26 Secrets to Running Successful Facebook Ads (For eCommerce Stores)

Ever wondered how you always end up getting the most relatable reels EVER? Well, that's just Meta’s algorithm at play. 

So, if you can't get your eCommerce Facebook ads to perform well – maybe put one-size-fits-all advice like these, on the backseat: 

• Copy your competitors
• Build solid funnels
• Go big or go home

Instead, start with: figuring out what you’re doing wrong 👇

Where most ecomm stores go wrong with FB ads?

Trying too hard. The thing is, there’s a ton of advice – but none talk about the 4 essential truths behind Facebook Ads:

#1 Your pixel needs a warm-up 

That means you need traffic – so your pixel gets a taste of what it needs to go after.

#2 Facebook – Meta – Insta charges by the impression

Static ads are cool – but using an Advantage Shopping Campaign is more bang for the buck.

#3 You can’t scale with scrappy creatives or products

The ad algorithm is almost entirely powered by AI – all that matters are: the product itself – and the creative (how you present the product). 🙂

#4 You don’t need a $3000 daily budget from Day 1

Translates to: 'never copy your competitors' – and most of all, try avoiding the trap of running behind hyper-segmentation.

Key takeaway: Your eCommerce Facebook ads need new strategies – and this is what we’re covering – we start with:

⪧ Ad account structure 

⪧ Audience / Targeting strategy

⪧ Bid / Budget strategy

⪧ Ad creative strategy

⪧ Setup strategy

BONUS: 15 Awesome Examples of eCommerce Facebook Ads

26 Tested Strategies For Running Profitable Facebook eCommerce Ads

⪧ AD ACCOUNT STRUCTURE

1. Check for duplicate campaigns 

Why: Some campaigns may be competing against one another – and most brands may not even be aware. For example, if you run one campaign for women in NYC and another for men living in NYC, you’re just creating a significant audience overlap.

How to avoid creating Facebook ad campaigns with the same goals?

✅ Keep similar products under one single campaign in separate ad creatives

Example: If you have a sweater range for men and women, just create separate product sets for each category– and put each under a separate creative under a single product set:

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✅ Create new ad sets if you have a completely separate targeting

Like if you’re selling something entirely different – or targeting an entire new area / interest / behavior. However, we recommend using the audience overlap tool to check for overlap between ad sets:

✅ Only turn off ads – not ad campaigns 

A campaign is like a fuse box – switch a campaign off – and you’ll be switching off everything under it. The same goes for ad sets – if you switch off performing ad sets (instead of ad creatives), it can lead your entire campaign to go into full ‘learning’ mode, once again.

✅ Keep a maximum of 6 ads active under one ad set

If you want to try new creatives, create a new ad set and duplicate older ads (not the ad set). This is what Meta always recommends – doing this helps simplify your account.

Also Read: 31 insanely powerful online sales promotion ideas for eCommerce

2. Experiment with ad goals – don’t just use a sales objective

Why: Most eCommerce brands just create a sales campaign – pushing ad creatives – with ZERO context. As a result, they don’t get the right amount of sales – and quit way too early.

How to experiment with Facebook ad goals before running sales campaigns?

✅ Use the right campaign objective – like running a giveaway campaign with the ‘Leads’ goal

Using the sales objective to drive sign-ups instead of direct purchases simply sets you up for lower performance. What most don’t notice is that the Ads Manager dashboard is set up like a literal funnel:

✅ Create a single ad with a broad targeting ad set under the traffic objective (or the engagement objective)

This lets you break cold audiences – test creatives – and a lot more. Pause the ad, once there are enough clicks and engagement on the ad post – and, create a new sales campaign with the same ad post from the traffic/engagement campaign. This way, you have an ad filled with social proof. 😉

Also Read: 32 Holiday Marketing Ideas for eCommerce Stores (2024 Update)

3. CBO over ABO

Why: CBO or Campaign Budget Optimization (now known as Advantage+ Campaigns)campaigns are created to automate the best-performing ad sets. Whereas, ABO or Ad Budget Optimization is essentially setting budgets at the ad set level – which gives you more control over spending in the short term.  

