What’s New in Social Commerce? Meta, Google, YouTube, and TikTok Shopping Ads Updates
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With social commerce sales in the US projected to reach $101.38 billion in 2024, platforms like Meta, Google, YouTube, and TikTok are becoming crucial channels for advertisers, especially as established buyers increase their spending.
Though social commerce currently plays a smaller role in holiday shopping, Gen Z is increasingly engaging with brands through creator-influenced content, making platforms like TikTok and Facebook essential for reaching younger audiences and driving sales.
Meta, Google, YouTube, and TikTok have all developed distinct shopping ad formats and tools that cater to their users' unique preferences and engagement styles. For advertisers, understanding the capabilities of each platform isn’t just a benefit—it’s becoming essential.
Meta’s Advantage+ Catalog Ads focus on a seamless, automated presentation of product images. Google recently announced that it is migrating video-enabled shopping ads (YouTube's Video Action Campaign) to Deman Gen campaigns. YouTube now incorporates interactive tools within Shorts to spark viewer interaction, and TikTok's Smart+ campaigns simplify targeting and placements for quick and effective outreach.
This quick refresher examines each platform's strengths, highlighting essential optimization tips and insights for a campaign strategy that reaches today’s on-the-go, multi-platform shoppers.
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🛍️ Meta Shopping Ads: Streamlined Visuals with Advantage+ Catalog Ads
Meta’s Advantage+ Catalog Ads now offer an upgraded approach to product presentation by combining automation with streamlined visuals for a seamless shopping experience.
In addition to its carousel format, which showcases multiple products within a single ad, Meta has introduced automatic image resizing for 1:1 and 4:5 aspect ratios.
This eliminates the need for manual adjustments, creating a cohesive look across ad placements and devices.
Building on this, Meta has also started automatically adding product videos to catalogs.
Beyond videos available on your website, Meta now searches for product videos across your business’s Meta Ads campaigns, Facebook Page, Instagram profile, and any other product catalogs you manage within Commerce Manager.
This feature, enabled by default, makes product videos more readily available to enhance catalog engagement. Advertisers can review and reject videos directly in Commerce Manager if desired.
💡Optimization Tips:
For brand consistency, use Commerce Manager to set image cropping preferences that align with your visual style—options include filling the frame, showing the entire image, or cropping to emphasize key product details.
Regularly reviewing and updating these settings helps ensure that products are visually appealing across all placements.
For catalogs with videos, consider Meta’s advice to add videos through feeds for best performance, especially as this new feature is rolled out across accounts.
🛍️ YouTube Shopping Ads: Driving Engagement with Video
As YouTube evolves its ad options, the platform is placing an increasing emphasis on interactive and multi-format shopping ads that capture audience interest.
Recently, Google announced a major transition for Video Action Campaigns (VAC), which will become Demand Gen campaigns in 2025, enhancing advertisers' reach and engagement opportunities across YouTube and other Google platforms.
This shift is set to support video and image ad integration, delivering higher engagement through relevant, dynamic formats.
YouTube Shorts' Interactive Elements and Ad Placement Control
YouTube’s Shorts platform, for instance, now supports poll stickers, which allow viewers to interact directly with shopping ads.
This interactive approach gathers valuable insights into audience preferences while building brand connections in a way that video alone may not achieve.
The platform’s ad category blocking feature also offers advertisers a new level of control, aligning placements with brand values and enhancing relevance for viewers.
💡Optimization Tips:
Prioritize concise, high-quality product videos that can capture viewer attention in seconds. With poll stickers, invite viewers to engage by offering options or preferences, which boosts engagement and provides data to further tailor campaigns.
Additionally, using Demand Gen’s multi-format capabilities—both video and image ads in a single campaign—offers a comprehensive approach to reaching relevant audiences and making creative storytelling more impactful across platforms.
🛍️ TikTok Shopping Ads: Simplifying with Smart+ Campaigns
TikTok’s new Smart+ campaign types streamline ad management for different goals, from website conversions to lead generation.
Smart+ automates placements, making it easier for advertisers to reach TikTok’s highly engaged user base without requiring extensive manual configuration.
However, this setup lacks manual placement selection, so traditional campaigns are recommended for advertisers with specific placement needs.
🛒 TikTok Smart+ Campaign Types:
1️⃣ TikTok Smart+ Web Campaigns: Optimizes traffic and lower-funnel actions, making it ideal for driving visits and conversions on websites.
2️⃣ TikTok Smart+ Catalog Ads: Connects product catalogs for e-commerce websites, prioritizing sales by showcasing a range of products.
3️⃣ TikTok Smart+ App Campaigns: Designed to boost app installs and encourage further app interactions, promoting discovery and engagement.
4️⃣ TikTok Smart+ Lead Generation Campaigns: Targets potential customers, transforming audience engagement into valuable brand leads.
💡 Optimization Tips:
Choose the right Smart+ campaign type based on your objectives. For example, Web Campaigns are ideal for driving e-commerce conversions, while App Campaigns effectively boost app downloads. Additionally, TikTok’s audience exclusions can be utilized to refine targeting and keep ads relevant.
💡 Key Considerations for Media Buyers:
However, Smart+ isn’t without its limitations. Unlike TikTok’s traditional ad formats, it doesn’t offer manual placement selection, which may be a drawback for advertisers with highly specific placement strategies. For those, traditional campaigns still offer more control.
Adding a layer of uncertainty is TikTok's complex regulatory situation in the U.S., where an ongoing legal battle with the government could impact the platform’s availability. Advertisers eager to explore TikTok Smart+ should be mindful of this volatility.
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For advertisers, understanding and utilizing these platform-specific features can improve holiday campaign results.
Meta’s Advantage+ Catalog Ads enable streamlined product displays, Google’s Demand Gen campaigns are set to expand reach, YouTube’s Shorts adds interactivity, and TikTok’s Smart+ simplifies ad management.
This diversity in ad formats allows for an adaptable, multi-platform approach that resonates with today’s fast-paced, multi-device consumers.
🤝 Turn Strike Social as your in-house extension team
For teams looking to maximize their investment, partnering with Strike Social can help bring holiday strategies to life seamlessly.
Key advantages include:
✅ Significant Savings: Proven results at lower costs, ensuring more media for the same investment.
✅ Expertise and Support: Our global team is available 24/7 to keep your campaigns running smoothly.
✅ Flexible Partnership Models: Tailored solutions that fit your needs, whether through media arrangements, guaranteed outcomes, or transparent client rebates.
Strike Social is a SWAS (Software with a Service) AdTech agency partner that leverages machine learning to deliver 10-20% more efficient campaigns on YouTube, Meta, Tikok, and biddable social platforms, saving agencies time and money.
To fully capitalize on these opportunities, partnering with Strike Social enhances your advertising strategy without complexity. Our machine learning-driven technology optimizes campaigns for maximum efficiency and savings.
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