Fluent’s Matt Conlin: Post-Transaction Ads Delivers Higher Click-Through Rates, But Does Programmati

Why It Matters

Post‑transaction ads unlock dramatically higher engagement and lifetime value, forcing marketers and programmatic platforms to evolve or risk losing premium conversion opportunities.

Key Takeaways

• Post‑transaction ads achieve click‑through rates ten times higher
• Brands see increased lifetime value from post‑purchase ad exposure
• Programmatic platforms lack support for high‑impact, brand‑safe inventory
• Retailers expanding ad surfaces to returns, summaries, loyalty pages
• Success hinges on customer‑first innovation and data‑driven personalization

Summary

Fluent’s Matt Conlin explains that post‑transaction moments—when a shopper has just completed a purchase—are emerging as premium, brand‑safe media inventory. These ads, delivered in the seconds after a checkout, generate click‑through rates around 2.5%, roughly ten times higher than traditional programmatic display’s typical 0.25%.

The conversation highlights why this inventory outperforms conventional programmatic: it reaches a confirmed buyer, offers full‑page or interstitial formats, and drives both immediate engagement and long‑term customer value. Conlin likens the effect to “branded search,” noting that brands participating see stronger GMV and higher lifetime value, while the broader commerce media ecosystem is moving from endemic retailer ads to off‑site targeting and now to these post‑purchase touchpoints.

Examples cited include offers on hotel booking confirmations, order‑return pages, order‑summary screens, and loyalty‑section widgets. Conlin stresses that the data fueling these experiences must be first‑party, privacy‑safe, and tightly integrated with retailer identity graphs to personalize offers without compromising user trust.

The implication for marketers is clear: to stay competitive, they must adopt post‑transaction ad solutions, prioritize customer experience, and push programmatic platforms to support this high‑impact inventory. Brands that innovate while keeping shoppers at the center will capture higher GMV and sustain loyalty as commerce media matures.

Original Description

MIAMI — Post-purchase advertising moments may generate stronger performance, but current programmatic frameworks might hinder marketers from getting the most out of these ad strategies.

“The unique thing about post-transaction is high-impact inventory, and it’s brand safe because a real person that just made a purchase, drives incredibly strong performance and click-through rates,” Matt Conlin, co-founder & CCO of Fluent, told Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan at POSSIBLE, pointing to 2.5% click-through rates compared to traditional display’s 0.25% CTR. “Programmatic was built on the open web where there were a lot of display ads cluttering a publisher’s webpage. Programmatic was not built to support that type of performance.”

This infrastructure mismatch explains why post-transaction inventory remains outside programmatic ecosystems despite delivering results comparable to branded search advertising.

Commerce media reaches third growth phase

After maximizing endemic advertiser onsite inventory and expanding offsite audience targeting, commerce media enters phase three through new ad verticals and surface area expansion beyond traditional placement strategies.

“As both of those first two phases of growth have started to plateau, the next natural stage are what are the other types of ad verticals we can introduce to our shoppers to enrich the experience?” Conlin said.

New opportunities include order return pages, summary pages, loyalty sections, and in-store experiences that leverage high-engagement moments when consumer endorphins remain elevated.

Personalization requires privacy balance

Effective commerce advertising depends on creating relevant, personalized experiences based on shopper data while maintaining privacy compliance and extracting advertiser conversion insights for identity graph enrichment.

“How do we create the most relevant and personalized ad experience possible based on what we know about a shopper? And how do we do that in a privacy safe way that respects privacy but also delivers the personalization that shoppers have come to demand?” Conlin said.

Data flows bidirectionally, with retailer insights informing advertiser targeting while conversion feedback enhances commerce partner customer understanding.

Prioritize customer experience

Success in commerce media’s next phase requires innovation openness combined with customer-first approaches that drive gross merchandise value while preserving shopping experiences and brand safety.

“The winners will be determined by the players that are open to innovation, but most importantly, those that puts their customers first,” Conlin said. “Those that are focused on driving GMV while also creating rich customer experiences.”

Sustainable growth depends on maintaining shopper loyalty through appropriate brand participation in customer journeys rather than prioritizing short-term monetization over long-term relationship preservation.

“The winners are ultimately those that preserve the best experience possible for the shoppers, keep their customers loyal and coming back time and time again while also introducing appropriate ways for brands to participate in that customer journey,” Conlin said.