What difference does it make? Well, CBO automatically uplifts the winning creatives/targeting – while ABO is you doing exactly that, by yourself. 

How to create a high-performing eCommerce Facebook ad account structure?

✅ Turn on CBO (or Advantage+ Shopping Campaign) to maximize your best-performing creatives

This lets your ads perform without much intrusion – and a much higher budget – all while scaling your best-performing creatives – here’s an ad account structure we really like:

✅ Use ABO if you have lower per day spends – in order to find the best-performing creatives

ABO also lets you get more granular data – which is great if you’re just starting, or running existing campaigns – you can also experiment with ad creatives and targeting, to your own choosing.

✅ Duplicate ads – this way you get things done faster

Finding it hard to create new ads in your ASC campaigns? All you need to do is press Ctrl + D – and change out creatives as and when you need to:

4. Separate retargeting campaigns are optional (if you run ‘Advantage+ Shopping’ campaigns)

Why: Facebook has really become accurate at automatically serving ads by interaction with the ad and the website. 

How to run retargeting ASC / DPA campaigns?

✅ Always exclude existing audiences from your ASC campaigns

This is especially applicable if you add an audience to a specific campaign/ad set that’s already serving ads.

✅ Use original audience options to target specific in DPA campaigns

This ensures that your ad serves only those who are selected – make sure you aren’t using ‘Advantage+ Audience.'

✅ Let Meta figure it out

Leave your product ad set to ‘all’ and simply add your custom audience to the ‘Advantage+’ audience – this will ensure that the ad campaign knows your intentions (and gets the job done).

💡 Quick Tip: You can also retarget manually by building a custom audience out of visitors who visited your category page URL(s) – and show them video/offer ad creatives based on the category URL(s) you’ve chosen.

Also Read: Brilliant eCommerce Retargeting (and Remarketing) Examples

⪧ AUDIENCE / TARGETING STRATEGY

5. Avoid stacking interests – or any form of hyper-segmentation for custom audiences

Why: This will allow your audience to stay as a single entity – not broken up into several parts / ‘fragments.’ 

For example: let’s assume you have two audiences:

Audience 1: targets people in Arkansas who are interested in t-shirts and Metallica

Audience 2: targets people in Arkansas with an interest in t-shirts

When you use these audiences in separate ad sets, both will compete against the other – and you’ll be setting yourself up for audience fragmentation. 

What do we recommend doing instead for custom audiences?

✅ Avoid the ‘narrow’ audience option 

Just use interests as they come – for example, don’t try to target ‘t-shirts’ AND ‘Metallica’ – just target ‘t-shirts’ OR ‘Metallica.’

✅ Don’t pay heed – A/B test stacked interests, instead

You need to ensure your interests aren’t too specific. Check how much ROAS and sales come in – if it’s above 2, continue despite the warnings. 🙂

✅ Use exclusions to avoid overlaps

For example, if you’re targeting cold audiences, exclude ATC, and existing purchasers – but make sure you’re including people who’ve engaged with your brand (like watched a video for X seconds, or viewed your landing page).

Also Read: eCommerce Behavioral Segmentation Examples For 2024

6. Use an Advantage+ audience over a lookalike audience

Why: The Advantage+ audience works similarly to what a lookalike audience does – except there’s ZERO control over who the ad algorithm will actually target. 

How to create high-converting eCommerce Facebook ads with an Advantage+ audience? 

✅  Start with a really broad targeting 

Just dial in ages, locations, and standard exclusions – like add-to-carts, existing purchasers, etc.

✅ Dial in custom audiences for retargeting 

And bringing in a similar audience, akin to your customers – do this once your broad targeting takes off, and you’re seeing conversions.

7. Train your pixel to warm up and recognize events

Why: You may most likely get an error like this one if you have a new pixel – and are choosing a new goal:

How to make sure your pixel gets the right learning?

✅ Start with a ‘traffic’ campaign – feel free to add your buyer persona at the ad set level (through interest and behavior targeting).

✅ Check if your site is set to convert paid traffic – if needed, build a custom landing page – with a welcome offer.

