The essentials
- The catalogue first: on Meta and TikTok, the product feed powers dynamic ads, integrated shops and Advantage+ Shopping; its quality (titles, images, prices, stock) decides performance.
- Three campaigns: Advantage+ Shopping (acquisition and customers, automated), dynamic retargeting (baskets and viewed products), creative prospecting on best sellers.
- Measurement: pixel and conversions API with product identifiers and values, Consent Mode, returns deducted.
- 2026 benchmarks: Meta e-commerce ROAS of 2 to 5 on acquisition, 5 to 15 on dynamic; cost per purchase of 10 to 15% of the basket.
For an online store, social advertising rests on an often neglected asset: the product catalogue. It powers the dynamic ads that re-display viewed products, automated campaigns such as Advantage+ Shopping, and the shops built into Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. A clean, rich feed does more for ROAS than any bidding setting. This article describes the role of the catalogue, the campaigns that sell, feed quality, creative, measurement and benchmarks. The Google version is covered in SEA and e-commerce.
The catalogue: the central asset
| Platform | Tool | What the catalogue powers |
|---|---|---|
| Meta (Facebook, Instagram) | Catalogue manager (feed, pixel, Shopify, WooCommerce and PrestaShop integrations) | Dynamic ads (carousel, collection), Advantage+ Shopping, Facebook and Instagram shops, product tags in posts |
| TikTok | TikTok Ads catalogue (feed, Shopify integration, TikTok Shop) | Video Shopping Ads, Product Shopping Ads, TikTok Shop |
| Pinterest catalogue | Product pins, Shopping Ads | |
| Snapchat | Catalogue | Dynamic Ads |
A single feed (often the Google Merchant Center one, adapted) serves every platform; the native CMS integrations synchronise it automatically. The logic of catalogue retargeting is detailed in dynamic retargeting.
Feed quality
- Titles: brand, product type, key attributes (colour, size, material) in 60 to 70 characters; the title appears in dynamic ads.
- Images: clean background, centred product, 1080 × 1080 minimum; several images per product for catalogue formats; lifestyle images in addition to packshots when the platform allows it.
- Prices and promotions: crossed-out price and sale price in the feed to display the discount; stock updated at least daily so you do not pay for clicks to out-of-stock products.
- Categories and attributes: Google category, gender, age, colour, size, brand; they feed the product sets (groups by margin, category, season).
- Identifiers: identical in the feed, on the site (pixel events) and in TikTok; a mismatch breaks dynamic ads.
- Diagnostics: zero rejected products; catalogue manager warnings to be handled each week.
The campaigns that sell
| Campaign | Role | Key settings | Share of budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advantage+ Shopping (Meta) | Acquisition and existing customers, fully automated on the Purchase event | Budget cap for existing customers (define the list), connected catalogue, 10 to 20 creatives, optional target ROAS | 40 to 60% |
| Dynamic retargeting | Abandoned baskets, viewed products, cross-selling | Product sets by margin, short windows, buyers excluded, frequency monitored | 15 to 25% |
| Creative prospecting | Making best sellers and new arrivals known | Videos and UGC, lookalike audiences on buyers, Advantage+ Audience | 20 to 30% |
| TikTok Video Shopping Ads | Acquisition on TikTok with tagged products | Native videos, catalogue, TikTok pixel with events | Depends on the target |
| Integrated shops and product tags | Purchase without leaving the platform, or in one click | Synchronised catalogue, checkout enabled if available | Organic and paid |
Creative for e-commerce
Dynamic ads use the images from the feed: their quality is therefore the catalogue's. For prospecting, the formats that sell in 2026: short videos of the product in use, user-generated content (UGC) and filmed testimonials, collection carousels, before/after, demonstrations. Catalogue templates (frames, prices, logo) personalise dynamic ads with no production. Renew every 3 to 6 weeks and test 3 to 6 variants per set; see high-performing visuals and videos for ads.
Measuring sales
- Meta pixel and conversions API (and TikTok pixel with the Events API): ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout and Purchase events with product identifiers, value and currency, deduplicated; see the Meta pixel.
- Consent: tags under Consent Mode; the native CMS integrations generally handle it.
- Returns and cancellations deducted (adjustments or net value) for a true ROAS.
- UTM on every URL for GA4; data-driven attribution to arbitrate with Google Ads; see conversion tracking in SMA.
- Share of new customers in Advantage+ Shopping and in GA4: a high ROAS on existing customers alone does not grow the store.
2026 benchmarks
| Metric | Order of magnitude | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Meta acquisition ROAS | 2 to 5 | Platform attribution; compare with the break-even ROAS (1 / margin) |
| Dynamic retargeting ROAS | 5 to 15 | Overstated by view-through |
| TikTok ROAS | 1.5 to 4 | Lower baskets, awareness effect |
| Cost per purchase | 10 to 15% of the average basket | Above 25%, review the feed, the creative and the page |
| Conversion rate of social traffic | 0.5 to 2% | Lower than Search; social creates demand |
| Minimum budget | €1,500 to €3,000 per month | For 50 purchases a week and Advantage+ Shopping's learning phase |
The break-even ROAS calculation and its pitfalls are in ROAS in SMA.
The frequent mistakes
- A feed with rejected products, poor images or wrong stock: dynamic ads show out-of-stock items or nothing.
- Different identifiers between feed and pixel: dynamic retargeting does not work.
- Retargeting buyers with the product they bought.
- Judging Advantage+ Shopping on overall ROAS without looking at the share of new customers.
- No conversions API: 20 to 30% of purchases lost for optimisation.
- Prospecting creative identical to the catalogue packshots: nothing stops the thumb.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's return on investment module brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Which Meta campaign should an online store favour?
Advantage+ Shopping as the main campaign (acquisition and existing customers, automated on purchase, with a budget cap on customers), completed by dynamic retargeting on abandoned baskets and viewed products, and creative prospecting on best sellers. A connected catalogue and purchase measurement are the prerequisites.
How do you improve the performance of dynamic ads?
Through the feed: descriptive titles, quality images, sale prices filled in, up-to-date stock, zero rejected products, identifiers identical to the pixel's. Then through the product sets (by margin, category, season), the catalogue templates and excluding buyers from the product they bought.
What ROAS should an online store aim for in social advertising?
At least the break-even ROAS (1 divided by the gross margin), plus a margin for management costs and returns: 4 to 5 with a 30% margin, 2.5 to 3 with 50%. In 2026 Meta e-commerce accounts show a ROAS of 2 to 5 on acquisition and 5 to 15 on dynamic retargeting, based on platform attribution.
Should you sell directly in the Instagram and TikTok shops?
Integrated shops and TikTok Shop reduce friction and improve conversion on mobile, at the cost of a commission and a customer relationship handed over. They suit impulse products with a modest basket; for complex or expensive products, sending people to the site remains preferable. In both cases the catalogue must be synchronised and clean.