You can run but you can’t hide – the holiday season is just around the corner, which is a critical time for e-commerce brands. We show you why Native Ads are an untapped opportunity you won’t want to miss out on.

The holiday season is almost here – a time when online shopping surges, competition intensifies, and your clients expect their best results of the year. For PPC agencies and freelancers, particularly within the world of e-commerce, this time is crucial to get right. It can make or break the success of the new year and ensure clients keep coming back.

But with so many advertisers flooding the market during peak season, traditional tactics like search and display ads often struggle to cut through the noise. That’s why more savvy agencies are turning to native advertising.

By blending seamlessly into a shopper’s online experience, native ads are uniquely positioned to capture attention, nurture interest, and drive conversions. And when paired with the billions of permissioned first-party data points available through Microsoft Advertising, they become a full-funnel powerhouse for e-commerce.

In this guide, we’ll explore how agencies can use native ads to move customers from discovery to checkout, why Microsoft Advertising is a platform you should be leveraging, and how to build strategies that deliver serious results this holiday season.

Why Native Ads Matter For E-Commerce

Unlike banner ads, which can feel intrusive or irrelevant, native ads are built to match the look and feel of the environment they appear in. That could be an article on MSN, an email on Outlook, or content within Microsoft Edge. Instead of disrupting the experience, they feel like part of it, making them far more engaging.

For e-commerce brands, this is especially important during the holidays:

• Shoppers spend weeks browsing content sites – reading gift guides, checking recipes, comparing products – before making purchase decisions.
• Native ads let your clients’ products appear naturally in these spaces, keeping them front of mind without breaking trust.
• They’re easy to set up. You don’t need polished display banners; just logos, images, and text assets are enough to build effective campaigns.

According to Sharethrough, native ads drive 18% higher purchase intent compared to standard display. And Demand Metric reports that 70% of consumers prefer learning about products through content rather than traditional ads. For e-commerce during the holiday rush, those numbers are hard to ignore.

The Power of First-Party Data

One of the biggest challenges facing digital advertisers today is the decline of third-party cookies. As privacy standards tighten, agencies need reliable ways to reach the right audiences without relying on data that’s disappearing.

This is where Microsoft Advertising stands apart. With billions of permissioned, first-party data points collected across its ecosystem—spanning Bing, Outlook, MSN, LinkedIn integrations, and more—agencies can build hyper-relevant campaigns that:

• Reach shoppers at every funnel stage (from discovery to checkout).
• Tap into high-intent signals based on search activity, demographics, and online behavior.
• Stay future-proof with consented, privacy-compliant targeting methods.

For PPCers, this means campaigns reach the right people at the exact moment they’re most likely to engage.

Spotlight on the Microsoft Audience Network

When it comes to running native ads, one of the most powerful tools at your disposal is the Microsoft Audience Network (MSAN).

MSAN allows agencies and freelancers to place native, display, and video ads across Microsoft-owned and partner properties, including MSN, Outlook, Microsoft Edge, and select premium publisher sites. For e-commerce advertisers, this opens the door to high-quality inventory where consumers are actively browsing and discovering new products.

What makes MSAN stand out is the way it combines native ad formats with Microsoft’s billions of permissioned first-party data signals. This means you can:

• Reach high-intent audiences – MSAN uses signals from Bing searches, LinkedIn profiles, and Microsoft’s ecosystem to identify users who are ready to buy.
• Deliver ads that blend in – Native placements feel organic in content environments, building trust and increasing engagement.
• Scale across the funnel – From top-of-funnel awareness campaigns to bottom-funnel retargeting, MSAN supports every stage of the customer journey.
• Simplify setup – You don’t need polished banner creatives; MSAN can assemble native ads automatically from assets you already have (logos, headlines, images, and text).

For PPCers managing multiple e-commerce accounts, MSAN is especially valuable during the holiday season. Shoppers who are in “gift discovery mode” spend more time browsing content and less time searching directly. Native ads placed through MSAN allow you to meet them in these moments, keeping your clients’ products front of mind until they’re ready to purchase.

From Discovery to Checkout: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Discovery: Catch Attention Early

Shoppers often start their holiday research weeks in advance. They’re browsing “Top 10 Gifts” lists, scrolling lifestyle sites, or checking email newsletters. Native ads excel here by blending into these environments.

Agency Action Steps:

• Write editorial-style headlines that spark curiosity (“Best Holiday Gifts Under $50 for Tech Lovers”).
• Use lifestyle imagery that helps users imagine products in their daily lives.
• Launch campaigns in early November to capture browsers before competitors flood the space.

Pro Tip: Use Microsoft Advertising’s audience targeting to zero in on demographics most relevant to your client’s products.

2. Consideration: Stay Front of Mind

After discovery, shoppers rarely buy immediately. They compare options, look at reviews, and check prices across multiple sites. Native ads let you maintain visibility during this critical evaluation stage.

Agency Action Steps:

• Retarget users who engaged with discovery ads but haven’t purchased.
• Offer value-driven content like gift guides, product comparisons, or holiday bundles.
• Adapt creatives as the season progresses—from Black Friday urgency to December last-minute convenience.

Pro Tip: Microsoft’s Audience Network lets you retarget based on search intent from Bing, ensuring your ads reach consumers who are already exploring relevant products.

3. Conversions: Nudge the Sale

As deadlines loom, urgency takes center stage. Native ads can drive action by appearing in trusted environments when shoppers are ready to buy.

Agency Action Steps:

• Highlight shipping deadlines (“Order by Dec 20th for Guaranteed Christmas Delivery”).
• Emphasize urgency and scarcity (“Only a few left in stock!”).
• Use dynamic remarketing to remind shoppers of products they’ve viewed but left in their cart.

Pro Tip: Make sure landing pages are optimized for speed and mobile—especially important as mobile shopping peaks during the holidays.

4. Optimization: Deliver Ongoing ROI

Your clients expect more than clicks – they want measurable results. Native ads give you the flexibility to track, test, and refine throughout the season.

Agency Action Steps:

• Monitor engagement rates (CTR, time on site) to optimize creative assets.
• Adjust bids dynamically around key shopping moments (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, last shipping days).
• A/B test multiple ad variations. Even small copy changes can have significant impact.

Pro Tip: Lean on Microsoft Advertising’s AI-driven optimization tools to automate bid adjustments and targeting, saving you time while improving performance.

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The Numbers Speak for Themselves

Still not convinced native ads should be part of your holiday toolkit? Consider these stats:

• Native ads achieve up to 53% higher viewability compared to display ads (Outbrain).
• E-commerce sales spike by 30–40% during the holiday season (Adobe Analytics).
• Consumers interact with native ads 20–60% more often than standard display ads (IPG Media Lab).

Combine these engagement levels with Microsoft Advertising’s premium placements and first-party data, and you’ve got one of the most effective ways to boost client conversions this holiday season.

Why You Should Act Now

For PPC agencies and freelancers, native ads are a highly effective way to:

• Expand reach beyond search, into environments where holiday shoppers spend their time.
• Differentiate strategy from competitors still focused solely on search and display.
• Prove client value by delivering measurable results across the entire funnel.

As our Partner Support Director, Niki Grant put it:

“Native ads are especially helpful for e-commerce as users are browsing different content sites in the lead up to Christmas – looking at gift recommendations on magazine sites and similarg. It’s a really good way to stay front of mind as people are browsing gift ideas.”

The holiday season is the perfect opportunity to integrate native into your PPC strategy. Do it right, and you’ll drive stronger results for Q4 and beyond.

Ready to make this your most successful holiday season yet? Log in to your Adzooma account today and start optimizing your ads.