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 to target your ad campaigns.

How the audience lists are created

Shopify Audiences leverages data and attributes shared by participating Shopify merchants to create audience lists. The Shopify Audiences algorithm identifies millions of customer behavior patterns to match a customer's intent with the unique attributes of your store. These signals are used to create audience lists of potential customers who are selected based on how likely they are to convert.

Version 2.2 (released January 2024)

Shopify Audiences continually improves the algorithms used to generate audience lists and optimize ad performance. With this version, most merchants at least double the size of their retargeting audiences with improved Retargeting Boost lists.

Using an audience list

To use an audience list, go to your ad account and then either create a new ad set using the audience list or add the audience list to an existing ad set. If you want to apply filters to the audience list, then you can do so on the ad platform.

You can use audience lists on the following platforms:

Types of audience lists

The Shopify Audiences app generates unique audience lists for each platform. Although the approach to generating the audiences is similar, they're created to make the most of each platforms' capabilities.

Meta

Retargeting Boost

Add this to existing retargeting ad sets to reach more people who’ve engaged with your brand. These people have not purchased from your store yet. This list is automatically refreshed on Meta with additional potential customers every 1-7 days.

Prospecting

Add this to your new or existing prospecting ad sets. These people are similar to those who have bought your products or complementary products. This list is automatically refreshed on Meta with additional potential customers every 7-14 days.

Meta Lookalike

Add this to your new or existing prospecting ad sets. This lookalike audience uses the Retargeting Boost list as a source. The ad platform finds people similar to these people. It includes 3% of Meta users located in the United States and Canada. The audience has an estimated size of 9.1 million. This list is managed and refreshed by Meta.

Google

Prospecting seed

Add as a source to Performance Max campaigns to help Google target the right customers. This list is automatically refreshed on Google with additional potential customers every 1-7 days.

Criteo

Retargeting Boost

Add this to existing retargeting ad sets to reach more people who’ve engaged with your brand. These people have not purchased from your store yet. This list is automatically refreshed on Criteo with additional potential customers every 1-7 days.

Prospecting

Add this to your new or existing prospecting ad sets. These people are similar to those who have bought your products or complementary products. This list is automatically refreshed on Criteo with additional potential customers every 7-14 days.

Criteo Lookalike

Add this to your new or existing prospecting ad sets. The Criteo Lookalike audience list for Criteo ads is a lookalike segment that Criteo creates using the Retargeting Boost audience list as a source.

Shopify Audiences automatically creates a Criteo lookalike segment that includes 100,000 customers located in the United States. This list is managed and refreshed by Criteo.

Pinterest

Retargeting Boost

Add this to existing retargeting ad groups to reach more people who’ve engaged with your brand. These people have not purchased from your store yet. This list is automatically refreshed on Pinterest with additional potential customers every 1-7 days.

Prospecting

Add this to your new or existing prospecting ad groups. These people are similar to those who have bought your products or complementary products. This list is automatically refreshed on Pinterest with additional potential customers every 7-14 days.

Pinterest Lookalike

Add this to your new or existing prospecting ad groups. The Lookalike audience list for Pinterest ads is an Actalike audience that Pinterest creates using the Retargeting Boost audience as a source.

Shopify Audiences automatically creates a Pinterest Actalike audience list that includes 10% of Pinterest users located in the United States. This list is managed and refreshed by Pinterest.

Snapchat

Retargeting Boost

Add this to existing retargeting ad sets to reach more people who’ve engaged with your brand. These people have not purchased from your store yet. This list is automatically refreshed on Snapchat with additional potential customers every 1-7 days.

Prospecting

Add this to your new or existing prospecting ad sets. These people are similar to those who have bought your products or complementary products. This list is automatically refreshed on Pinterest with additional potential customers every 7-14 days.

Snapchat Lookalike

Add this to your new or existing prospecting ad sets. The Lookalike audience list for Snapchat ads is a similarity lookalike audience that Snapchat creates using the Retargeting Boost audience list as a source.

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

TikTok

Tiktok Lookalike

Add this to your new or existing prospecting ad groups. The Lookalike audience list for TikTok ads is a narrow lookalike audience that TikTok creates using a Shopify Audiences Prospecting 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. This list is managed and refreshed by TikTok.

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