20+ Ecommerce Ad Creative Ideas and Best Practices

Brands are emerging by the minute, and the competition is only getting more fierce. As the ecommerce industry takes hold of the way we buy and consume products today, one thing is clear. Online consumers are savvy, quickly seeing through old marketing tactics and clichés. With such intense global competition for virtually any product you can think of —and big-name brands like Amazon dominating the e-commerce market—there’s never been a more pressing time to be creative with e-commerce ad campaigns, especially if you’re a smaller brand. To kickstart your brainstorm, we’ve compiled this list of 20+ creative ecommerce ad ideas that can attract customers and drive sales. Let’s get going!

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The Elements of Effective Ecommerce Ads

While designing effective e-commerce ads, several key elements come into play: the visuals, the copy, and the call-to-actions (CTAs). Eye-catching visuals draw your audience’s attention and make your products stand out, while persuasive copy communicates your value proposition concisely. A strong CTA complements these two elements by telling customers what to do next, either leading them to the product landing page (e.g.: “Shop Now”) or to more information (e.g.: “Learn More”). Your creative efforts pay off when you target the ad to the right audience. This means understanding your audience’s preferences and behaviors so you can tailor your ads to their needs and interests. 

By combining these elements strategically, you can create ads that capture attention and resonate with your audience—increasing the potential for engagement and conversions. 

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20+ Creative Ecommerce Ad Ideas

1. User-Generated Content Ads

User-generated content (UGC) ads encourage customers to share their photos, videos, and reviews of your products. These ads are great for building trust and authenticity, showing potential buyers real-life use cases of your products. Showcasing the experiences of your satisfied customers not only boosts credibility but also creates a sense of community around your brands. UGC ads work superbly on social media, where genuine and relatable content hits home.  

An iconic example of an UGC ad campaign is Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign in 2015, which invited users from all around the world to share photos taken on their iPhones on Twitter and Instagram.

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2. Customer Testimonial Ads

As far as ecommerce ad ideas go, this one is a classic. Customer testimonial ads are excellent for building trust and credibility for your brand. Featuring real stories and feedback from satisfied customers, these ads show potential customers why people really love your products. They provide a realistic look into the problems your product solves and how it exceeds customer expectations. Testimonial ads are a powerful way to sway hesitant buyers, providing them reassurance and encouraging them to purchase your product with confidence. 

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3. Behind-the-Scenes Ads

Behind-the-scene (BTS) ads give your audience a peek into your brand’s life and processes. Whether it’s a day in the life of your business, introducing your team, or the making of upcoming or popular products, BTS ads create a sense of honesty and connection. They make your brand more real and relatable. Plus, it satiates people’s curiosity about the brands they love, making it a great way to build deeper bonds with your audience.  

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4. Behind-the-Brand Ads  

Like BTS ads, behind-the-brand ads lend an authentic voice to your brand, offering a glimpse into its essence and uniqueness. These go beyond simply showcasing your products and their features, shedding light on your values, mission, culture, and the people who make it all happen. Through these stories, snippets of company life, key milestones and achievement, these ads humanize your brand, building an emotional connection with your audience. These ads are also great to build trust and customer loyalty over time. 

Take a look at this post from ecommerce company Shopify, which gives you a glimpse into the packaging processes of their small business partners. This is a great way to show the hard work that goes on to ensure customers get their products promptly and in mint condition.

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5. Product Demo Ads

Product demos are perfect for showing off what your products can do. These ads highlight your products’ features and benefits by showing them in action. You can use these ads to give a clear, visual explanation of how they work. You can also answer potential customer questions and ease any doubts they may have about purchasing your products. Demos are particularly helpful in introducing customers to new or complex products, making them easier to understand and empowering customers to feel more confident about their purchases. 

Here’s an example of a product demo ad from FitBit:

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6. Seasonal Promotion Ads

Seasonal promotion ads leverage holidays, seasons, and special occasions to boost sales. They create a sense of urgency and make the products topical, encouraging customers to take advantage of limited offers. By timing your campaigns with relevant occasions, you can also tap into increased consumer interest and spending during holiday seasons. Aligning your visuals with festive themes make these ads even more appealing and meaningful to your audiences.