✅ Once you get a few conversions, launch an ASC campaign targeting audiences who’ve visited your site – and let Meta take the purchase home.

Also Read: 31 Creative (Yet Economical) Ways To Drive Traffic To Your eCommerce Store

8. Focus on buyers who’re most likely to convert

Why: Lower CPA, cost, and higher CVR. The more irrelevant audiences see your ads, the higher your Cost Per Acquisition and likewise lower conversion rates. This unfortunately applies to cold audiences as well.

How to target the right and higher-intent audiences with Facebook ads?

✅ Focus on recency – for example: an audience of people who have initiated checkout but didn’t complete a purchase in the last X days.

✅ Upload your email list to define engaged audiences – you can launch your sales campaigns without the need for traffic campaigns.

✅ Connect your purchasers list with your audiences on a periodic basis – this ensures you can upsell after an appropriate time from the last purchase.

Also Read: 26 eCommerce Sales Strategies That Actually Work (Updated 2024)

⪧ BID / BUDGET STRATEGY

9. Calculate your budget from estimated conversions and your MOV

Why: Estimations are the quickest way to figure out how much you need to start with – and your MOV is a critical figure in this reverse calculation.

How to find success with a low-budget eCommerce Facebook ads strategy?

✅ Start with your lowest order value or the minimum order value 

For example, if you’re running ads on 10 products, with the lowest-priced product being $10, take your MOV as $10.

✅ Check how many conversions are offered with the MOV as the daily budget

For example, if you see 10 conversions daily, calculate it as $100 in sales daily – i.e., $3000 monthly.

✅ Tally your estimated monthly sales to your monthly daily budget

If the ratio is anything less than 2:1, consider increasing your budget, till the monthly volume goes up. For example, if a $40 daily budget gives an estimated 30 conversions daily, the ratio (ROAS) goes way up.

✅ Avoid taking ROAS as the cardinal metric

Also look at your ROI, which means taking your profit margin, and COGS into account – it’s only then that you will see a better view of how much you can really afford to spend on Facebook ads.

Also Read: 26 Proven Ways to Boost Average Order Value (+ Examples)

10. Scale your budget gradually with data 

Why: Suddenly increasing your ad budget from $10 to $100 is a fantastic way to make sure that a campaign gets up-ended.

How to scale your Facebook ads budgets? 

✅ Review every ad-set three days if you’re running ABO

Check which ad set spends the most – and which does not – increase budgets by 10% for those that perform – and decrease by 5% for those that don’t – give at least 15 days in full before killing any creatives.

✅ Review your CPM and CPA for your ASC (CBO) campaigns

Example: If your ad targeting is broad, and CPM has gone up and CPA has remained the same – it mostly indicates that you need to refine targeting (people are seeing but not converting).

✅ Avoid a bid cap (TCPA) – or a cost per goal

Not initially at least, your goals should be to let the campaign or ad set spend to get out of learning.

✅ Set up automated rules

For example, if your target CPA is achieved, you can automate the increase to your budget:

Also Read: 31 eCommerce Metrics and KPIs that Actually Matter

11. Understand thumb-stop/hook and hold rate

Why: Thumb-stop rate refers to the percentage of users who stop scrolling and view your ad (3-second video plays/impressions). Hold rate is the percentage of users who continue to engage with your ad after initially stopping (Clicks + engagement / no. of Thumb-stop).

How to use Thumb-stop/hook and hold rates for your eCommerce Facebook ads?

✅ High Thumb-stop, low hold rate

Consider increasing the budget to reach more people, as your ad is likely engaging. Experiment with different ad creatives to improve the Hold rate.

✅ Low Thumb-stop, high hold rate

Consider refining targeting or ad creatives to improve Thumb-stop rate while maintaining budget for a high hold rate – or slightly increasing the budget to reach more people.

✅ Low Thumb-stop, low hold rate

Re-evaluate targeting, ad creatives, or even the overall campaign strategy – and reduce budgets.

Also Read: Mastering eCommerce Reporting: Key Reports To Monitor

12. Experiment with lifetime budgets

Why: Lifetime budgets are perfect for short campaigns like a product launch, a flash sale, or a giveaway. 

