How can advertisers get traffic via artificial intelligence and native ads in CPA

Imagine a visitor of an online fashion magazine is eager to buy a thing or two in a few clicks. Or, when watching a video, they want to find out the price and buy a jacket that a certain show host or a movie protagonist is wearing.

Now imagine online stores have the opportunity to attract users interested in purchasing directly from the page with the image or video, which contain the product. No annoying banners for the user, no manual link putting for the site owner, no need for the store to sign contract with the platform where pictures are placed.

Is this a real thing? Is this just fantasy?

In August 2018, Admitad Invest announced a deal with Sarafan.Tech, a company that does just this! The top-notch technology of the company is artificial intelligence which recognizes clothing items in photos and videos and finds similar products in partnered online stores.

What does it look like for the advertiser?

Examples with clothes on Elle.si

Example with clothes on myself.de

The process is completely automatic. No one puts links to images manually. It is enough to install the Sarafan widget on a site with high-quality photos.

Similarly, the technology works with video recognition:

Sample video with clothes on glamour.ru

How does it work for publishers?

1. Website owner selects the type of widget and installs it on their website.
2. The algorithm finds objects and images from the advertisers’ XML catalog and displays them in a showcase that opens when clicked.
3. The user navigates to the advertiser’s website via an affiliate link.
4. The affiliate network registers the target action – be it impression, click or purchase.
5. Depending on monetization model, website owners get their share – from 60 to 90% of the reward set by the affiliate program terms.

What sites can earn via CPA using Sarafan.AI?

Platforms with photo and video content – online magazines, streaming platforms, photo and video boards, and online cinemas. The widget can be installed on the website from any country – the system tracks the geolocation, changes the language and currency, and pulls up goods with delivery to the region.

Of course, there are a couple of limitations. If the photos or videos are blurry, with poor color reproduction, the algorithm may be mistaken or fail to recognize the goods. Also, the AI ​​automatically eliminates content that is not safe for the brand and does not embed a widget in it. Thus, Sarafan.AI does not function with shock-content websites.

What benefits does Sarafan have for content and video sites?

• Engagement. Thanks to the widget, the content gains more value. On average, users began to spend 25% more time on the site.
• More ad space. Widget does not compete with banners and teaser ads. Each photo, each video becomes a virtual showcase with an unlimited number of entries.
• Monetization. Any website with photo and video content can become a source of traffic and make money in the E-commerce. Advertisers pay for conversions (CPC), sales (CPS), views (CPM).
• Does not annoy users. Widgets are opened only by clicking, all buttons are inserted in the content, do not overlap it and do not interfere with viewing.

How is Sarafan useful for advertisers?

• Native advertising. According to a Sarafan survey, 86% of users perceive the widget not as an ad, but as an extra feature.
• Advertising in the spotlight. Widgets are embedded in the content and are guaranteed to come into the view of the reader.
• Targeted traffic. The user who follows the link from the widget is already familiar with the product and engaged.
• Brand safety. Widgets are not embedded in the content that can damage brand’s reputation. The system analyzes the texts of articles, reveals a negative context.
• Source of new traffic. Many glossy magazines and video resources cannot use DeepLink, XML feed, coupon feed, or other tools to drive traffic to online shopping sites via CPA. With the help of Sarafan technology this can be done automatically and natively.

Any successful cases?

Plenty! In Russia, Sarafan works with Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Elle Girl, in Germany – Myself and FIV Magazine, in Slovenia – Elle, in Georgia – Top News. Within two years, the company plans to enter all markets in Europe and the USA.

In all cases, the metrics are above average in the market, but are highly dependent on the subject of the site and the audience. The duration of stay on the site increases by an average of 25-35%, conversion rates jump up to 1.5-3%.

Clothing, cosmetics, furniture are the leading e-commerce categories. 

Are there similar services?

There are companies that offer shoppable formats for websites – Spott and gumgum. However, Sarafan.AI is currently the only one that works with streaming videos, offers revenue sharing and automatic widget updates. To top it all off, competitors do not have shopping windows.

How to start working with Sarafan?

Advertisers can apply online. After that, the system will analyze their product feed – the AI ​​will recognize and “remember” products from the catalogue and start searching for similar clothes on the partnered sites.

Sarafan is currently developing widgets with Admitad that publishers would install on their websites. They will combine all ad formats and monetization models for webmasters and provide advertisers with a new source of targeted traffic.

Currently, content site owners can connect to Sarafan here.