Shopify’s New ChatGPT Shopping Experience

Online shopping just took a major leap forward. Shopify has officially teamed up with OpenAI to let merchants sell products directly inside ChatGPT conversations. No new tabs, no redirects, and no checkout forms that make you lose steam mid-scroll. Just chat, click, and buy — all in one place.

Source: CNBC

HOW IT WORKS

This new shopping experience comes from a partnership between OpenAI, Shopify, and Stripe. It has two main parts:

• Instant Checkout

• When ChatGPT recommends a product, a “Buy” button appears in the chat. You tap it, confirm details, and the purchase is complete in seconds.

• Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)

• This is the secure technology behind the scenes. ACP lets ChatGPT send product details and process payments without sharing private customer data.

Source: OpenAI

What This Looks Like for Shoppers

Imagine this: you’re chatting with ChatGPT and say, “Can you recommend a good vitamin C serum under $50?”

A few products appear. One looks perfect — brightening, lightweight, and in your budget. You hit “Buy,” confirm your shipping and payment information in the chat, and your order is done. No browser tabs. No redirect. No abandoned carts.

For now, the feature supports single-item purchases and is available to U.S. ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users. Multi-item carts and broader merchant rollouts are coming soon.

Why Merchants Are Paying Attention

For Shopify sellers, this integration opens a whole new sales channel without rebuilding your store.

1. Easy setup: Orders show up in your Shopify dashboard like any other sale.

2. Full control: You handle shipping, returns, and customer support.

3. Secure payments: ACP works with your existing payment processor, making transactions smooth and safe.

More than 700 million people use ChatGPT every week. This gives Shopify sellers a huge audience to reach.

The Commerce Shift Has Begun

OpenAI takes a small transaction fee from purchases made in ChatGPT. That means merchants pay only for real sales, not clicks. This changes the cost model for digital commerce.

Shopify’s stock rose 8.1% after the announcement. Big names like Glossier, SKIMS, Spanx, and Vuori are joining the rollout soon. Etsy sellers are already live, and early results show strong demand.

How to Prepare

Online shopping just took a major leap forward, and merchants need to be ready. This isn’t just about having a good website anymore — it’s about being optimized for AI‑driven discovery.

This marks the start of AI optimization — the next step beyond SEO. Merchants will need to think differently to get noticed and recommended in ChatGPT. At the core of this is having clean, detailed product data and feeds that AI can easily understand.

Here are the key focus areas:

• Clear product data: Honest, detailed product titles and descriptions make it easier for ChatGPT to surface your items.

• Up‑to‑date pricing and inventory: Keep information accurate to avoid disappointed shoppers.

• Feed optimization: ChatGPT’s product results are powered by conversational search and rely on structured, accurate data. This means making sure your product pages and feeds are fully optimized.

Revel recommends these best practices to prepare your feeds for AI:

• Ensure ChatGPT’s crawler (OAI‑SearchBot) can access your site by reviewing your robots.txt file.

• Improve product detail pages with clear titles, rich descriptions, and schema markup.

• Use tools like IndexNow to keep your product data fresh and accurate in real time.

• Optimize Google and Microsoft Merchant Centers, as ChatGPT pulls data from multiple sources.

• Sign up for early access to feed submission opportunities when OpenAI launches them.

The question is no longer just “How do I rank on Google?” It’s “How do I get recommended by ChatGPT?” To explore this further, check out Revel’s ChatGPT Shopping Results Optimization Guide.

Embracing Headless Commerce

As AI-driven shopping experiences like ChatGPT Instant Checkout become more prevalent, adopting a headless commerce architecture can provide significant advantages for merchants.

Headless commerce decouples the front end (what customers see) from the back end (your Shopify store), allowing for greater flexibility and customization. This separation enables businesses to deliver personalized and consistent shopping experiences across various channels, such as websites, mobile apps, and even voice assistants.

Key benefits of headless commerce include:

• Omnichannel experience: Deliver a seamless shopping experience across multiple touchpoints.

• Rich personalization: Tailor content and product offerings to individual customer preferences.

• Flexibility and agility: Quickly adapt to market trends and customer demands without disrupting the backend.

• Best-of-breed integrations: Integrate with specialized tools and platforms to enhance functionality.

• Scalability and performance: Scale your business efficiently as it grows.

By adopting a headless approach, merchants can future-proof their stores and stay ahead in the rapidly evolving e-commerce landscape.

The Bottom Line

The Shopify ChatGPT integration is more than a feature. It’s a shift in how people shop online. Conversations become transactions. Shopping becomes instant.

For merchants, it opens new opportunities. For shoppers, it makes buying effortless. This is the future of online shopping — and it’s already here.

SOURCES

• Big Commerce

• Yahoo Finance

• EC Digital Strategy

• CNBC

• OpenAI

• Shopify

• Eesel.ai

• CBS News

Photo: © CNBC

Why Advertisers Should Take TikTok Shop Seriously This Holiday Season

The 2025 holiday season is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in years, with businesses battling for share of wallet amid an unpredictable consumer confidence landscape. Advertisers need to prepare early and solidify their strategies in advance, while also remaining nimble as the season unfolds. 

One way brands should be preparing for the holiday season is by diversifying their advertising channels, and one channel that should be seriously considered is TikTok Shop. TikTok Shop is emerging as a retail powerhouse that brands should no longer dismiss as a legitimate advertising and sales channel. With its unique combination of entertaining creator-made content and seamless e-commerce features, TikTok Shop has quickly evolved from a buzzy experiment to a full-fledged sales platform backed by impressive results.

TikTok’s undeniable sales momentum 

TikTok Shop officially launched in the U.S. in late 2023, and has seen explosive revenue growth ever since. “...global TikTok Shop GMV surged to $33.2 billion in 2024 — more than doubling year-over-year. The U.S. alone contributed $9 billion of that total, marking a staggering 650% increase just 16 months after TikTok Shop launched stateside..” 

