Product Ads by Facebook will automatically show business products that you want to see

Facebook has your data and it is going to use it. With its new service, Product Ads, the company is trying to simplify how businesses display ads. Product Ads is aimed at businesses that sell more than one product. Instead of displaying all the products to every customer, Facebook will help them display products to a particular user, ending the wild goose hunt for buyers, going direct by using the users’ interest and activity. All your likes, cookies, ad clicks, shares will be used to execute the service.

In the blog post announcing the service, the company says, “With product ads, businesses can showcase more products and people on Facebook can discover more relevant products.”

Targeting of specific products to specific users will happen in two ways, the company says, one way, marketers can upload their product catalogue and create campaigns targeting certain products to specific audiences and the other is to do nothing at all and allow Facebook to automatically deliver the relevant products to people.

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Facebook promises businesses that products ads will be customised throughout the process of a customer journey, from discovery/awareness through purchase. Much like the nagging shop assistant at a Chinese shop downtown, except Facebook will know what you want before you say it and will not nag you to tell them.

Facebook offers different options to businesses on how they can make use of this service. Advertisers can automatically reach people who have visited their website or app or reach people based on specific interests, locations, etc. Advertisers can also highlight products that were viewed on their website/mobile app or showcase bestselling products. Or they can create a multi-product ad that highlights the different benefits of a single product.

Product ads is set to offer other services, like turning off ads for specific products when they are out of stock if a business uses automatic delivery of product ads.

Product ads are available today in the API through Facebook Marketing Partners and will roll out in Power Editor over the next few weeks.