/ Industry
Advertising for ecommerce
Advertising for online retailers and direct-to-consumer brands should reflect the commercial realities of the category rather than rely on a generic media mix.
Quick facts
- What affects cost
- Budget should be allocated according to the scale of the market and the job each channel needs to do.
- Measurement
- Choose business outcomes that reflect the category — such as qualified enquiries, bookings, applications, sales, store visits, subscriptions or brand measures — and keep them distinct from delivery measures such as impressions and clicks.
01
What changes the plan
Important planning variables include margin, repeat rate, product demand, attribution, creative volume, feed quality and the balance between brand and performance. These factors affect channel choice, geography, timing, creative and measurement.
02
Media roles
Depending on the brief, relevant media can include search/shopping, paid social, video, display/programmatic and OOH or audio for demand generation. The correct mix should be justified against the customer journey and campaign objective.
03
Budget
Budget should be allocated according to the scale of the market and the job each channel needs to do. Avoid splitting investment simply to achieve a presence everywhere.
04
Creative and claims
Creative needs to suit both the medium and the category. Any objective product, price, performance or comparative claims should be supported by appropriate evidence and checked against the relevant advertising rules.
05
Measurement
Choose business outcomes that reflect the category — such as qualified enquiries, bookings, applications, sales, store visits, subscriptions or brand measures — and keep them distinct from delivery measures such as impressions and clicks.
06
Case studies
Only show campaigns PMA is entitled to reference.
Frequently asked
Questions this page answers
- What media works for ecommerce?
- The answer depends on the audience, geography, objective, budget, timing and whether the campaign needs to create demand, capture demand or both.
- Can the campaign be local as well as national?
- Yes where the audience and inventory support it. Build geography around commercial catchments and audience behaviour rather than administrative boundaries alone.
- Can PMA show relevant previous work?
- The live CMS should filter campaigns by sector, objective, channel and geography.
Sources and review
Last reviewed 28 September 2026. Figures affected by current inventory, supplier data or regulation should be checked at the point of planning.
Next step
Not sure where to advertise your business? Tell us what you sell, who your customers are and roughly what you want to spend.