How to use lifetime budgets in Facebook ads for eCommerce ads?

✅ Use dayparting to avoid placement during hours that may not be as productive

Run on a viewer’s time zone – and make sure the campaign duration isn’t too short to even make an impression:

Also Read: Converting Mid-Funnel Customers in eCommerce: 14 Effective Strategies

⪧ AD CREATIVE STRATEGY

13. Say something really stupid 

Why: Grabs the attention, like a HOOK (like we just did). People don’t really search for ads on Facebook – which is why, the ad creative needs to say something so unique/outrageous/bold that people stop in their tracks. 

Need some ideas? Here are some best practices and examples for creating powerful eCommerce Facebook ads ↓

How to create powerful hooks for your eCommerce Facebook ads?

✅ Write in short sentences – and practice writing like your reviews

Simply say ‘I like my t-shirt better’ in your image copy – and show a model pointing to their shirt. What this does is: you grab attention – you look relatable – and get the humor across:

✅ Make a really weird claim about a pain point

Like “Definitely won’t make your jewels look 🔥 – but, this shapewear’s just the support you’ve been looking for” – here’s a perfect example:

✅ Use frameworks like ‘Us vs Them’, 'Just stop doing {widely accepted solution to pain point}’

The goal here is to make sure you keep exploring new angles – and really stop talking like a brand owner – and talk like a copywriter.

✅ Create unexpected visual hooks 

Like replicating formats of meme posts – so that people don’t immediately see it’s an ad – here’s an example from Homage – two bros having a chat:

14. Create the right kind of offers

Why: There’s no point in creating offers on quantity for a product that probably will be bought in a single SKU – the easiest example of this is tee-shirts. 

What kind of offers should you curate for eCommerce Facebook ads?

✅ Create bundles based on looks – and focus on the free

Like free shipping – or extended returns – or ‘pick any X, for $XX from {limited edition collection}.’

✅ Use a post-purchase upsell 

Example: offer a massive one-time-only discount offer like “A gift for you: $8 $30  Skin-Hydration kit <Grab it for $8> Expires in XX:XX.”

✅ Loop in a larger welcome offer for people who’ve added to cart – but didn’t begin checkout

Retarget with a single image creative and dynamic product recommendation saying “you’ve been upgraded” – this will give em’ the feeling that they’re part of something special.

💡 Quick Tip: 

Use flexible ads (set to replace Dynamic Creative) to test out which angle/offer works best within a single ad creative – this lets you test without creating additional ad creatives under an ad set. 😉

15. Turn on ‘Advantage+ Creative Enhancements’

Why: Meta now offers a ton of features under the Sales objective – and not using them can result in a higher cost per acquisition – here’s what you can use:

Best creative enhancements for eCommerce Facebook ads

✅ Site links

Allows you to add additional pages to your ad – without interrupting your main ad. You can use these sitelinks to drive people to landing pages with product recommendation quizzes – or to your collection pages:

✅ Info labels

Lets you add microcopy to your ad – showcasing brand USP’s like ‘free shipping for orders above $X’ or ‘30 day returns’ – and also profile cards, which display a brand’s social proof (like number of page likes, reviews, etc.):

✅ Product Tags from the 'catalogue'

Lets you tag a product set from a catalog to your ad – leaving this off is leaving money on the table. Here’s why: the product suggestions are customized by Machine Learning – and are therefore personalized:

✅ Promo Codes

Highlights coupon codes from your site on your ad – and even follows and retargets the user, reminding them to use the coupon code as they open the site on:

• Facebook/Instagram’s native browsers
• Facebook/Instagram notifications: 

Here’s what adding a promo code looks like, on the Facebook Ads Manager dashboard:

✅ AI Text Variations

Lets you generate headlines, and text variations for your ad. You can use this AI to get an idea of what the algorithm thinks is awesome – however, we recommend using these *strictly* as guidelines (actual copy should be ideally within 60 characters at max):

✅ Optimize text per person

Lets AI modify the text options and present the best possible version suited to a particular individual – however, this always requires at least 5 headlines and descriptions, at minimum:

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💡 Quick Tips: 

Create a COD available at {pre-set locations} landing page – and tag it under a  site link for an ad set targeting those pre-set locations.

