GLOSSARY

Ecommerce Advertising

A method of creating top-of-funnel awareness of an online store and products. The goal is to generate website traffic and new customer acquisition through paid placements on third-party platforms, either by targeting new prospects or retargeting those who have expressed interest.

What is ecommerce advertising?

A person shops ecommerce websites on their mobile phone, a laptop and a tablet.

Ecommerce advertising is placing advertisements on an online retailer page. To be more specific, ecommerce advertising is creating an interaction with a consumer in a place where they are already prepared to purchase something, or are at least considering it.

Where does ecommerce advertising appear?

Ecommerce advertising can appear across several digital channels depending on where customers are most likely to shop.

Common ecommerce advertising channels include:

Search engine advertising, where products appear in search results for high-intent queries.
Social media advertising on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest.
Retail media networks and online marketplaces that allow brands to advertise directly within shopping experiences.
Display and remarketing campaigns that reconnect with visitors who previously viewed products or abandoned their shopping carts.

Using multiple channels allows brands to reach customers throughout different stages of the buying journey.

What’s the value of ecommerce advertising?

Ecommerce advertising’s primary benefit is that it integrates advertisements into an online marketplace. Consumers using online marketplaces are already considering purchases, which makes meeting them in that space valuable.

Ecommerce advertising also benefits from purchase data collected by the ecommerce platform. Past purchase history is a strong indicator of future purchase decisions, which means that online marketplace advertisements perform well and provide excellent ROI.

How is ecommerce advertising performed?

Typically, sellers turn to software products to handle ecommerce advertisements. Like all marketing techniques, data and automation make the most of ecommerce advertising, and software can unlock the potential of both of those when implemented correctly.

What makes ecommerce advertising successful?

While every business has different goals, successful ecommerce advertising campaigns often share a few common characteristics.

They use accurate product data, target audiences based on customer intent, and continually optimize campaigns using performance metrics such as clicks, conversions, and return on ad spend.

Many businesses also combine search advertising, social media advertising, and remarketing campaigns to reach shoppers throughout the buying process rather than relying on a single advertising channel.

See how Skai can power your campaigns.