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7. Limited-Time Offer Ads

Ads that promote limited-time discounts or deals drive urgency within your customer base. These ads shout out exclusive deals and promotions that compel customers to act quickly. Whether it's a flash sale or a seasonal discount, these ads are great to drive a sales boost in a matter of days, if not weeks.

8. Animated Ads

Animated ads bring your product to life with impressive visuals and playful animations. They’re a great way to grab attention and stand out in a crowded feed or a text-heavy web page. You can use these ads to demonstrate use cases, show features, or simply tell a fun story to build a personal connection. In any case, they’re a wonderful medium to make your brand memorable. Plus, animation is a versatile way to break down your product in a clear and entertaining way. 

Check out this animated ad from Starbucks to see how this beloved coffee brand’s “coffee makers” explore unique flavors:

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9. Interactive Ads

Interactive ads turn passive viewers into active participants, inviting them to engage in quizzes, polls, and interactive product demos. By letting people interact with your content, you can create a personalized experience that builds interest in the product and drives conversions. They’re perfect for telling your audience that your ads aren’t just ads—they’re experiences designed to give customers a real look and feel of what your product is like. 

To get some inspiration, check out this ad from Boursin cheese, which uses virtual reality (VR) to see the “Boursin fridge come to life”:

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10. Storytelling Ads

Storytelling ads weave a narrative around your products and brand. Stories are a great way to create an emotional connection and leave a lasting impression. Whether it’s highlighting your brand journey, sharing customer success stories, or painting a picture of how your product fits into your customers’ lives, storytelling ads captivate audiences and build brand loyalty. They’re a powerful way to connect with customers on a deeper and more personal level.

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11. Influencer Collaboration Ads  

Another ecommerce ad idea to market your products is by collaborating with influencers. By partnering with influencers who resonate with your target audience, you can leverage their reach and credibility to drive awareness of your products and build trust. On your behalf, or as your representative, they can showcase your products in daily scenarios, demonstrating how seamlessly they fit into the influencer’s lifestyle. Overall, this is a great way to tap into a wider audience and create a connection with the influencer’s follower base.

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12. New Arrival Ads 

These ads are perfect to introduce the latest additions to your product lineup. New arrival ads are useful for creating hype around the new products with engaging visuals, showcasing their features, benefits, and updates. They appeal to customers’ desire for innovation and novelty, encouraging them to explore and purchase your latest products. These ads are perfect for reaching out to loyal customers and building sales momentum. They also show your brand regularly keeps up with your industry’s latest innovations and trends.

13. Best-Seller Highlight Ads

Best-seller highlight ads are excellent for casting the spotlight on your most popular products. These ads are social proof that showcase the products that perform the best and have received the most positive reviews from customers. They provide assurance to potential customers by establishing the value and satisfaction people have experienced with your brand. Best-seller highlight ads are effective in boosting sales of proven favorites and reinforcing your brand’s credibility.

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14. Discount Code Ads

Discount code ads are a great route to take to incentivize customers. These ads have exclusive promo codes, freebies, or special perks to attract both existing and new customers.  These creative ecommerce ads are usually time-bound, creating a sense of urgency and prompting customers to get their money’s worth. Discount code ads are great for increasing average orders and boosting sales in a flash.

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15. How-To Tutorial Ads 

How-to tutorial ads are a handy way to showcase your products in action. These are usually step-by-step guides that show customers how they can get the most of your products. How-tos can be demos of different features, hacks to use the products more efficiently, upgrades, DIYs, and much more. By showcasing different ways to use your products, you empower customers with valuable knowledge and enhance their overall product experience. They’re also a great way to position your brand as a trusted authority in your industry. 

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16. Before-and-After Ads

Visual proof of your product’s effectiveness is a memorable way to make a case for your brand. This is exactly what before-and-after ads do—showing the transformation or impact of showing your products. They instantly highlight the significant improvements that customers can achieve, emphasizing your product's impact and effectiveness. Well-designed visuals that show off the transformation can attract the attention of new customers, build credibility, and inspire hesitant customers to take the leap in buying your products.

