Turn Buyer Intent into Precise Targeting with Commerce Audiences

Today’s advertisers are under intense pressure to maximize return on their ad spend (ROAS). To generate those clicks and conversions, it’s critical to get your message in front of the right buyer, at the right time — so precise audience targeting is more important than ever. 

Imagine the power of knowing the exact moment when browsing behavior or information gathering shifts to true purchase intent. That dream can be a reality with Commerce Audiences, the latest offering from Sovrn.

What is Commerce Audiences?

Commerce Audiences uses granular purchase intent data to give advertisers the power to target consumers with a high likelihood of a consumer purchase. Powered by proprietary first-party data — collected through Sovrn’s affiliate marketing and ad exchange platforms — Commerce Audiences combines prior purchase behavior, online engagement, and contextual signals to create actionable audience segments that are likely to convert. Advertisers can then target these receptive buyers based on real-time purchase intent and behaviors. 

For example, say a consumer is in the market for a camera. They start by researching cameras across multiple sites, reading reviews, and looking for the best value. As they move across domains — many within the Sovrn Exchange — deterministic data is captured to provide a picture of their interest and behaviors. At some point, the consumer may click on an affiliate link within the Sovrn network and be directed to a product page for their chosen camera. This clearly indicates a shift from interest to purchase intent — a valuable signal for advertisers.

How are Sovrn Commerce Audiences different from other targeting solutions?

Unlike other targeting tools on the market, Commerce Audiences is powered by proprietary Sovrn data, sourced directly from our publisher tools. (More on that below!) As a result, there is no risk of signal loss, dilution, staleness, or cost-prohibitive fees imposed by intermediaries. Purchase signals are captured faster and with higher resolution, allowing advertisers to target buyers based on real-time shopping intent and actions. 

In addition, the scale of Sovrn’s data is a key differentiator for the Commerce Audiences product. Sovrn’s affiliate tools are used by more than 4,000 publishers and creators, powering over $3 billion in annual retail spend across major consumer categories like consumer electronics, home and garden, fashion and beauty, and more.

As Sovrn CEO Walter Knapp explains, “We’re uniquely positioned to capture this opportunity because of our investments in data provenance, compliance, and addressability. Very few other companies have the scale, resolution, or immediacy of this data to identify when a consumer is moving from purchase interest to intent.”

Where does the data for Commerce Audiences come from?

Commerce Audiences is powered by the Sovrn Data Collective, which connects data from the Sovrn Commerce affiliate platform and Sovrn Exchange ad platform. Using this vast, proprietary data source, Commerce Audiences gives advertisers the insight they need to find users who are actively looking to buy their products and services.

Sovrn Commerce is the leading affiliate marketing platform designed to help publishers and content creators maximize revenue from their high-value content. The Sovrn Commerce platform captures millions of daily purchase intent signals from on-platform affiliate events that connect user behavior to product interactions and purchases. This granular purchase and intent data (including brand, category, SKU, price, and more) is matched to a targetable consumer identity in a privacy-compliant way. 

The Sovrn Exchange is a programmatic advertising platform that empowers publishers to earn more from every ad, with direct connections to more than 55 demand-side platforms (DSPs) and 120 supply-side platforms (SSPs). The platform offers tools for inventory management, yield optimization, performance analytics, and more.

How does Commerce Audiences benefit advertisers?

Commerce Audiences delivers value to advertisers in four important ways:

• Audience insights: Advertisers are increasingly looking to tie consumer behavior (e.g., browsing, intent signals, and past purchases) to more precise targeting.
• First- and zero-party data: As privacy regulations evolve, first-party data and proprietary commerce signals become especially valuable for advertisers.
• Performance focus: Rising emphasis on performance marketing and ROAS creates demand for audiences with stronger purchase intent.
• Purchase-related targeting data: Direct purchase intent data is in great demand because it is highly valuable to targeting platforms. However, availability in the market is severely limited. 

Does Commerce Audiences benefit publishers as well?

Absolutely! Commerce Media is one of the fastest-growing segments of the advertising industry, which means that Sovrn’s publishers will benefit from greater demand. Publishers who use Sovrn’s commerce tools will see a greater share of spend as they attract audiences most likely to be represented in these purchase intent segments. 

And it’s important to note, Commerce Audiences does not change the way affiliate data is handled. Sovrn remains committed to prioritizing privacy, transparency, and trust — and publishers retain complete control of their affiliate activity and relationships.

Improve your audience targeting today

Commerce Audiences will initially be available to advertisers who sell products in key consumer segments, including:

You can read the press release to learn more about this offering, or email commerceaudiences@sovrn.com.