Turn off profile info cards if you’ve got a relatively new page with almost ZERO social proof (which is why it’s always better to increase your organic reach first).

Also Read: Boost eComm landing page conversions: 18 scientific strategies

16. Maintain creative hygiene within your ads

Why: Most eCommerce brands forget their creatives are what drive their ads to people. The Machine Learning algorithm can understand what kind of messaging and elements you have used in your ad – like the font used – or the colors. 🙂

‍How to make sure you’re maintaining creative hygiene?

✅ Feature generations and people you actually want to target 

If it’s young Gen Z audiences, show various diversity and ethnicity within your creatives – in terms of body types, and gender.

✅ Use captions on videos / images with really interesting copy

The goal? Create visual hooks with text overlay over images – note how Bare Minerals puts the first and second creative hygiene checks into practice:

✅ Differentiate between carousel images 

Make sure each slide can be differentiated from the other – the goal is to avoid making them too similar (and avoiding cognitive load) – check how Birddogs does this:

✅ Use the correct wording – avoid power words 

Like ‘do it now’ – social media is filled with them – and the ad algorithm really doesn’t prefer this.

✅ Avoid using overly long captions or way too many emojis

Like “🚨ATTENTION🚨 Sale is starting now🔥🔥🔥🔥” – this makes your copy nearly unreadable and text more than 30 to 60 characters, won’t get read.

Also Read: eCommerce Video Marketing Ideas That Actually Improve Sales

17. Set up ad sequencing to create a funnel

⚠️ Start applying sequencing when you see some performance first

Why: Ensures that your ad creatives move each member of an audience from cold to warm – i.e., as a user interacts with your ads (clicks through or adds to cart), they get served different ad creatives.

How to set up ad sequencing for eCommerce Facebook ads?

✅ Start with a really broad ad – no cap – promote a post from your social media with the engagement goal – don’t start with social proof – instead introduce your product solving pain points in a humorous way.

✅ (optional) Experiment with the traffic and engagement ad objectives to build up a buzz for your socials – don’t forget to keep your organic efforts active – show why your product wins over competitors (but in a very subtle way).

✅ (optional) Conduct a giveaway – or a product launch early access campaign with the 'Leads' objective – use a video reel preferably.

✅ Keep all those who filled your forms nurtured through your email – even if you skip giveaways, the next step is to set up a DABA (Dynamic and Broad Audience) in an ASC campaign – here your goal is to republish existing ad creatives with previous engagement.

✅ Bring back the previous engaging audiences as well as attract new people who may be interested in your proposition – and lead them to your landing pages.

✅ Remember to build creatives that push buyers down a funnel – the next step is to build a custom audience out of landing page visitors – exclude ATC (add-to-cart), IC (initiated checkout), and purchasers – and retarget with educational content (skip this step if you’ve shorter buy-in periods).

✅ Set the above custom audience to expire after 1 to 1.5 months – and create another offer for those who’ve visited your 'LP' AND 'your socials' AND your 'product pages' in a separate ad set.

Also Read: 26 Brilliant Ways To Boost eCommerce Repeat Sales

18. Find winning creatives – and reshoot them

⚠️ Not compulsory – but recommended for creative testing

Why: This is to entirely avoid creative fatigue – and make sure that the creative angle gets to be tested. 

How to find winning creatives and avoid creative fatigue?

✅ Create two ASC/CBO single image campaigns – one with a mid-budget – and another with a higher budget (that keeps getting scaled).

✅ Look for ads with a consistent CPA that’s close to your goal – duplicate the ad set and assign it to your higher-budget (scaling) CBO/ASC campaign with post ID.

✅ Consider creating a spin-off from the winning angle and testing it out within your mid-budget CBO campaigns.

✅ Upload your final creative to Canva – and run the ‘Meta Design Check’ app.

Also Read: 18 Brilliant Ways To Convert First-Time Visitors Into Buyers (eCommerce)

19. Don’t forget about Instagram creators 🙂

Why: Allows you to create a massive reach – without letting your audience exhaust out on a single creative – at a much lower cost.

