About Dynamic Match for Onsite Display
Dynamic Match is a targeting mode for Onsite Display Auction line items. Instead of mapping products to creative slots and choosing categories and keywords yourself, you add a SKU collection and the platform matches your products to each page or search context automatically, at the individual product level.
A product is eligible for a given placement only when it is contextually relevant to the page or search and in stock. A line item enters the auction only when enough eligible products are available to fill the ad format; if there are not enough, it is excluded from that auction. Because eligibility is evaluated continuously, Dynamic Match adapts to inventory and shopper context without ongoing rework.
Dynamic Match vs. Manual Targeting
Manual targeting | Dynamic Match | |
|---|---|---|
Targeting | You choose pages, categories, and keywords | The platform matches products to the context automatically |
Relevance | Applied at line item level; all SKUs share the same targeting | Evaluated per SKU, so only relevant products serve |
Creative slots | You map SKUs to slots and update them as inventory changes | Slots autofill with in-stock, relevant SKUs |
Entering the auction | A line item can enter even if only a few SKUs are relevant | A line item enters only when enough relevant SKUs can fill every visible slot |
When to Use Dynamic Match
Use Dynamic Match when:
You are not sure which keywords or categories to target, and want the platform to enforce contextual relevance.
Your creatives have multiple SKU slots and you want products to rotate in automatically.
You manage multi-category SKU collections that would be time-consuming to target manually.
Use manual targeting when:
The line item carries a specific, curated message and you want full control over the exact keywords, categories, and placements.
You need to exclude specific contexts through explicit targeting choices.
What You Need Before You Launch
A sufficient SKU collection. A placement needs at least 2 SKUs, or the ad stops serving. Add as many SKUs per category as you can for better performance and scale.
Well-grouped products. Group SKUs by one clear dimension: taxonomy (same category, brand, or subcategory), customer intent (products solving the same need), or business priority (similar margin or promotion). Split a collection when customer intent diverges or when you target different placement types; consolidate when products share a category, brand, and similar price or target the same placement.
Enough in-stock SKUs to fill every slot in the format, meeting the placement's relevance threshold and your negative keyword and category rules.
Keywords and Categories on a Dynamic Match Line Item
When Dynamic Match is on, the platform associates keywords and categories with the line item automatically. These appear in a read-only view on the line item, so you can see which signals may be used for delivery. Automatic associations are approved automatically and cannot be rejected individually, and they can update during the line item's flight.
You can still add your own keywords and categories where supported, and your manual submissions require retailer approval. You can also add negative keywords and categories, with two things to keep in mind:
Negations reduce the pool of eligible SKUs. If they leave too few SKUs to fill a placement's format, the line item will not serve.
A line item repush is required for a negation change to take effect immediately.
Switching Back to Manual Targeting
Once a retailer has approved a Dynamic Match line item, you cannot switch it back to manual targeting. To run the same activity manually, create a new line item.