• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, April 12, 2023

PLA Extensions, the first integrated retail media solution from Microsoft, enables brands to serve product ads onsite and offsite with one budget while automatically optimizing for performance and reach.

Brands can now reach a larger number of in-market shoppers offsite. Advertisers were previously limited by the ads available on the retailer’s website.

With PLA Extension, advertisers have unified reporting and attribution. The feature unlocks automated omnichannel attribution, enabling marketers to measure the impact of onsite and offsite ads. It also allows marketers to see a more complete view of the shopper’s journey.

Microsoft believes marketers using this feature have access to more ad supply offsite and have the ability to use the retailer’s first-party data. Microsoft’s audience intelligence can target highly-relevant shoppers with access to more ad supply through offsite channels, including new buyers.

The feature automatically extends an advertiser’s product listing ad to offsite product placements powered by the Microsoft Search Network and the Microsoft Audience Network, optimizing performance and reach across on- and offsite product ad placements.

For instance, Joe is searching for a new pair of boots on his favorite retailer’s website. He sees the brand’s ad, but becomes distracted before adding the boots to his cart, and leaves the website without making a purchase.

Joe browses online that evening and see the ad again on Bing. He clicks through the ad on Bing and lands on the Brand’s product page on the retailer’s website. This time he makes a purchase.

Another shopper -- Sandra, who also looking for new boots but is not familiar with the brand -- has also seen the ad on DuckDuckGo and clicks through to make a purchase. The PLA Extension feature reached this in-market shoppers on and off the retailer’s site with one PLA campaign.

This feature is one of the ways Microsoft continues to build out omnichannel advertising and marketing for brands and companies.