How to run Facebook ads with creators?

✅ Set up an ad like you usually would 

At the ad creative level, enter the Facebook and Instagram pages of both your brand and the creator:

✅ Use influencers to create middle of the funnel content

This lets you reach an untapped audience – but also ensures your ad post gets engagement – here's an example of a partnership ad in action from Thrive Causemetics:

✅ Continually create new ads from new angles with the creators

For example, you can ask partner influencers to show how to store cosmetics – and bring out the USP of the product.

Also Read: TikTok eCommerce: 40 Brilliant Ideas (With Examples) For 2024

20. Create a solid landing page ‘experience’ 

Why: Visitors who land from your Facebook ads may not convert just yet – instead what you need to do is help them move along to a purchase. 

How to optimize the landing page experience for Facebook ads?

✅ Trigger a pop-up based on UTM parameters – for example, you could trigger different pop-ups for a prospective buyer and a first-time visitor, based on UTM’s present in your ad creative. 😉

✅ Run a collection ad – this kind of ad looks similar to Dynamic product ads, except these open on an ‘Instant Experience’ (an in-platform landing page that you can build on Facebook) – and can auto-populate products from your catalog – or help you create lookbook/product pages leading directly to your checkout page.

⚠ Some features of an ‘Instant Experience’ may not work as well on Instagram (like tagging products on images).

Also Read: 33 High-Converting Product Landing Page Examples

21. Don’t turn off comments – use profanity filters instead

Why: The engagement, if positive, can really give your Facebook ads a massive push – and also act as social proof. Also, you can’t really turn off comments on Facebook ads, but Instagram allows you to do so.

However, how should you manage comments on ads?

How to manage comments on Facebook ads?

✅ Use profanity filters – you can change this from the page settings on which the ad is published – you can also block certain phrases that often appear on negative comments.

✅ Hide comments instead of turning them off – you can find the ad posts under page posts in the business dashboard:

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⪧ SETUP STRATEGY

22. Set up your ‘Pixel’ and Conversions API with care

⚠️ This is a strategy for generating long-term ROI

Why: The Meta Pixel can pick up data from secondary assets like a separate subdomain that you use to run a forum for your community – or an active blogging account. 

However, Conversions API is installed on the server side of your store – but many advertisers and founders assume the CAPI is a substitute for the Pixel (which isn’t true at all). 

Using one pixel ensures that your pixel ends up getting the most learning possible, even from your customer data platforms. 

How to properly use a pixel along with Conversions API?

✅ Use one and only one pixel – avoid creating new pixels for your CRM / loyalty program portals.

✅ Create and allow list from your Pixel’s settings – this will only allow certain assets to pass data to the pixel and act as data sources.

✅Turn on advanced matching – keeping this on along with Conversions API (CAPI) will ensure user data goes through unhindered (however, always use the Meta Pixel Helper plugin to check if your pixel is firing correctly).

✅ Make sure your cookie notice is color coded in a manner to reduce opt-outs – here’s a perfect example of this in play from Meta’s ad dashboard itself – note how the focus is on publishing the draft items:

Also Read: 7 Smarter Marketing Alternatives to Third-Party Cookies (for eCommerce)

23. Track conversions better with better attribution modeling and reporting

Why: GA4 simply tags all traffic from Meta ads as “Organic Social” and moreover, the Meta dashboard doesn’t have built in attribution (yet) for the buyer journey – this is exactly why you need these Facebook reporting strategies:

How to create better attribution modeling for your Facebook ads?

✅ Tag all store links you send out (on and off Facebook) with unique ‘medium’ and ‘source’ UTM parameters – for example, “utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc” for ad creatives and “utm_source=messenger&utm_medium=organic” for all links sent via messenger – doing this will help with better reporting on your GA4 and Ads Manager dashboard.

✅ Set up custom conversions and metrics to segment conversions by platforms last clicked on –  this will allow you to understand what platforms your customers visit – before they convert (here’s a helpful guide to set this strategy up):

✅ Take note of the ‘first conversions’ metric (found under the ‘columns’ CTA in the ads manager dashboard) – this will help you understand whether your ads are serving to new customers or not:

24. Use supplementary product feeds to add rich product information

Why: Supplemental feeds allow you to create more information across your existing catalogs – like materials, shipping weight, patterns, etc

How to enhance your Facebook Catalog?

