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5 FAILED catalog ad ideas and what you can learn from them

Top eCommerce brands are not afraid to experiment - and it often yields good results in the end

March 11, 2025

Hi there,

Behind every scroll-stopping catalog ad are 10 ideas that didn’t work.

Last time, we showed you 5 brilliant catalog ad examples that worked. This time, we’ve compiled a list of experiments gone wrong, so you don’t repeat them.

Here are 5 bold catalog ad experiments from the top eCommerce brands that didn’t work out, how they were fixed, and what you can learn from them

1. Images should be the star of the template

Liquid Death tried this template to promote new collections.

However, due to the heavy borders and frame, the image was too small to properly highlight the product image, and the ad performed poorly.

Lesson - Product images should be taking up maximum real estate.

Fixed template;

2. Don’t clutter your templates

Coach added too many additional elements, which, in our opinion, were not required. The template is very cluttered and pulls attention away from the product itself.

Lesson - A few decorative elements here and there are fine, but remember - the product should always be the center of attention.

Fixed template;

3. Misleading discounts are the worst

This one, although unintentional, was the biggest offender. H&M added a 60% off sticker as part of a sitewide clearance sale. However, it turned out that not all products had that offer; most were 20% off. 

This instantly put customers off their products and led to a great CTR but bad conversion rate. 

Lesson - Make sure you can deliver what you’re offering.

A/B testing has helped each of these brands ultimately achieve much better results from their catalog ads. If you’re looking for a creative testing strategy that;

  1. Gives you scroll-stopping, branded ads

  2. Up to 300% more RoAS

  3. Minimal ad spend for testing phase

RetainIQ is the solution you’re looking for. In addition to our Enhanced Catalog Ads platform that enables creative testing for catalog ads (not possible in Meta platform), you also get a highly experienced team who will create the optimum strategy for your brand.

4. Simple is best - focus on one idea

Simon Pearce added a bunch of stuff to this template - Flash Sale, Payment Options and Reviews.

This caused an information overload - there’s just too many things to process here.

Lesson - Don’t make your customers think so much - keep it simple, give a crystal clear offer.

Fixed template;

5. Work with the images you have, not the images you want

Bonobos had vertical images, which suited their products. However, they were trying to force these images into their template, and this led to several messy crops.

Lesson - Use the right collections with the right template, and you’ll be good.

The template works quite well for pants;

If you want to run successful catalog ads like these, check out our Enhanced Catalog Ads platform, or get in touch with our team. 

We will find the optimum tried-and-tested strategy which is guaranteed to work for your brand. In fact, we guarantee that if you don’t see satisfactory results, you’ll get your investment back!