By turning ads into shoppable storefronts, merchants can bring commerce directly to consumers through advertising

PayPal is rewriting the rules of digital advertising with the launch of Storefront Ads—an innovative solution that transforms ads on the open web into a fully functional storefront. Fueled by the PayPal transaction graph and powered by PayPal and Venmo’s robust payment rails, Storefront Ads turns recommended products into “buy now” opportunities right within the ad unit itself.

Merchants of all sizes are faced with fewer and fewer consumers going directly to their websites in a world where agentic commerce is growing. With Storefront Ads, merchants can dramatically broaden their e-commerce reach across the open web—reaching consumers wherever they are, on desktop, mobile, or emerging digital environments. By combining checkout through PayPal and Venmo’s payment flow with a storefront that lives inside the ad, shoppers will not have to leave the content they’re viewing. After making a purchase, they’re immediately returned to exactly where they left off.

“Agentic commerce risks siphoning traffic and diluting retailers’ brand experiences. Additionally, shopping is no longer something consumers do; it’s something that comes to them,” said Mark Grether, SVP & GM of PayPal Ads. “PayPal Storefront Ads gives merchants a powerful way to reach new customers and re-engage loyal shoppers by planting dynamic storefronts directly within the open web, creating a compelling, frictionless shopping experience anywhere.”

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“Business Insider’s readers expect experiences that are fast, relevant, and intuitive. With PayPal’s Storefront Ads, we will be able to deliver commerce that meets them in the moment and engages them through a seamless checkout experience,” said Maggie Milnamow, Chief Revenue Officer, Business Insider. “PayPal’s new offering brings real-time personalization, creating a smarter, more seamless way for audiences to discover and buy what matters to them.”

PayPal Storefront Ads are supercharged by the PayPal transaction graph—a unique repository of real, cross-merchant purchase signals that drive relevant advertising. With more than 430 million consumer and merchant accounts spanning approximately 200 global markets, this transaction graph has the potential to help PayPal map a variety of purchase data with media to inform more impactful marketing campaigns. From buying a new pair of shoes on PayPal, splitting up a dinner tab on Venmo, or discovering a deal on electronics with PayPal Honey, the PayPal transaction graph seeks to map commerce activity to provide marketers a more complete view of their next potential shopper, enabling them to deliver highly personalized, privacy-safe messaging exactly where consumers are already engaged.

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“We’re excited by the opportunity to advance frictionless, content-driven commerce. The more steps in the path to purchase, the more drop-off we see—PayPal/Venmo’s new shoppable ad capability brings conversion closer to the moment of inspiration and helps eliminate that friction.” said Kate Monaghan, Executive Vice President of Integrated Investment & Retail Partnerships at Horizon Media. “Coupled with PayPal and Venmo’s powerful first-party data, this unlocks new ways to deliver relevant, high-intent, shoppable experiences—giving consumers the ability to purchase instantly, right within the content they’re engaging with.”

“We’re thrilled to explore PayPal Ads’ next evolution in ecommerce media,” said Sidrah Althaus, CMO of Avocado Green Mattress. “Their shoppable display ads seamlessly surface the right product and drive conversions within the unit itself; delivering the kind of frictionless checkout experience savvy customers expect.”

“Advertisers are rightly focused on results—and the strongest outcomes come from pairing high-quality data with trusted connections to real audiences,” said Ryan Pauley, President of Revenue & Growth at Vox Media, Inc. “That’s what Vox Media delivers, and we’re excited to work with PayPal Ads to bring this new opportunity to life.”

Storefront Ads is expected to debut this summer in the U.S. as IAB-standard units and then evolve into brand carousels and sponsored listings. These next-gen placements harness dynamic creative optimization and product-level data designed especially for fast-moving consumer goods.