✅ Open up the Commerce Manager → Head over to ‘Data Sources’ → Select ‘Add Supplementary Feed’:

✅ Choose your existing catalog, in order to merge with your existing catalog – if you already have a template, simply upload the file:

✅ Or else, you can always build one with the ‘Build Template’ CTA → all you need to do is select your category and download the template → make sure you’re filling up as many fields as possible, especially the columns that have to do with your product’s shipping and returns:

25. Use the Facebook Ad Library to win over competitor’s customer

Why: It’s vast – and most brands keep non-performing ad sets active with bid caps to confuse their competitors. 

How to find winning ads and products with Facebook Ad Library?

✅ Interact with ads from other kinds of non-eCommerce brands

Look at the engagement figures – an ad with no comments and engagement can indicate two things – the ad is fairly new – or is a dynamic product ad – meanwhile ads with engagement point to a performing ad.

✅ Find what hooks your competitors use

Go to page transparency and engage with an ad of theirs – leave a comment or a like – and see how their ads adjust.

✅ Rely on creative testing first 

Metrics don’t really lie – and if you really want to adhere to budgets, you can always use bid caps (but they just slow you down).

💡 Quick Tip:

Higher the AOV, higher the cost – however, higher products with higher AOV do tend to perform better in the long run, as they require high budgets. 

Also Read: eCommerce copywriting: 23 inspiring examples from the US

26. Troubleshooting your eCommerce Facebook ads

Why: Getting your ads to perform is one part – but getting them to bring in sales can be a whole other task. 

This is why we are listing down the most common problems that eCommerce brands face while running ads, along with solutions:

How to troubleshoot eCommerce Facebook ads?

✅ Getting add-to-carts but no checkouts

Check if your product page matches what your ad shows – in terms of the image – sizing, and variant (this is especially important if you’re running DPA/ASC campaigns).

✅ Getting 'initiate checkouts' but no purchases

Customers can’t trust your brand – they just need an incentive to buy – retarget with a higher welcome offer – and use site links to build trust and showcase your return policy.

✅ Getting traffic but no sales

Check how many clicks it takes to reach checkout, if the answer is greater than 3, well, consider adding express checkout options, right from your collections page

✅ Not getting repeat purchases

Implement a loyalty program, offer exclusive discounts, and provide personalized recommendations.

Also Read: 21 Clever Ways To Reduce Checkout Abandonment Rate

BONUS: 15 Awesome Examples of eCommerce Facebook Ads

1. Tell your brand’s story and values through your founder

👉 The USP: The explicit copy, making a claim – which leads to the video.

👉 Key Takeaway: Tell your story right – and take pride in it. Note how Knix uses the ‘Founder’s story' format to create a solid product explainer.

Also Read: 12 eCommerce Brands Acing Cause Marketing in 2024

2. Break some stereotypes with humor

👉 The USP: The call to ‘try products for free', the image and the headline setting the tone.

👉 Key Takeaway: Show of your personality – and if you're selling something non conventional like men’s skincare – create FOMO or call viewers to a challenge like Lumin does (while subtly taking the risk factor away with samples).

Also Read: How To Use Visual Commerce To Improve Conversions

3. Show how to use your product with a carousel

👉 The USP: The carousel – being used in a sequence to establish a story.

👉 Key Takeaway: Use a carousel ad to cast a wide net. However, consider experimenting with the ethnicity of your models and beard types to make sure your ads serve a wider audience. 

4. A/B Test multiple ad creatives

👉 The USP: Each image creative features a single block of text with a photo of the feature, establishing product features.

👉 Key Takeaway: Using separate ad creatives for each USP, will allow you to figure out, which USP is the most attractive (just check which one has a higher conversion rate).

5. Share breaking news with comparisons

👉 The USP: The news format in use – the sneak preview of the comparison.

👉 Key Takeaway: Consider experimenting with narratives on statistics built around your product to enhance the effect of the news format. 

