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Using audience lists

After you set up the Shopify Audiences app and connect to an ad platform, audience lists are automatically created and exported to your ad account. The Shopify Audiences app creates and exports several objective-based types of audience lists that you can use for your ad campaigns.

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How the audience lists are created

The Shopify Audiences app uses algorithms powered by the data and attributes of your store to create a list of potential customers called an audience list. Audience lists contain potential customers based on how likely they are to purchase from your store.

Using an audience list

To use an audience list for an ad campaign, go to your ad manager and then either create a new ad set using the audience list or add the audience list to an existing ad set in order to launch your campaign. If you want to apply filters to the audience list, then you can filter them on the ad platform.

You can use audience lists for ad campaigns on the following platforms:

  • Meta, including Facebook and Instagram
  • Google Search, Google Shopping, Gmail, YouTube, and Google Display Network
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Criteo
  • Snapchat

For more information about using audience lists to create ad campaigns, refer to the documentation for the ad platforms:

Updates to created audience lists

Audience lists are automatically refreshed on the ad platforms to optimize the best ad performance. Your campaigns aren’t impacted when the updates are performed.

High intent audience lists are refreshed with new potential customers every 1 to 7 days.

Mid intent audience lists are refreshed with new potential customers every 7 to 14 days.

Lookalike or actalike audience lists are managed and refreshed by the ad platforms.

Types of audience lists

The Shopify Audiences app generates the following types of audience lists:

High intent

The High intent audience lists contain the highest-ranked potential customers and is intended to be used in ad campaigns for bottom-of-funnel marketing.

Mid intent

The Mid intent audience lists contain a larger number of potential customers for expanded reach, and is intended to be used in ad campaigns for middle-of-funnel marketing.

Lookalike or Actalike

The Lookalike audience lists contain a large number of potential customers and is intended to be used in ad campaigns for top-of-funnel marketing. Lookalike audience lists are useful for reaching a broader audience in your ad campaigns.

Ad platforms create an audience list using the High intent audience lists as a source. Shopify doesn't have access to the identities of potential customers in the Lookalike audience lists.

Lookalike audience list for Meta

The Lookalike audience list for Meta ads is created using the High intent audience as a source.

Shopify Audiences creates a Meta lookalike audience list with the following characteristics:

  • The audience includes 3% of the facebook users located in the United States and Canada.
  • The audience has an estimated size of 9.1 million.

Lookalike audience list for Pinterest

The Lookalike audience list for Pinterest ads is an Actalike audience that Pinterest creates using the High intent audience as a source.

Shopify Audiences automatically creates a Pinterest Actalike audience list that includes 10% of Pinterest users located in the United States.

Lookalike audience list for TikTok

The Lookalike audience list for TikTok ads is a narrow lookalike audience that TikTok creates using the Mid intent audience as a source.

Shopify Audiences automatically creates a TikTok lookalike audience list that includes a narrow lookalike size of TikTok users located in the United States.

Lookalike audience list for Criteo

The Lookalike audience list for Criteo ads is a lookalike segment that Criteo creates using the High intent audience list as a source.

Shopify Audiences automatically creates a Criteo lookalike segment that includes 100,000 customers located in the United States.

Lookalike audience list for Snapchat

The Lookalike audience list for Snapchat ads is a similarity lookalike audience that Snapchat creates using the High intent audience list as a source.

Shopify Audiences automatically creates a Snapchat similarity lookalike audience list that includes customers in the United States and Canada.

Experimenting with Shopify Audiences

Testing audience lists in your ad campaigns can help increase your chance of getting better ad performance. For example, you can try multiple ad platforms to find out where your audience lists perform well.

The best way to incorporate Shopify Audiences in your marketing might vary depending on what tactics you already know work well for your campaigns.

If you find top of funnel tactics such as lookalikes perform well, then consider trying some of the following:

  • Target the Lookalike audience list by itself.
  • Add the Lookalike audience list to your existing top of funnel campaigns that might use in-platform targeting or other custom audiences.
  • Create a Lookalike based on the Mid intent audience list and target that.

If you find mid funnel tactics like consideration campaigns perform well, then consider trying some of the following:

If you find lower funnel tactics like retargeting perform well, then consider trying some of the following:

  • Target the High intent audience list by itself.
  • Add the High intent audience list to your existing lower funnel or retargeting campaigns that might use in-platform targeting or other custom audiences.
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