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Meta trials promotional ads for ecommerce
Meta has announced that it is testing an ad update for Facebook aimed at making it easier for shoppers to discover, manage and apply digital promotions from businesses to their purchases.
Meta is launching a new ad format called ‘Promotional Ads’ to make it easier for shoppers to find deals from retail brands. When Facebook users come across an ad with a special promotion, they will be able to click through to claim the offer, and the discount code will be automatically applied during the checkout process. This streamlined experience eliminates the need for users to manually enter an email address or type in the discount code.
Additionally, if a user does not complete the purchase, they will receive a reminder notification before the deal expires. Meta's goal is to help businesses complete more sales on the platform by offering customers deals through engaging features like seasonal sales, first-time purchase discounts, and holiday promotions.
Meta states that 85% of shoppers actively seek out promotions and offers before making a purchase. By introducing Promotional Ads, Meta aims to help advertisers to better engage users and facilitate the discovery, application, and management of relevant deals. The initial testing of promotional ads will involve select advertisers in the USA, UK, Canada and India, with the possibility of adding additional features based on the learnings from this testing phase.
Meta is also updating its Lead Ads function by introducing a new dynamic question flow that adapts based on how users respond. For example, an educational institution can ask a question like "What degree are you interested in?" and the following questions will automatically adjust to provide more information about specific programs based on the user's answer. This feature aims to enhance the user experience and guide them towards relevant information.
Additionally, Meta will soon allow brands to overlay Instant Forms on their business web pages within Facebook's in-app browser. This means users can engage with the rich media formats on a business’s web page to get more context about the business, and then easily submit their information through the Instant Form using Meta’s auto-fill capabilities, which automatically pulls in a person’s information based on what they’ve provided to Meta (often name and email address).
Lastly, businesses using the new Facebook Page experience now have the option to add a lead generation form linked to the "Contact Us" call to action button on their Facebook page, enabling users to inquire and initiate conversations with the business through Messenger. This feature provides an additional avenue for businesses to connect with interested customers before choosing to set up a lead ad campaign.
Meta's new promotional ads provide an opportunity for businesses to drive direct sales activity within the app and give consumers more chances to take advantage of deals they have shown interest in. The new lead generation features have the potential to help businesses find more qualified customers.
