Showroom Ads are the most visually distinctive ad format Microsoft has ever shipped. Instead of a text block or a static product card, users get an interactive product experience inside the Copilot conversation — swipe through variants, compare features, read reviews, and proceed to checkout without opening a browser tab.

This walkthrough covers everything you need to go from zero to a live Showroom Ad campaign.

Prerequisites

Before you can run Showroom Ads, you need three things in place:

  1. Active Microsoft Advertising account — in good standing, with billing configured
  2. Microsoft Merchant Center store — verified domain, approved product feed, products passing validation
  3. Performance Max campaign — Showroom Ads are delivered exclusively through PMax. There is no separate Showroom Ads campaign type.

Common misconception: You cannot create a standalone "Showroom Ads campaign." They are a placement within Performance Max. If your PMax campaign is running and your feed qualifies, Showroom placements are automatically included.

Feed Requirements for Showroom Eligibility

The Merchant Center feed powers the Showroom Ad content. Meeting basic feed requirements isn't enough — Showroom eligibility requires quality signals that many feeds don't have by default.

What makes a Showroom-eligible product:

  • Multiple high-quality images: Minimum 3 images per product, 800×800px minimum. Include front, back, and at least one lifestyle or detail shot. Use the additional_image_link field (up to 10 images).
  • Rich description: 500+ characters, written in complete sentences, covering key attributes
  • Variant data: If your product has colour or size variants, submit them as separate items with distinct item_group_id
  • Ratings and reviews: Products with Google Shopping review feeds connected significantly outperform those without. Set up the Microsoft Shopping review integration if you haven't.
  • Price in sync: Real-time or daily feed updates. Stale pricing is the most common reason for Showroom disapprovals.

Setting Up Your Performance Max Campaign

If you already have a PMax campaign, Showroom placements should activate automatically when your feed qualifies. If you're setting up PMax for the first time:

  1. In Microsoft Advertising, click + New Campaign → Performance Max
  2. Set your campaign objective (Sales or Website Traffic recommended for Showroom)
  3. Connect your Merchant Center store under Shopping → Merchant Center
  4. Set your daily budget — start with 3× your target CPA to allow algorithm learning
  5. Create your first asset group (headline, description, images, logo)
  6. Add audience signals: customer match lists and website visitor segments accelerate learning

Creative Assets for Showroom

Beyond the product feed, Performance Max uses additional creative assets to construct Showroom experiences. The quality of these assets directly affects placement frequency.

Image specifications

  • Landscape (1.91:1): 1200×628px minimum
  • Square (1:1): 1200×1200px minimum
  • Portrait (4:5): 960×1200px
  • No overlaid text in images (Microsoft strips it)
  • Brand logo: 1200×1200px, transparent background preferred

Using Image Animation

Microsoft added Image Animation to Ads Studio in March 2026. This feature converts your static product images into short video assets using AI — valuable for Showroom Ads, where video significantly increases engagement. Access it via Microsoft Advertising → Ads Studio → Video Templates.

Monitoring Showroom Performance

In Microsoft Advertising, navigate to Campaigns → Placements and filter by Copilot to see Showroom-specific metrics. Key metrics to watch:

  • Engagement rate: Users who interact with the Showroom panel beyond the initial impression
  • Product view rate: How many users view specific products within the Showroom
  • Showroom CTR vs standard ad CTR: Showroom should substantially outperform. If it doesn't, the issue is usually feed quality.