How to Use Ads

What's Changing?

Commencing in July 2025, we will start migrating Product Manual campaigns to GMV Max, to prioritize the development of our intelligent system capabilities aimed at driving the growth of your traffic and conversion.

GMV Max optimizes for lower-funnel conversions for your shop, allowing you to benefit from smart bidding and a wider range of traffic channels to attract high-quality customers.

Please note that this migration from Product Manual campaigns to GMV Max will occur over several months, and you will receive a notification on Seller Centre 14 days prior to the migration taking effect for your campaigns.

Preparing for the migration

1. When will I know my Product Manual campaigns will be migrated?

You will receive a pop-up notification 14 days before the migration occurs in your Shopee Ads homepage and you will be able to review the list of impacted Product Manual campaigns prior to the transition to GMV Max. We strongly encourage you to self-upgrade your campaigns to GMV Max ahead of the migration date.

7 days before the migration, you will receive an additional reminder if you have remaining ongoing or scheduled Product Manual campaigns. Note that editing of existing or creating new Product Manual campaigns will be restricted seven days prior to migration day.

And on the day of migration, any remaining ongoing / scheduled Product Manual campaigns that have not been upgraded, will be auto-upgraded by the system to GMV Max.

2. What will happen to my existing Product Manual campaigns?

Your campaigns will be auto-upgraded to GMV Max on migration day. If you have multiple Manual campaigns for a single product, we will combine them into one GMV Max campaign per product according to the following guidelines:

1. The total budget from all current and scheduled campaigns for the same item will be combined into a single GMV Max campaign.
2. If the campaigns have varying end dates, the system will inherit the longest end date.
3. If any campaigns have an 'Unlimited' budget or end date setting, the system will prioritize 'Unlimited' as the highest value option.

3. Why am I unable to edit or create new Product Manual campaigns when it has not reached the migration date?

Seven days before the Manual campaigns migration date, you will no longer be able to edit existing Manual campaigns or create new ones. You will also not be able to restart/resume old Manual campaigns.

This measure is in place to prevent performance fluctuations or a decline in effectiveness as the migration date approaches.

Upgrading Product Manual Campaigns to GMV Max

1. What type of GMV Max bidding method is suitable for my products?

The system will recommend the most suitable GMV Max bidding method and ROAS goals for your product based on its historical spending and performance. We recommend adopting the system-recommended settings to ensure that your GMV Max campaign can reach its optimal performance potential.

Alternatively, the guide below will recommend a suitable GMV Max bidding method for your item

1. For new products, it's best to start with GMV Max Auto Bidding to boost visibility and accelerate orders in the first month. From 2025, selected sellers will enjoy increased traffic for new products using this method.
2. For regular products (items with long conversion cycles, small budgets, etc.), it's recommended to begin with GMV Max Custom ROAS. This strategy helps ensure good visibility while maintaining a positive ROAS for your items.
3. For hero products (items that are the top sales driver for your shop), it's best to use GMV Max Auto Bidding. This allows for flexible optimization to boost sales volume while maintaining a positive ROAS. The estimated ROAS is based on historical performance, ensuring alignment with past results while scaling campaign reach and GMV.

2. If I upgrade my Manual Campaign to GMV Max, will the GMV Max system account for performance of my previous campaigns?

The system will utilize historical item performance and relevant data to recommend a suitable daily budget, bidding method and ROAS targets for your item. It will also help improve optimization outcomes for your product when it has historical learnings for the system to tap on.

Once you publish the GMV Max campaign, please refrain from making any changes to the campaign setup for at least 7 days. This allows the system to enter a Learning Phase, which is crucial for achieving performance stability for your new campaigns.

3. How does GMV Max determine the ROAS targets for my item?

The GMV Max algorithm personalizes ROAS recommendations for each item by examining the product's historical performance and relevant insights from comparable products and categories. This strategy ensures that your campaigns remains competitive while achieving a satisfactory ROAS.

When using the GMV Max Custom ROAS bidding method, it's important not to set a Target ROAS significantly higher than the system's suggestions, as this may restrict your campaign's exposure and limit GMV and order growth.

For GMV Max Auto Bidding, the system provides a recommended ROAS estimate range that offers greater flexibility, allowing your campaigns to expand its reach and enhance the potential for higher GMV.