This momentum shows no signs of slowing, with projections indicating that the number of TikTok shoppers will grow nearly 6% annually,  reaching over 55 million by 2027. TikTok is also capturing and driving customer loyalty, with over 80% of TikTok Shop sales coming from repeat customers.

Major brands have long since taken notice, particularly in the beauty and personal care space. Powerhouses such as Tarte Cosmetics, K18 Hair, and Glossier are already thriving on the platform, offering product bundles, free shipping incentives, and exclusive TikTok shop discounts to capture shoppers’ attention and drive sales on the platform. 

Seamless Entertainment-driven shopping 

TikTok Shop is the epitome of entertainment-driven e-commerce. Creators remain the platform's heartbeat, and TikTok integrates them directly into the sales process. Through built-in affiliate programs, creators earn commission on every sale they drive, motivating them to produce authentic, high-quality content for brands. This model transforms influencer marketing from a top-of-funnel awareness play into a measurable, purchase-driving strategy. On top of this, the TikTok Shop purchase experience is seamless for consumers by allowing all phases of the purchase journey to occur without leaving the app  –including discovery, reviews, checkout, and even customer service follow-up. This frictionless buying experience boosts conversion rates and encourages impulse buys. 

Built-in Holiday Sales Visibility 

TikTok caters very well to the price-conscious shopper, consistently highlighting discounts, bundles, and free shipping incentives that nudge shoppers toward conversion. Savings incentives are placed front and center, displaying deals within product pages, creator videos, and the “Shop” tab, so users can spot them instantly. These tactics align perfectly with Black Friday/Cyber Monday and broader holiday promotions, ensuring that limited-time offers and seasonal discounts stay highly visible across content and product listings, and that shoppers are fully aware of every savings opportunity a brand provides.

Where Revel Comes In 

The holiday season is always a high-stakes time of year for brands, and 2025 will be no exception. As businesses solidify their strategies, TikTok Shop should at the very least be part of the conversation. 

Revel recommends starting to test this channel now, cultivating creator partnerships, and highlighting compelling offers to establish a presence on the Shop and connect with the users on the platform. 

Through our Creator management program, we help brands manage Creator relationships and take advantage of trending TikTok opportunities, and with our integrated TikTok and Paid Social management services, it’s easier than ever to build momentum. 

If you aren’t yet, exploring TikTok Shop now can give your brand fresh reach and a clear advantage when the holiday rush is in full swing.

Photo: © Leeloo The First from Pexels

Measuring ROI in Influencer Campaigns: What Metrics Actually Matter

As more brands expand into influencer marketing, the question arises: “how should you measure success in this new channel?”

When it comes to influencer marketing, "ROI" isn't just about sales—or even simple reach. It's about understanding what success looks like for your unique campaign goals and choosing the right metrics to reflect that.

Influencer marketing is here to stay as it continues to dominate on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. 58% of consumers now have TikTok profiles, and 82% of Gen-Z users are on the platform according to Sprout Social. Additionally, 36% of social-driven direct purchases occur on TikTok, making it a proven commerce-enabled medium. 

Once you’ve decided it’s time for your brand to launch an influencer campaign, here are the metrics that truly matter when evaluating success.

Key Metrics Across the Funnel

According to the Digital Marketing Institute, six essential KPIs to track for an influencer campaign are: traffic, engagement, conversions, brand awareness and sentiment, audience growth rate, and ROI (source: Digital Marketing Institute). 

Traffic (such as clicks and page visits) shows intent, while engagement (likes, saves, comments, shares) reflects content resonance—especially crucial for influencer marketing.

Influencer Marketing Hub also groups success metrics into similar categories: immediate campaign metrics, ROI & sales-related metrics, and brand awareness & sentiment metrics (source: Influencer Marketing Hub). 

• Immediate metrics: Reach, engagement, click-throughs

• ROI/sales-related metrics: Conversions, sales value, cost per acquisition

• Brand awareness & sentiment: Surveys, mentions, sentiment shifts
  

70% of marketers now measure ROI in influencer marketing campaigns, though about 13.6% still face challenges with measurement. (source: Influencer Marketing Hub). 

At Revel Interactive, we work with our brands to determine KPIs aligned with brand goals as well as where the brand is in their stage of growth. Ie, for a growing D2C brand, we would hone in on Brand Awareness strategies. 

Putting It All Together: The Metrics That Matter

How to Measure and Report Effectively

1. Align metrics to campaign objectives—set measurable KPIs upfront with the campaign objectives in mind.

2. Use tracking tools—use UTMs, affiliate links, promo codes, and analytics dashboards to monitor traffic and conversions.

3. Incorporate sentiment analysis—brand awareness surveys and social listening can uncover shifts in perception.

4. Benchmark and iterate—compare performance to past campaigns and industry benchmarks.
   

Final Thoughts

ROI in influencer marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s not enough to count likes or views. The real success comes from knowing what you want, selecting metrics that align with those objectives, and interpreting them in context—whether that's sales, long-term brand equity, or cultural relevance.

By blending campaign performance with strategic context, you’ll measure not just activity, but real impact.

Interested in launching a creator marketing campaign to complement your existing paid media strategy? Reach out to your Revel account manager to learn more about our creator offerings or reach out through on our website.

Sources:

• Digital Marketing Institute – 5 Essential KPIs for Your Influencer Marketing Campaign
• Influencer Marketing Hub – How to Measure Influencer Campaigns
• Sprout Social – TikTok Statistics & Insights

This blog was edited with the help of Claude AI.

Photo: © warrengoldswain from Getty Images Pro

One in Five ChatGPT Citations Go to Reddit and Wikipedia, What Does That Mean for SEO?

What’s Happening with ChatGPT Referral Traffic?