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17. Event Promotion Ads

Event promotion ads are an excellent way for ecommerce brands to generate buzz and engagement. Like discount ads and festive promotions, they highlight key events like flash sales, product launches, and seasonal promotions. These can create exclusivity and build a sense of community amongst customers. Event promotion ads typically convey key details like dates, special offers, and unique offerings. These ads are a hit with existing and new customers alike, enhancing brand visibility and customer loyalty.

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18. Product Comparison Ads 

Product comparison ads provide valuable insights to help potential customers make informed purchasing decisions. These ads highlight unique features, benefits, and advantages your products have over competitors. By presenting side-by-side comparisons, they demonstrate their superior value and differentiation. They are useful addressing common customer concerns and guiding them to choose your brand above others.

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19. Bundle Offer Ads 

Bundle offer ads promote curated deals that combine multiple products, typically at a discounted rate. These ads highlight the value for money and convenience customers can enjoy by purchasing complementary products together. They’re aimed at increasing the average order value by encouraging customers to take advantage of cost savings and product combinations that better meet their needs and preferences.

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20. Referral Program Ads 

Referral program ads provide incentive for existing customers to refer their friends or family to your brand.  These ads highlight the benefits of referring your products—typically additional discounts, coupons you can avail, and special perks to both the existing and new customers. This  approach also promotes word-of-mouth marketing, leveraging the trust and credibility you’ve already built  with your existing customer base. There’s more potential to convert  leads organically, while rewarding your customers for their support and advocacy.

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Best Practices for Creating Effective Ecommerce Ads

Ecommerce ads that capture attention are visually appealing, have crisp and actionable copy, and resonate with the audience they’re targeted towards. Here are some ecommerce  ad best practices to create ads that drive traffic and boost sales:

1. Understand your audience

Knowing your audience is the foundation of successful ecommerce ad ideas. All your efforts are naught if the right people don’t even get to see your ad! Spend time and resources on research to understand your audience thoroughly—from their demographics, their purchasing preferences, their views on your industry and your products, and even their online habits. These insights will guide the direction of your ad, the pain points you’re  resolving, and the angles you choose for your ad.

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2. Focus on high-quality visuals 

Marketing has always been visually driven and online marketing more so. This means high-quality visuals are crucial to stand out. Invest in tools and professional expertise to produce creatives that show your product in the best light. Clear, well-lit images that clearly highlight product features, benefits, and use cases help customers envision how they can use the products in their lives.

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3. Craft Persuasive Copy

Copy for ecommerce ads should be clear, concise, and persuasive. Highlight your product’s unique features and use strong CTAs to guide customers toward purchasing the product. Emphasize benefits over just spelling out features, and use language that speaks to your audience.

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4. Leverage customer experiences as social proof 

Incorporate customer testimonials, reviews, and ratings into your ads to build trust and credibility. Social proof is evidence that customers have had positive experiences with your brand and it reassures potential buyers to make a purchase.

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5. Take advantage of targeting capabilities 

Platforms like Google Analytics provide in-depth targeting and retargeting capabilities that help you reach your intended audience. Use demographic, geographic, and behavioral data to refine who you’re showing your ads too. You can also use these metrics to target existing customers and users you’ve viewed your products but haven’t made a decision yet. These platforms can also tell you what devices they’re likely to use and you can customize your ads accordingly.

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6. Maintain consistent branding 

Ensure all your ads reflect your brand’s identity, and maintain this consistently across all channels. Use your brand’s colors, font, tone of voice, and language style to create a memorable voice and digital presence that reinforces brand recognition and loyalty.

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To sum up 

We’ve already told you the importance of creating innovative and engaging ads to capture the attention of potential buyers and keep existing customers to keep coming back to your brand. Now, the ball is in your court—experiment with these ecommerce ad ideas, from user-generated content to referrals, and see how they enhance your ad campaigns. Don't be afraid to try out a few different approaches based on what your audience is likely to respond well to. 

An excellent tool you can use to create and optimize ecommerce ads quickly is Eacel AI. With just a few simple steps, you can produce versatile creatives that boost the performance of your ecommerce campaigns. All you need to do is input your brand guidelines, your vision for the ads, specifications, and base copy. Within minutes, Eacel.ai gives you unique ads that show off your products’ features and USPs. Not convinced yet? No worries. Give it a shot and see for yourself! Try out a couple of these ecommerce ad campaign ideas on the way.

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