Differences expected between Manual vs GMV Max campaigns

1. Does the GMV Max system utilize keywords?

Currently, there are no keyword insights available on GMV Max. However, the system utilizes advanced AI features based on your product listing and category information to identify relevant search terms.

GMV Max will prioritize your ROAS goals while assisting you in discovering new high-potential customers that were previously unreachable when relying solely on limited keyword bidding. This approach aims to help you achieve your ROAS objectives and maximize your GMV potential.

2. I would like to set a bid limit to control my GMV Max CPC. Is it possible?

You cannot set a bid cap on your GMV Max campaign. GMV Max uses smart bidding to optimize for your ROAS goals while effectively managing your budget. Imposing a bid cap would restrict the algorithm's ability to reach high-potential users and diminish your campaign's competitiveness in optimal placements.

We recommend using your historical ROAS as a benchmark to evaluate the effectiveness of your GMV Max campaign. Gradually increasing your budget can enhance your exposure and help you capture more sales over time.

3. Can I choose placements for my GMV Max campaign?

The GMV Max system utilizes smart bidding to automatically identify the most effective placements for your items, helping you achieve your ROAS goals more efficiently.

GMV Max Performance

1. How long does it take for GMV Max campaign performance to stabilize?

It is advisable to wait at least 7 days for the system to complete the Learning Phase after a new GMV Max campaign is published.

During this time, you may notice performance fluctuations due to insufficient 7-day order attribution data. To help the system gather reliable results, it's best to limit or avoid making any changes to the campaign. As more orders come in, the performance of GMV Max will stabilize towards your ROAS goals.

2. What should I do when my GMV Max campaign is starting to have a decline in performance?

The key to optimizing GMV Max is to balance your budget with your target ROAS. To maintain stable performance, adjustments should be kept within a +/-20% range, and it's best to avoid making multiple daily changes to your campaigns, as this can disrupt the algorithm's learning process.

Here are some troubleshooting and optimisation tips:

Review Recent Changes: Check if you've recently modified your campaign, such as decreasing the budget or increasing the target ROAS, which may have led to a decline in traffic. Consider reverting these changes and monitoring performance over the next 7 days.

Set a Higher Daily Budget: Establish your daily budget at the highest acceptable limit and refrain from frequent adjustments. This allows the algorithm to pace your spending effectively against your ROAS goals, leading to optimal performance.

Monitor ROAS Trends: If you notice a decline in ROAS lasting more than 7 days, investigate whether it's due to post-seasonality (comparing campaign performance to a business-as-usual period) or if the item is competitively priced.

Increase Traffic: If your goal is to boost traffic, consider lowering your target ROAS or switching to GMV Max Auto Bidding. This will give the algorithm more flexibility to scale your campaign effectively.

For more information on GMV Max, you can check out the relevant articles here:

●Learn more about GMV Max Auto Bidding

●Learn more about GMV Max Custom ROAS

●Learn more about GMV Max FAQs

FAQs

1. Why is Manual Bidding being upgraded to GMV Max?

Shopee is gradually phasing out Manual Ads to align with industry standards, moving towards streamlined automated ad solutions. This change helps simplify ad setup and improve performance outcomes for sellers, additionally allowing us to further prioritize the development of our intelligent capabilities within GMV Max.

2. What will happen to my current Manual Keyword Campaigns?

All existing Manual Keyword Campaigns will be automatically upgraded to GMV Max. You'll receive a notification before the upgrade happens, along with clear guidance on the steps to follow.

Once upgraded:

1. Your ads will now be GMV Max ads (Auto Bidding, or Custom ROAS). Please ensure to review the new ads settings (Bidding Method, ROAS Target, Budget)
2. Previous manual settings (e.g. keyword match types, manual bids) will no longer apply
3. The system will optimize delivery based on your daily budget and ROAS settings

3. Can I switch back to Manual Keyword Bidding?

No. Once upgrade is complete, manual keyword bidding will no longer be supported. This change is part of Shopee's move toward a more automated and performance-driven ad system to help sellers scale more efficiently. We encourage you to explore GMV Max features like Custom ROAS if you're looking for more control over campaign performance.