Referral traffic from ChatGPT has declined dramatically since mid-July. According to research from Profound, led by Josh Blyskal, referral traffic dropped by 52% in a single month². This decline was not due to technical issues but rather to a shift in how OpenAI’s systems select and weight citations in responses.

The takeaway is clear: ChatGPT is prioritizing answer-first sources. And right now, the major winners are Reddit and Wikipedia.

The Rise of Reddit and Wikipedia in ChatGPT Citations

Profound’s study found that one in every five ChatGPT citations is directed to only three sites: Wikipedia, Reddit, and TechRadar. According to Marketing 4 Ecommerce, “Citations to Reddit increased by 87% in late July, while Wikipedia citations increased by 62%.¹

Why these two platforms? They align with the way Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) works.

• Wikipedia offers structured, neutral, and regularly updated content that models can easily parse

• Reddit delivers user-driven discussions, real comparisons, and opinions that capture how people actually evaluate products, tools, and ideas
  

Both are frequently updated, both use natural language, and both provide clarity in a way that AI tools reward.

Why Brands Are Losing Citations

This shift creates challenges for brand websites. When a user asks ChatGPT, “What’s the best CRM for startups?,” Reddit is cited because it contains a thread comparing multiple options. By contrast, a brand website often says “Request a demo.”

The difference is utility. In an answer-first ecosystem, vague marketing copy underperforms. AI favors sources that:

• Compare multiple solutions

• Provide step-by-step how-to answer

• Include structured, neutral information
  

How to Optimize for Reddit and Wikipedia to Gain AI Visibility

While you cannot control OpenAI’s algorithms, you can influence your chances of being cited by optimizing for the ecosystems AI favors.

1. Wikipedia Optimization

Wikipedia has been a weighted dataset in LLM training for years. Its structured, community moderated content makes it a priority source. To optimize:

• Ensure your brand or product has an accurate, neutral Wikipedia entry

• Provide citations from reputable third-party publications, not self-published sources

• Strengthen topic-level entries related to your industry. AI favors category-level context (e.g., “Ecommerce platforms”) as much as brand-level pages
  

2. Reddit Optimization

OpenAI also has a data licensing agreement with Reddit, giving ChatGPT direct access to Reddit’s API. That means Reddit is not just cited, it’s baked into the pipeline. To optimize:

• Participate authentically in relevant subreddits

• Know the culture, lead with value, and be transparent

• Encourage community discussion of your brand or product

• Share insights, comparisons, and helpful resources, not promotions

• Focus on engagement: upvotes and comments improve visibility and likelihood of being cited in LLM outputs
  

3. Align Your Content with Answer-First Search

Even outside these platforms, your website should mirror the formats that ChatGPT prefers:

• Publish detailed comparative guides

• Create question-and-answer content

• Add statistics, quotations, and sourced data

• Write in natural language, structured so an AI model can easily synthesize your information
  

The Volatility of AI-Driven Traffic

Just as with Google’s algorithm updates, traffic from ChatGPT is volatile. A single adjustment to citation weighting caused millions of lost referrals in weeks.

That instability underscores a new reality. Visibility in AI ecosystems depends on answer-first content, participation in community moderated platforms, and agility in adapting to AI’s evolving signals.

The Future of SEO in the AI Era

Search is not dead, but it is decentralized. Traditional SEO metrics like keyword rankings and organic clicks are no longer the sole measure of visibility.

Instead, marketers must now optimize for:

• Citations in AI engines (visibility within the answer itself)

• Presence on weighted platforms like Wikipedia and Reddit

• Answer first content formats that solve problems directly
  

ChatGPT will not kill SEO. But it will kill SEO strategies that fail to adapt. Brands that invest in credibility, utility, and community presence will continue to earn visibility.

Ready to adapt your SEO for the AI-first era? Our team at Revel helps brands integrate Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) strategies to gain visibility in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and beyond.

Sources:

• Marketing4Ecommerce – The Referred Traffic from ChatGPT Drops
• Search Engine Land – ChatGPT Traffic Referrals Plummet

This blog was edited with the help of Claude AI.

Photo: © Tim Witzdam from Pexels

3 Strategic Use Cases for Target CPA Bidding in Meta That Drive Real Results

The Smart Advertiser's Guide to Target CPA Success in Meta

In the black box of Meta’s targeting it can be difficult to ensure we are paying the right amount to acquire the right customers at the right moment. Target CPA bidding in Meta allows you to set a cost-per-result target, with the algorithm automatically adjusting spend to hit that goal, but knowing when and how to deploy this strategy separates successful campaigns from budget black holes.

At Revel Interactive, we've identified three strategic use cases that transform how businesses approach target CPA bidding in Meta. These proven strategies help our clients achieve measurable results while keeping acquisition costs sustainable.

The bottom line: Target CPA bidding works best when you understand the customer journey and can differentiate your bidding strategy based on where customers sit in that journey.

Strategy 1: Bid Up for High-Value New Customer Acquisition

The first strategic use case involves being willing to pay more to acquire new customers—but only when the data supports it. This approach is dependent on having data to know the average customer lifetime value and repeat purchase rate. 

Here's how it works: when you understand that a new customer will generate $3K in lifetime value, paying $75 to acquire them instead of $45 suddenly makes financial sense even if the ROAS on the first purchase isn’t ideal. Especially, when owned channels like email and SMS play their part and keep repeat purchase rates high and retention costs low. Meta's algorithm can optimize for conversion objectives while targeting specific cost thresholds, allowing you to capture high-intent prospects who might otherwise go to competitors.

Key implementation tactics:

• Set your target CPA 20-30% higher than your current average for new customer campaigns

• Use broad targeting to give the algorithm maximum data points

• Focus on conversion-optimized creative that emphasizes value propositions

• Track back to actual customer LTV to validate the strategy's effectiveness

This approach works particularly well for businesses with strong repeat purchase rates and clear customer value metrics. 

