How to Set Up Audience Signals on Criteo

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Overview

Innkeepr connects your first-party data to Criteo to power dynamic retargeting and predictive acquisition campaigns.
Through incremental prediction models, Criteo can target high-value users, exclude recent converters, and optimize dynamic creatives based on real user intent and product data. Unlike Meta or TikTok, Criteo combines audience signals with product feed optimization.
This means that user segments from Innkeepr (e.g. high-value shoppers, churn risks) are matched with your live merchant feed to deliver relevant product ads across web and app inventory.

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Prerequisites

Technical Requirements:

• Active Criteo Advertiser Account
• Active Product Feed (XML, CSV, or Merchant Center sync)
• Criteo OneTag installed on your website (or Events API)
• Innkeepr integration connected to your Criteo account

Recommended setup:

• At least 30 days of conversion and product data
• Feed refreshed daily
• Criteo tag tracks key commerce events:
  • view_item
  • add_to_cart
  • purchase

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Use Cases

Innkeepr supports four primary use cases for Criteo audience signals:

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1. Seed Audiences – Prospecting

Use high-quality seed segments (e.g. top 30% predicted converters) to power Criteo’s Similar Audience expansion.
Best for: Cold acquisition campaigns that target new users similar to your best customers.

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2. Retargeting Audiences – Re-engagement

Retarget users who viewed products or started checkout but didn’t complete a purchase.
Innkeepr ensures only users with incremental conversion potential are included.
Best for: Dynamic retargeting ads that feature recently viewed or abandoned products.

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3. Exclusion Audiences – Spend Protection

Exclude users who recently purchased or are predicted to have low incremental impact.
Best for: Preventing ad waste on converted or inactive users.

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4. Value-Based Audiences – CLV Segmentation

Create segments based on lifetime value (LTV), purchase frequency, or subscription tier.
Best for: Tiered campaigns that prioritize premium or high-value customers.

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Setup Instructions

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Step 1: Connect Criteo to Innkeepr

1. In Innkeepr, navigate to Sources → Browse
2. Click Connect Criteo
3. Sign in with your Criteo Advertiser credentials
4. Grant Innkeepr permissions to:
   • Upload audience lists
   • Send event data (view, add_to_cart, purchase)
   • Access merchant feed attributes
5. Confirm the connection — Criteo will now appear as an active destination

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Step 2: Create Audiences in Innkeepr

1. In Innkeepr → Audiences, click Create Audience
2. Choose Criteo as your destination
3. Set Audience Type to:
   • Seed for prospecting
   • Retargeting for re-engagement
   • Exclusion to remove users from campaigns
4. Define segmentation rules (e.g. 30-day lookback, top 50% incremental score)
5. Set your campaign objective (e.g. conversion, retention)
6. Click Create — your audience will sync to Criteo within 24–48 hours

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Step 3: Map Events and Feed Data

Criteo uses both user events and product feed attributes for dynamic ads.
To ensure proper matching, verify that your feed and events share the same product IDs. Feed requirements:

• Must include product id, name, image_url, link, price, and availability
• Supported formats: XML or CSV
• Recommended refresh: once every 24 hours

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Step 4: Verify Data and Sync

To confirm that audiences and events are flowing correctly:

1. Open Innkeepr → Events
2. Check that events like ViewProduct or Purchase appear
3. In Criteo Audience Manager, verify:
   • Audience status = Active
   • Match rate > 80%
   • Feed successfully imported

If audiences are missing:

• Ensure event names match Criteo’s expected schema
• Check permissions under Innkeepr → Destinations → Criteo
• Wait 24–48 hours after audience creation

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Best Practices

• Match IDs: Use consistent product IDs between your feed and website events
• Feed hygiene: Remove expired or unavailable products regularly
• Segmentation depth: Keep audiences large enough (1,000+ users) for delivery
• Dynamic creatives: Enable Criteo’s “Dynamic Ads” format to showcase personalized products
• Value tiers: Use Innkeepr’s LTV scoring to run tiered bid strategies (e.g. Gold, Silver, Bronze)

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Troubleshooting

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Audience Not Populating

Issue: Audiences don’t appear in Criteo
Solutions:

• Confirm Criteo is connected as a destination in Innkeepr
• Ensure your OneTag or API events are firing (view_item, add_to_cart, purchase)
• Check minimum audience size (1,000 users recommended)
• Wait 24–48 hours for sync

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Feed Sync Failed

Issue: Product feed not updating or missing items
Solutions:

• Verify your feed URL or upload schedule in Criteo Merchant Center
• Ensure feed attributes match required fields (ID, price, URL)
• Check that product IDs align with event IDs in Innkeepr

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Low Match Rate

Issue: Audience size in Criteo much smaller than in Innkeepr
Solutions:

• Confirm emails or hashed identifiers are included in Innkeepr audiences
• Check for missing product IDs in event payloads
• Allow 24–48 hours for data matching to complete

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Purchase Events Missing

Issue: Criteo doesn’t receive purchase data
Solutions:

• Verify purchase events are firing correctly on the confirmation page
• Confirm your Criteo pixel or API is active and authorized
• Review Innkeepr → Events for incoming purchase events
• Contact Innkeepr support if issue persists

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