4. Can I still select keywords in GMV Max?

No, keyword selection is no longer required in GMV Max. It uses an Auto Keyword strategy, where the system automatically matches your ads to the most relevant search terms. This matching is based on your product title and listing content, buyer search intent and historical ad performance and signals. The goal is to help you reach the right buyers while achieving your desired ROAS with minimal manual setup. If you're aiming for more reach, try a lower ROAS target; for more niche targeting, set a higher ROAS.

5. Can I bulk edit GMV Max ads?

Yes. You can mass select up to 30 products at once when creating or editing GMV Max campaigns via the Seller Center dashboard. This makes it easier to manage multiple SKUs efficiently and apply consistent settings.

1. For Auto Bidding, the system will assign a recommended ROAS range based on SKU signals. 
2. For Custom ROAS, sellers can manually input their own target ROAS. The daily budget is shared across all selected SKUs within the same campaign, regardless of bidding type.

6. Can I run multiple GMV Max ads for the same SKU?

No. Under GMV Max, a SKU can only be promoted in one GMV Max ad at a time. If you try to include a SKU that's already being used in another GMV Max ad, the system will show a pop-up message informing you that an ad is already running. If you proceed, the existing ad will be automatically paused to allow the new one to run. This helps avoid internal competition and ensures better ad delivery optimisation.

7. Is GMV Max available for all sellers?

Yes. With the phasing out of Manual Ads, existing Manual Ads have been updated to either GMV Max Auto Bidding or GMV Max Custom ROAS.

8. What if I don't upgrade my Manual ads by D-14?

If your Manual Ads are not upgraded by D-14, they can still remain active and be edited. However, starting from D-7 onwards, Manual Ads will no longer be editable and creation of new Manual Ads will no longer be supported. It's highly recommended to upgrade your ads early, giving your ads time to acclimate to GMV Max before the auto upgrade on D0.

9. What if I still do nothing by D-7?

By D-7, Manual Ads will no longer be editable and creation of new Manual Ads will no longer be supported. Existing Manual ads will still continue to run, but this is the last window to upgrade manually. We highly recommend you to upgrade during this period to determine the new ads settings before the auto upgrade.

10. What happens on D0 if I don't upgrade?

On D0, any active or scheduled Manual Ads will be automatically upgraded to GMV Max. You'll be given a pop-up notification in Seller Center with a summary of all upgraded Manual Ads and their new GMV Max settings. Please ensure to review these settings and make the necessary adjustments to better align with your advertising goals.

11. Will my ads performance be impacted by the upgrade?

Please expect some performance fluctuations during the learning phase (7-14 days after ads are set up). Performance will begin to stabilise and gradually improve as the system learns to better optimize based on the desired ROAS target.

12. How can I ensure my ads still reach the right audience?

Focus on your product title and listing quality. Relevant keyword usage in your product title helps the algorithm to better match your listing with relevant user search queries.

Additionally, ROAS targeting can be leveraged to adjust the buyer audience targeting:

1. When you set a high ROAS target, GMV Max will cater your ads towards a niche buyer audience to filter for high-intent buyers, this can improve conversion efficiency but will limit reach. 
2. Alternatively when you set a lower ROAS target, GMV Max will expand delivery to a broader range of potential buyers, reach and exposure to raise the conversion opportunity to drive a higher sales volume.

13. What is the "Diagnosis" section in GMV Max ads?

The Diagnosis section provides an at-a-glance assessment of your campaign's current health. It evaluates four key areas: Bidding, Budget & Balance, Continuance and Competitiveness. Each section includes recommendations to help improve campaign performance.

14. Can I still run ads if my balance is low but not zero?

Yes, but delivery may slow down or stop at any moment. The system reduces spend when balance is low to prevent abrupt pauses. It's best to top up early.

15. Can I run GMV Max and Shop Ads at the same time?

Yes, GMV Max is for Product Ads, while Shop Ads run separately to promote your overall store. However, ensure your total ads budget covers both to avoid premature delivery interruptions.

16. Can I run GMV Max campaigns without setting an end date?

Yes. GMV Max campaigns can run continuously as long as daily budget and balance are sufficient. You can pause or adjust anytime.

17. How can I monitor which SKUs are performing best in GMV Max?

Use the Seller Center Ads Dashboard to track performance by SKU. Focus on GMV, ROAS, and conversion rates to identify strong-performing products.Manual Mode Migration to GMV Max FAQ