Strategy 2: Bid Down on Existing Customers to Avoid Double-Spend

The second strategic application focuses on efficiency: preventing your paid campaigns from competing with your organic retention efforts. When email marketing, SMS, or other owned channels would naturally bring customers back, paying premium advertising rates creates unnecessary overlap.

This strategy requires sophisticated audience exclusions and careful target CPA calibration. Effective audience segmentation allows you to assign individual budgets to different customer segments and track their performance separately, ensuring your ad spend targets genuinely incremental conversions.

Strategic implementation steps:

• Exclude high-LTV repeat customers from standard conversion campaigns

• Create separate, lower-bid campaigns for existing customers who haven't engaged recently

• Set target CPA 30-40% lower than new customer acquisition campaigns

• Pair with retention email sequences to test incrementality

The key insight: you're not trying to eliminate spend on existing customers entirely, but rather ensuring paid channels complement—rather than duplicate—your retention marketing efforts. In this strategy the goal is to use paid dollars to convert inexpensive repeat customers and allow owned channels to do the rest. This would be applicable when there is a strong focus on new customer acquisition within an account. 

Strategy 3: Targeted Re-engagement for First-Time Customer Loyalty

The third use case creates a strategic middle ground: bidding up specifically on first-time customers who haven't made a second purchase within your typical repurchase window. This approach recognizes that the jump from first to second purchase often determines long-term customer value.

Improved audience targeting and relevant creatives lead to higher conversion rates, and this strategy applies that principle to the crucial loyalty-building phase. Instead of treating all existing customers the same, you're investing strategically in the subset most likely to become loyal, repeat buyers.

Tactical execution framework:

• Create custom audiences of first-time single purchasers within the designated repurchase window

• Set target CPA 10-20% higher than standard retargeting campaigns

• Develop creative specifically focused on second-purchase incentives

• Use dynamic catalog ads to showcase complementary products

• Test discount offers against value-focused messaging

This approach typically shows strong results because you're intervening at a critical decision point in the customer journey. From here, owned channels can reengage these now loyal customers in the future. 

Making Target CPA Work: Implementation Best Practices

Regardless of which strategic use case you're implementing, several best practices ensure success with target CPA bidding in Meta:

Give the algorithm room to learn. Target CPA requires a learning phase of 7-10 days where performance may fluctuate, but rushing to make changes during this period resets the optimization process.

Start with realistic targets based on historical data. Setting your target CPA at your actual 30-day CPA provides a solid baseline before gradually optimizing up or down based on your strategic objectives.

Structure campaigns for clear signal clarity. Mixing different customer types, purchase intents, or funnel stages in the same campaign dilutes the algorithm's ability to optimize effectively. Keep your strategic use cases in separate campaign structures.

Monitor beyond just CPA metrics. Track customer lifetime value, retention rates, and incrementality to ensure your target CPA strategy delivers genuine business value, not just efficient conversions.

Dynamic Creative and Automation Amplifiers

Target CPA bidding pairs exceptionally well with Meta's automated creative tools. Dynamic catalog ads particularly work effectively when combined with target CPA strategies, especially for the first-time customer loyalty campaigns where you can showcase personalized product recommendations.

Consider these automation enhancements:

• Use Advantage+ campaigns for broad new customer acquisition

• Leverage dynamic catalog ads for loyalty-building campaigns

• Test creative variations systematically within each strategic use case

The Strategic Advantage

The businesses that succeed with target CPA bidding in Meta understand that it's not just about hitting cost targets—it's about aligning those targets with customer journey strategy. By implementing these three use cases thoughtfully, you create a bidding approach that supports both immediate performance and long-term customer value.

Ready to implement strategic target CPA bidding that actually drives business results? Our team at Revel Interactive specializes in developing data-driven Meta strategies that align with your customer lifetime value metrics. Let's discuss how these approaches can transform your acquisition and retention efforts.

Contact Revel Interactive today to optimize your Meta campaigns with strategic target CPA bidding approaches that deliver measurable business growth.

Sources:

• Impulse Analytics – Facebook Ads Strategy 2024
• LeadsBridge – Meta Ads Strategy 2025
• The EE Digital – 2025 Facebook Ads Benchmarks
• 30characters – Target CPA in Google Ads 2025
• Search Engine Land – Target CPA Bidding Guide
• AdMetrics – Scale Facebook Ads 2025

This blog was edited with the help of Claude AI.

Photo: © Christian Chan from Getty Images

Social Media Platform “Threads” Launches Paid Advertising for Marketers

Instagram’s text-based platform Threads is now allowing advertisements, giving marketers access to its 300 million active monthly users. While initially tested with a select group of advertisers, ads are now accessible to all users as of late April 2025, nearly two years after the platform launched. At the end of August users can now optimize their media and placements on Threads just like any other Meta placement. 

What is Threads? 

Instagram’s response to X (formerly twitter), Threads is a text-based platform that allows users to participate in discussions, share updates, and follow other profiles they are interested in viewing. This platform is only accessible to Instagram users. (Instagram)

While very similar to X, a key differentiator between the two platforms is the focus on “kindness” and more of a “positive environment” according to the platform creators. (MarTech)

How will ads work? 

• Meta is expanding its advertising placements by adding Threads as an option in Ads Manager, allowing ads to appear directly in users' Threads feeds

• The new placement is called “threads feed” and will be on by default for new campaigns using the Advantage+ placement. Marketers have the choice to opt out using manual placements (Meta)

• Threads will focus ads where people are over-indexing on the app, to deliver relevant and personalized content to each user. To strengthen the personalization, Threads has put measures in place such as surveys, to understand what people want to see. There will also be an option to skip ads, report, or hide them. (Meta)

Is Threads a good fit for your brand? 

