Microsoft is notifying all advertisers that their Smart Shopping campaigns will soon be upgraded to Performance Max, a transition set to occur in the coming months.
Why we care. This mandatory shift marks Microsoft’s push toward its more advanced, AI-driven ad format, potentially impacting many ecommerce advertisers.
What’s new:
- All Smart Shopping campaigns moving to Performance Max
- Transition emails were sent to all affected advertisers
- Optional early upgrade feature available
Yes, but. There will be a 1-2 week “learning period” post-upgrade, which could temporarily affect performance.
The assurance. Microsoft says setup, reporting and performance history will remain unchanged after the transition.
How to upgrade early.
- Go to campaign settings
- Select Edit > Upgrade to Performance Max
Between the lines. This move reflects Microsoft’s confidence in Performance Max’s AI capabilities, but the learning period suggests it’s not a simple flip of a switch.
What’s next. Advertisers should monitor campaigns closely during the transition to ensure performance stability.
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About the author
Anu Adegbola has been Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land since 2024. She covers paid search, paid social, retail media, video and more.
In 2008, Anu’s career started with
delivering digital marketing campaigns (mostly but not exclusively Paid Search) by building strategies, maximising ROI, automating repetitive processes and bringing efficiency from every part of marketing departments through inspiring leadership both on agency, client and marketing tech side.
Outside editing Search Engine Land article she is the founder of PPC networking event – PPC Live, host of weekly podcast PPCChat Roundup, and brand evangelist at ClickTech.
She is also an international speaker with some of the stages she has presented on being SMX (US), SMX (Munich), Friends of Search (Amsterdam), brightonSEO, The Marketing Meetup, HeroConf (PPC Hero), SearchLove, BiddableWorld, SESLondon, PPC Chat Live, AdWorld Experience (Bologna) and more.