6. Personalization sells, especially if it’s for cart abandonment

👉 The USP: A DPA in use, with a solid copy–creative fit. 

👉 Key Takeaway: Dynamic ads provide you a ton of customization. You can not only use them for recovering carts, but also for any goal possible. All you need is a custom product set and copy according to the product set’s goal. For example, if you have a back-to-stock product set – write something like, “Good news: we forgot to order enough – here's us making up.” Or you can also experiment with your audience targeting to track shoppers who’ve just had an anniversary – and offer them an option to make up with their spouse. 

7. Invite them to participate in your giveaway

👉 The USP: An eCommerce brand using the engagement objective for getting Instagram profile visits (and followers).

👉 Key Takeaway: Authentic user-generated content isn't really easy to get. Diende specifies the reward and what its user needs to do. You too can do the same – for example, if you are a pet brand, you know how pet owners would jump to participate if given the right nudge – ‘submit photos of your {pet} and get 10% of your order refunded.’

Also Read: 27 Brilliant User-Generated Content Examples (eCommerce)

8. Retarget prospective customers on the fence to explain your product’s use-case

👉 The USP: Acts as a primer for customers who’ve seen the first ad.

👉 Key Takeaway: Set up ad sequences like Beardbrand does – once someone engages with the first carousel – but doesn't add to cart (or purchase) – they are shown to this MoF ad. 

9. Project your product features as a solution 

👉 The USP: The image creative doesn’t try to oversell – but establishes how the product solves potential problems (like carrying stuff in a costume).

👉 Key Takeaway: The marketing rule of 7 really comes to life in Facebook ads – and having clear – visual imagery with the least possible distractions or offers, ensures shoppers get what they’re looking for. 

10. Show more real-life scenarios

👉 The USP: Shows the product in action, while showing free shipping in the ad copy.

👉 Key Takeaway: Try using non-edited photos—but make sure they show the product in action – so much so that it doesn't look like an ad – but still grabs attention. This applies to videos as well – check the next example ↓

11. Videos ads= gold

👉 The USP: Clean relatable copy with a solid visual hook – the post-it note. 

👉 Key Takeaway: Try shorter duration ads – ideally under 15 seconds to make sure your ad services the maximum possible placements while increasing view time and engagement.

12. The puppy almost always works

👉 The USP: The unlikely pairing with a stove – and ends up building curiosity.

👉 Key Takeaway: Consider using unlikely combinations to drive thumb stops – but consider adding some bit of context on your creatives to stop scrolls.

13. Don’t forget to upsell

👉 The USP: The image creative color-codes the natural choice in green, and fits in with their target audience – the ‘diet conscious.’

👉 Key takeaway: The Us vs Them formula is really simple if you don't focus on anybody in particular – the ad doesn't mention any brand in particular, and just writes it as “Grab and Go.”

Also Read: How to Cross-sell on Product Pages—Without Being Pushy (+ Examples)

14. Target customers of competitor brands

👉 The USP: Hits people on the replenishment flow with the angle on saving money – while, the image creative fits in a lot of information, without looking heavy.

👉 Key takeaway: Don't be afraid to use interest targeting – even if it’s your competitor’s customers you’re targeting – it still works – as long as your ad gives a solid reason to choose you over a competitor (the angle here is the savings).

15. Use the comments on your posts to create an ad

👉 The USP: Isn't text heavy – feels raw – unedited.

👉 Key Takeaway: The creativity in Facebook ads is grabbing attention – and sometimes it can mean relying on the element of surprise – Hostage Tape paints a promise in the headline – letting the creative stop the scroll. 

Lastly, your UX still needs an update

The average bounce rate for paid channels ranges around 50 to 55% – meanwhile, 98% of visitors who enter your site leave without buying anything. 

Reason: User experience issues that cause friction for visitors.

And Convertcart solves exactly that.

We help eCommerce brands optimize their websites to boost their conversions.

We've helped 500+ eCommerce stores (in the US) improve user experience—and 2X their conversion rate.

How do we do this?

Our conversion experts can audit your site—identify UX issues, and suggest changes to turn more of your visitors into customers.