• If you’re looking to reach a younger audience or increase your male customer base, Threads could be a good fit. Its user demographics skew heavily towards the 18-34 age range, and 57% of users are men (Statistica)

• 20% of users are 18-24

• 29% of users are 25-34

• With ad spend down 59% on X, and marketers looking to explore new platforms, Threads offers an alternative in the text-based marketing space and is the fastest growing social media platform since its launch. (MarTech)

• Threads provides three objectives for ads, allowing advertisers to reach users at all stages of the funnel:

• Awareness 

• Traffic

• Sales

Interested in expanding your paid program to Threads? Your Revel team is happy to chat through next steps!

Sources:

• Instagram Help – Threads Ads Guidance
• Search Engine Land – Threads Ads Global Launch
• Digiday – Meta’s Threads Expected to Launch Ads This Year
• Meta Business – Introducing Ads in Threads
• Statista – Threads
• MarTech – Marketing on Threads: What You Need to Know

Unlocking Growth with Demand Gen: Go Beyond Search Marketing to Find New Customers

Reimagining display and YouTube campaigns with Demand Gen for smarter awareness marketing.

Introduction 

At Revel, we see Google’s Demand Gen campaigns as the bridge between awareness and conversion—meeting over three billion monthly users, according to Google, right where they're exploring, not just searching. For brands ready to expand beyond search, Demand Gen unlocks new scale and reach, comparable to social platforms in Google’s own ecosystem. It’s a fit for clients with strong conversion tracking, visual-first assets, and a minimum $3,000/month budget. Brands that are starting to plateau in search and want to compete with the influence of social without paying inflated costs should explore Demand Gen as an option for top to mid funnel customer acquisition. 

Content & Audiences

Demand Gen thrives on visuals; matching creative to context helps our clients pair the right mix of video, imagery, and UGC depending on their vertical. For e-commerce, that means balancing lifestyle storytelling with product-centric assets; for B2B and services, it’s about weaving in trust, expertise, and social proof. Each industry requires its own creative rhythm—beauty moves fast with trend-driven content, while education and construction benefit from longer, credibility-focused narratives. Our role is to guide clients in building the right blend so their content feels native, engaging, and persuasive across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail.

Reaching the right audience is just as critical. Revel’s “audience stack” approach starts with lookalikes and custom intent, then layers on in-market signals, retargeting, and life events. Unlike broad affinity audiences, this precision keeps campaigns focused on high-intent prospects while still allowing Google’s AI to optimize. We structure campaigns around prospecting or retargeting, excluding converters to maximize efficiency that scales reach without losing relevance.

Why Demand Gen 

Demand Gen isn’t search—it’s mid to upper-funnel—and success means looking at the bigger picture: engagement, assisted conversions, and lifetime value. Early weeks are about learning and reach; months two and three bring stabilization as CPAs normalize, creative winners emerge, and campaigns scale. With clear benchmarks by vertical and a disciplined refresh cycle for assets, we help clients measure what matters most: sustained growth, not just short-term clicks.

Demand Gen captures audiences earlier in the journey. By combining Google’s owned inventory with Revel’s creative, targeting, and measurement expertise, we help clients harness Demand Gen as a growth engine. This isn’t about running ads for the sake of ads—it’s about building an adaptive, data-driven system that continuously learns, optimizes, and drives meaningful results. Reach out to the Revel team for more info.

Source:

• Google Ads Help. "About Demand Gen campaigns." Google Support.
• Google Ads Help – Ad customizers
• Google Ads Help – Campaign-level assets
• Google Ads Help – About ad extensions
• Google Ads Help – Video action campaigns

This blog was edited with the help of Claude AI.

Photo: © Brett Jordan from Pexels

TikTok Symphony 101 - What Is It, and How Can We Utilize It?

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, it is now necessary to incorporate AI into our daily operations. As digital marketers, brainstorming how to effectively accomplish this without losing the human element can seem like a difficult task. To solve this problem, TikTok launched Symphony Creative Studio, an AI toolkit that streamlines ad content creation and removes barriers for brands wanting to create native TikTok advertising.

What is TikTok Symphony?

At its core, the Symphony Creative Suite is designed to reduce the time, effort, and cost of producing TikTok-ready content, enabling more brands to create effective campaigns on TikTok. With Symphony, users can: generate ads by providing some preliminary information about their product(s), create ads with digital avatars (AI-generated content creators), translate and dub videos, and more. With the tool currently being free, there’s no reason not to try out Symphony’s capabilities for yourself. So how does it work? 

How To Use Symphony 

You can access TikTok Symphony by searching for it and clicking through to the Symphony Creative Studio homepage. Clicking “Get started” will prompt you to log in to your TikTok business account, where you can start editing in Symphony. From there, you can experiment with any of the following creative tools Symphony offers, such as:

• Image to Video: Turn your static image into a thumb-stopping video clip.

• Generate TikTok Ads: Quickly generate new videos by providing some basic information about your product and business. 

• Avatar Videos: Generate a video of an avatar narrating your content, using the script you provide them with.

• Generate Scripts: Describe your product or service to generate high-impact scripts based on insights from trending TikTok content. These scripts can then be used to generate videos. 

• Generate Avatars: Narrate scripts with your own generated avatar. 

• Translate and Dub Videos: Broaden your reach by choosing language and voice settings to translate and dub your videos into different languages.

• Video Editor: Edit your video with TikTok-style features, adding things like captions, avatars, music, and more. 

• Refresh Ads: Refresh an existing video asset with trending audio and themes to boost engagement. 

Does Using Symphony Make Sense For My Brand or Client?

With all the exciting features that TikTok Symphony offers, you may be eager to get into the creative tool and test out its capabilities for yourself. To determine how utilizing this tool makes sense for your brand or clients, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is TikTok a platform that makes sense for my brand/client’s product and/or service?

