2B marketers can harness the same principles using:

  • First-party website intent data
  • Personalized web and email experiences
  • Smart, exclusion based ad targeting

With the right tools and strategies, you can turn anonymous traffic into qualified pipeline and do it at scale.