Amazon predicted to be 3rd largest ad platform by the end of 2018

A new report by the research firm E-Marketer says by the end of this year, Amazon will be the third largest ad platform in the United States.

Researchers say more and more people are starting their product search on Amazon instead of internet search engines, which means the online digital retailer can get more money for advertising on its site.

The study predicts Amazon will have a 4.2% share of the market by December 31st. While that's considered good, it's not enough to get within striking distance of the industry leaders, Google and Facebook which control a combined 57.7% of the digital ad market.