• Is my brand/client’s core demographic on TikTok? How does their core demographic spend time on the platform?

• Does my brand/client face creative limitations currently that would hinder them from being successful on TikTok? If so, how can Symphony assist in combating these challenges?

• Does my brand or client have any brand guidelines that would make creating content in Symphony difficult?

Conclusion

In summary, TikTok Symphony can be an effective tool to help you eliminate (or at least, reduce) some of the creative challenges your client may be facing when serving ads on TikTok. If the key hurdle to being on TikTok is limitations on developing “TikTok-first” creative, Symphony may be just the tool you’re waiting for. At Revel Interactive, we take pride in determining how we can help our clients utilize new digital marketing tools. Let us help you seamlessly incorporate these new tools into your strategy.

Source:

• TikTok Symphony Creative Tool
• TikTok Creative Studio

This blog was edited with the help of Claude AI.

Photo: © Fanny Beckman from diversifylens

5 Ways Email Marketing Enhances the Customer Journey for Beauty Shoppers

In the world of beauty, it’s not just about the products—it’s about the experience. From the moment a shopper discovers your brand to the day they reorder their favorite serum, every touchpoint matters. Email marketing is your chance to educate and surprise your customers—whether you’re dropping skincare tips, sending restock reminders, or just saying “happy birthday.” For beauty brands, email isn’t just a marketing channel—it’s part of the glow-up.

So how does email marketing build on the overall customer experience with your brand? Read on for a few tips!

PERSONALIZED PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS

From skin type to shade matching, email lets beauty brands deliver suggestions based on quiz responses, past purchases and more —making shopping feel curated, and truly personal.

POST-PURCHASE EDUCATION AND CARE

Automated flows that include skincare tips, how-to videos, ingredient education, or seasonal routines will keep customers engaged.

REPLENISHMENT AND REORDER REMINDERS

Email reminders based on when a product will run out helps bring customers back right when they need to restock, making their lives easier and boosting retention. This is also a great place to suggest a “subscribe and save” option if that’s something your brand is able to offer.

BUILDING LOYALTY BEYOND THE PRODUCT

Birthday discounts, VIP perks, or early access to new products sent to email subscribers show appreciation and bring value to your customers.

EDUCATION DRIVEN STORYTELLING

Education-Driven Storytelling: Email marketing is a brand’s opportunity to sell your USP (unique selling proposition) like cruelty-free formulas, sustainable packaging, or expert-backed formulations—building brand loyalty over time.

The brands winning in today's competitive beauty landscape aren't just selling products—they're building relationships, one thoughtfully crafted email at a time.

If you have email marketing needs, drop us a line! We’d love to chat all things email with you!

Beyond Inspiration: How Pinterest Can Be a Revenue Driver for Fashion Brands

Pinterest advertising delivers impressive ROI for premium fashion brands targeting style-conscious consumers—but many brands still view it as purely an inspirational platform rather than a conversion driver.

The Pinterest Advertising Opportunity Backed by Industry Data

Fashion brands often wonder where to invest their advertising dollars for the best return. Recent analysis of Pinterest campaigns for premium fashion brands reveals the platform can deliver significant revenue impact beyond brand awareness. This performance aligns with broader industry findings. Measured's latest 12-month data from more than 70 incrementality tests shows Pinterest consistently outperforming other view-based social platforms in incremental ROAS. And yet, Pinterest is still often thought of as a secondary social platform. 

When executed strategically, Pinterest campaigns have generated substantial conversion volumes and revenue attribution that rival traditional advertising channels. The data suggests many fashion brands are missing a significant opportunity by under-allocating Pinterest in their media mix.

Success on Pinterest is built around two core strategies that leverage the platform's unique targeting capabilities: keyword-targeted prospecting campaigns and engagement-based retargeting campaigns.

Why Pinterest Works for Fashion: The High-Intent Advantage

Pinterest offers something unique in the social landscape that particularly benefits fashion brands. As industry measurement experts note, Pinterest creates a high-intent environment where users actively search for inspiration tied to life events, seasonal moments, and specific product categories—meaning ads are often welcomed, not skipped.

In addition, Pinterest attracts a distinctly spending-focused audience compared to other social media platforms. Over half of Pinterest users (55%) are willing to make purchases of $50 or more, and they're twice as likely as TikTok users to spend $150 or more on a single purchase. This contrasts sharply with TikTok, where lower-priced products tend to perform better.

Fashion brands achieve stronger performance when they align Pinterest campaigns with natural shopping cycles and provide customized creative for keyword targeting. Spring, summer, and holiday campaigns that capture users during active wardrobe planning periods typically see the strongest results, taking advantage of Pinterest's longer consideration cycles where content has a longer shelf life than ephemeral content on other platforms.

Retargeting for Proven Performance

Retargeting campaigns consistently emerge as conversion champions, reaching website visitors and engaged users with targeted messaging. In our experience, these campaigns tend to maintain steady month-over-month performance, with strong conversion rates and revenue attribution that validate Pinterest's place in the marketing mix.

This performance becomes even more significant when viewed through proper measurement frameworks. While Pinterest's strength in influencing consideration and purchase over slightly longer time horizons is often undervalued in last-click attribution models, incrementality testing reveals the platform's true business impact.

Prospecting Through Strategic Keyword Targeting

Fashion and seasonal keywords provide powerful opportunities to reach new audiences actively searching for style inspiration. Using a structured approach with multiple keyword groupings paired with specialized creative for each segment has proven effective across client campaigns.

Premium Keyword Investment Strategy

When certain keyword groupings dominate spend early in campaigns, implementing a tiered approach allows for better budget distribution and optimization. This structure has helped brands achieve significant month-over-month spend increases while maintaining or improving efficiency, often seeing revenue gains of 30% or more from keyword targeting optimization.

