Meta Advantage+ shopping campaigns (Meta ASC) is Meta’s performance-focused ad product that is part of its Advantage+ suite of products. Designed specifically for shopping advertisers, it’s aimed at online retailers and e-commerce businesses that want to drive sales. It uses machine learning to simplify and automate e-commerce campaign setup and optimisation. 

Its key features include:

• Automated audience targeting

• Creative performance modeling

• Predictive budget allocation

How Meta ASC works

Meta ASC uses machine learning and tried-and-tested best practices to simplify and automate e-commerce campaign setup and campaign optimisation across the entire customer journey. 

Instead of manually selecting interests or lookalikes, it uses AI to target users dynamically using data like purchase intent signals, historical conversion data, and engagement. It then creates a real-time predictive model of the social media users more likely to convert. 

Its algorithm also identifies top-performing creatives and combinations and allocates more of the budget to them. Then, if the performance changes or it receives new data signals, it will adjust the budget allocation over time. 

Setting up a Meta ASC

To set up an Advantage+ shopping campaign in Meta Ads Manager, you’ll need:

• A Meta Business Manager account

• Product catalog connected via Commerce Manager

• An active Meta Pixel or conversions API

• Configured conversion event

Then, it’s a matter of following these steps:

1. Visit Meta Ads Manager

2. Click on the “+Create” button to start a new campaign

3. Select a campaign objective (sales or conversions)

4. Select Advantage+ shopping campaign 

5. Name the campaign, select the pixel with the purchase event, and add the location you want to target

6. Set your daily budget and schedule (start and end dates)

7. Upload your ads

Best practices for Meta ASC

Diversify your creative formats

Uploading a diverse range of creatives (e.g. vertical videos, square images, carousels, collection ads, etc.) gives the algorithm more options to present to Facebook and Instagram users. This way, you can appeal to different segment preferences and reduce ad fatigue. In fact, Meta recommends that you upload all your existing, eligible ads and it will automatically test your creatives. 

Use first-party data and Conversions API

As Meta ASC relies heavily on machine learning for targeting, bidding, and placement, it needs high-quality data. You can, for example, share first-party data from your app, website or CRM to give insights into your customers’ behaviour. 

It’s also best practice to use Conversions API (CAPI) on top of the Meta Pixel. To help you use CAPI effectively, Meta recommends that you:

• Double-check that both events use the same event_name and that the event_id or external_id and fbp are included

• If you use fbp and fbc as parameters, refresh their values regularly

• Share server events in real time or in batches close to real time

• Use the Test Events tool to validate your connection

• Add both the recommended and required fields in the Payload Helper tool

• Use the Conversions API for offline events like in-store sales too

Monitor performance and adjusting strategies

Even though its system is highly automated, it’s still recommended that you monitor, test, and adjust. It’s best practice to use your own data and Meta Ads Manager to track key metrics like purchase volume, CTR, and ROAS, if not daily, at least weekly. 

Then, if you identify a drop early, you should adjust accordingly by, for example, replacing a low-performing ad. That said, as ASC campaigns can take time to stabilise after major budget or creative changes, allow three to five days before you make more changes (unless performance crashes). 

Pros and cons of using Meta ASC

The big benefit of Meta ASC is the automation. The fact that it can automate audience targeting, placement selection, and big optimisation saves setup and management time. Plus, as it continuously learns and automatically tests and rotates creatives to find top-performing elements, you can expect better efficiency and results.

With great automation comes limited audience control. You also need to rely heavily on Meta’s AI when it comes to bidding strategies and placements. 

All in all, it’s best to complement it with manual campaigns. Then, to reduce the risk of creative fatigue, refresh your creatives continuously. 

Learn how Product-Level Video Ads bring your catalog to life and boost engagement here.