These performance gains validate industry observations about Pinterest's measurement advantages. The platform's improved ad tech stack helps advertisers better target and measure performance, revealing incremental growth that might otherwise remain hidden.

Attribution Success Across Multiple Models

Platform-Attributed Performance

Pinterest's native attribution tracking shows strong results across client campaigns, with conversion volumes that demonstrate the platform's ability to track user journeys from initial engagement through final purchase.

Last-Click Attribution Validates Impact

Google Analytics data consistently confirms Pinterest's impact through last-click attribution, typically showing:

• Strong user acquisition through Pinterest paid social

• High-quality sessions with impressive engagement metrics

• Engaged session rates often exceeding 30%

• Meaningful revenue attribution through last-click measurement

The combination of platform and last-click attribution provides confidence in Pinterest's true impact on customer acquisition. This dual attribution success addresses a critical industry challenge: platforms like Pinterest often don't shine in click-based metrics, but prove their value when you measure what actually moves the business through proper incrementality testing.

Creative Performance Highlights

Video Content Excellence

Pinterest's video capabilities prove especially valuable for showcasing fashion products:

• Video view times consistently exceed platform averages

• Total video views can reach impressive volumes across campaign portfolios

• Longer video engagement correlates with higher-value keyword audiences

User Engagement Quality

Analytics data reveals impressive user behavior patterns:

• Above-average engagement time per session indicates users actively browse and consider products

• High event-per-session rates demonstrate meaningful interaction with site content

These engagement patterns reflect Pinterest's unique proposition: users approach the platform in a discovery mindset, actively seeking style solutions and inspiration. This emotional state creates ideal conditions for fashion brands to showcase products, build desire, and drive purchases.

Strategic Takeaways for Fashion Brands

Pinterest Users Shop with Intent

Strong conversion rates across campaign types reveal that Pinterest users approach the platform with purchase intent. They arrive ready to discover and buy, making Pinterest a valuable addition to a fashion brand's advertising mix. This shopping behavior explains why Pinterest consistently ranks at the top among view-based social platforms in industry performance benchmarks.

Attribution Modeling Matters

By tracking both platform-attributed and last-click conversions, brands gain a complete picture of Pinterest's impact. Platform attribution captures the full customer journey, while last-click attribution validates final conversion moments. Monitoring both metrics helps brands understand Pinterest's role in the conversion path.

This measurement approach is crucial because Pinterest's performance might be hidden from view if you're relying solely on last-click, pixel-based attribution to make budget decisions. With proper incrementality testing and unified measurement frameworks, the signal becomes clear: Pinterest delivers strong, measurable incremental ROAS.

The Opportunity Cost of Under-Investment

Despite proven performance, Pinterest remains under-allocated in many media plans. Fashion brands often fall into common perception traps: viewing Pinterest as niche, lacking the headline-grabbing appeal of other platforms, or undervaluing its longer-term influence in favor of immediate click-based metrics.

This misalignment represents a significant opportunity cost. Industry data suggests advertisers stand to benefit meaningfully from increasing their budget allocation to Pinterest, especially when paired with strategic campaign management.

The Pinterest Advantage for Fashion

Pinterest's evolution into a conversion-focused platform creates unique opportunities for brands targeting style-conscious consumers. The platform's combination of visual inspiration and shopping intent provides an environment where fashion brands naturally excel.

The dual attribution success we consistently observe—strong performance in both Pinterest's native tracking and Google Analytics measurement—provides confidence that Pinterest delivers measurable business impact beyond vanity metrics. When combined with industry-wide incrementality testing that shows Pinterest outperforming other view-based social platforms, the case for increased investment becomes compelling.

Getting Started with Pinterest Advertising

Ready to explore how Pinterest advertising can drive revenue for your fashion brand? The key is approaching Pinterest with the same strategic rigor as other major platforms, using proper measurement frameworks to capture its full business impact.

Next Steps:

• Connect with your account team to discuss Pinterest advertising strategy for your fashion brand

• Schedule a consultation to explore Pinterest campaign opportunities

• Implement incrementality testing to measure Pinterest's true impact on your business

• Discover how we help brands maximize Pinterest advertising performance

If Pinterest isn't at least in the mix for your fashion brand, and treated with strategic importance backed by proper measurement, you may be leaving incremental growth on the table.

Source Links/Citations:

Campaign insights based on Revel Interactive's analysis of Pinterest advertising performance across multiple fashion brand clients. Results may vary based on brand, audience, and execution.

• Measured – Incrementality Testing Analysis
• Highspot Viewer

This blog was edited with the help of Claude AI.

Photo: © from pixelshot

Why Advertisers Should Be Running Brand Lift Studies on Meta (If They Qualify)

In today’s performance-driven paid social advertising landscape, it is easy to focus solely on familiar metrics like CTR, CPM, ROAS, and CPA. They’re immediate, accessible, and easy to report. However, if you are only measuring Meta ad performance based on what is instantaneously accessible, you’re overlooking a critical part of the picture - are your ads driving incremental brand impact? 

That is where Meta’s Brand Lift Study comes in. 

Meta Brand Lift studies are an extremely powerful way to understand how your Meta ads are influencing consumer perception of your brand beyond the immediately trackable data more commonly associated with performance marketing. 

What is a Meta Brand Lift Study? 

A Brand Lift study is a controlled experiment offered through the Meta Business platform that measures the incremental impact of your ads on brand perception categories including:

• Standard Ad Recall

• “Do you recall seeing an ad for [Page name] online or on a mobile device in the last 2 days?”

• Standard Brand Awareness

• “Have you heard of [Page name]?”

• Familiarity 

• “How familiar are you with [Page name]?”

• Favorability

• “How would you describe your overall opinion of [Page name]?”

• Recommendation 

• “Will you recommend [Page name] to a friend?”

Here is how it works: Meta splits your eligible audience into two randomized groups - those who see your ads (the test group) and those who don’t (the holdout group). Both groups are later served a short in-feed multiple choice survey with questions specific to your brand and their ads. 

More on the available Meta Brand Lift Study questions. 

The test will then calculate the difference in performance between each group by survey question, which represents the incremental brand lift of your ads by category (favorability, recall, awareness, etc)

Step by step instructions on how to properly create a Meta Brand Lift test here 

Unfortunately, there are minimum spend requirements that must be met in order to qualify for a meta brand lift study, which vary by targeted country. Find Meta Brand Lift Study requirements here

Why should your brand participate? 

Measuring brand awareness impact on Meta can be difficult in general. While we easily have access to metrics like CPM & Reach, it is difficult to understand whether or not our ads are really impacting perception of the brand. 

Upper funnel campaigns often face budget scrutiny for that very reason - because their impact is not as tangibly measurable as say a sales, lead generation, or traffic campaign. 

A brand lift study can help validate dollars spent on top of funnel initiatives, or help prove that non-ToFu initiatives are having an impact on brand perception in addition to driving clicks, ROAS, etc. 

The results are real survey answers from your target audience, essentially giving you a way to ask what they think about your brand with minimal effort on your part.

Additionally, the results of these studies can clue you into the impact of your ad creative on your audience across the key brand metrics. If the study shows minimal lift, it is a clear signal. It may be time to switch up your messaging, refresh your visuals, or reframe your narrative to improve consumer perception. 

If you're running ads on Meta, a Brand Lift Study isn't just a nice tool to have access to, it's a strategic experiment to validate impact, justify spend, and refine your approach. If you qualify, run one. You’ll walk away with real insights directly from your audience, insight into creative impact, and a more compelling reporting story that goes beyond the easily accessible, familiar metrics.  

Photo: © Negative Space from Pexels

Is AI Going to Kill SEO? The Truth for 2025 and Beyond

With the explosive growth of generative AI, many marketers are wondering: Is AI going to kill SEO? It’s a valid question. Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini are reshaping how people search and find information online. But rather than declaring SEO dead, it’s time to understand how it’s evolving, and how to adapt your strategy to stay ahead.

The Shift from Search Engines to Answer Engines

Traditional search engines like Google were built to organize the world’s information and deliver links to websites. But today’s AI-first platforms are focused on delivering answers, not just results. That’s a fundamental change in how people engage with content.

Instead of clicking on blue links, users are increasingly interacting with AI tools that summarize, synthesize, and cite. The days of optimizing solely for 10 blue links on a SERP are gone. In their place, we’re entering the era of conversational search and synthesized results.

Will AI Replace Search Altogether?

Not quite. According to Google' s John Mueller:

“Google's John Mueller said AI is not replacing search, but he also acknowledged that AI is changing many things and will require adjustments” (1)

AI is becoming the interface for search, not a full replacement. While AI models can generate answers, they still rely on up-to-date, high-quality content from the open web. That means your content still matters—maybe more than ever.

However, the metrics are shifting. Click-through-rates from traditional SERPs may decline as users get their answers directly from AI. But that doesn’t mean SEO is obsolete. It means the way we measure SEO success is changing. Visibility, citations, and brand presence within AI-generated results are the new frontier.

What’s Really “Killing” SEO

If anything is hurting SEO, it’s not AI, it’s outdated strategies. Keyword stuffing, low-quality content, and deprecated technical optimizations are no longer effective. AI rewards clarity, depth, and usefulness.

Consider an example from Mr Jonathan Jones at the recent Google Search Central Live NYC 2025 of outdated SEO strategies being put to rest:

• “Google doesn't have a notion of "toxic back links" internally.

• It's not something you need to use the disavow tool for.

• For the most part "we try to ignore those links".

• "Only use the disavow tool when you get a manual links penalty IF you are buying links. It's not something” (2)

Pruning deprecated SEO strategies frees up your in-house or SEO agencies’ team to focus on the ranking factors that really matter. Modern SEO must align with how people actually search and how AI interprets that intent.

That means creating content that goes beyond keywords and delivers real value. Your content should help AI tools understand your expertise and pull you into their answers.

How to Future-Proof Your SEO Strategy

Here’s what to focus on moving forward:

BUILD TOPICAL AUTHORITY

AI tools are more likely to cite sites that demonstrate subject matter expertise. Create content clusters around your key topics. Link them together. Build trust with both users and machines.

OPTIMIZE AI VISIBILITY

Treat AI tools like new search engines. Just as you optimize for Google’s crawler, think about how AI models evaluate and cite sources. Structured content, clean markup, and well-labeled sections improve your chances of being referenced.

PUBLISH FRESH, FACTUAL CONTENT

Long Language Models (LLMs) still struggle with real-time accuracy. Regularly updated, trustworthy content gives you a competitive edge. If you’re a source of truth in your space, AI engines will turn to you.

DOUBLE DOWN ON BRANDED SEARCH

As AI condenses the search journey, brand recognition becomes even more important. People may skip browsing and go straight to the source they trust. You want to be that source.

INVEST IN ORIGINALITY

AI-generated content is everywhere—but so is AI detection. Original insights, first-party data, interviews, and unique POVs set you apart from the generic noise.

SEO Isn’t Dying. It’s Evolving

SEO has never been static. From keyword matching to mobile-first indexing, to Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (or E-E-A-T ) and now AI-powered results, it’s always been about adapting. The brands that win in this new landscape will be the ones who understand that search is becoming semantic, conversational, and contextual.

AI won’t kill SEO (at least not quite yet), but it will kill lazy SEO.

The opportunity today is to build better content, improved strategies, and a future-proof presence across both traditional search and AI-powered platforms.

Resources

• Google Affirms AI Is Not Replacing Search

• My Takeaways From Google Search Central Live NYC 2025

Photo: © Unsplash